| Synopsis: |
Two childhood friends, Leontes, King of Sicilia, and Polixenes, King of Bohemia, meet in Sicilia to catch up. Leontes wants Polixenes to stay longer, so he sends his wife, Queen Hermione to convince him. Hermione is successful, but Leontes begins to suspect that the two of them are having an affair, and that his child soon to be born is a bastard. He orders Camillo, one of his lords, to poison Polixenes, but Camillo instead warns Polixenes to flee. The two of them go to Bohemia, and Hermonie is arrested for adultery. Hermione gives birth in prison, but Leontes has the child disposed of. The Oracle of Delphos pronounces Hermione innocent, but Leontes does not believe it until another of its prophecies is proven true. Hermione faints and supposedly dies. Antigonus, the man ordered to dispose of the child, is told to name it Perdita by a dream. He tries to let it live, but he is chased away by a bear. Perdita is then raised by a shepherd and his son, Clown. Years later, Polixenes’ son, Florizel, finds Perdita and falls in love with her. Florizel and Perdita want to marry, but Polixenes will have none of it. They flee to Sicilia, where Perdita’s lineage is revealed. Leontes and Polixenes agree to the marriage, and Hermione is revealed to be alive, disguised as a statue. |