The Winter's Tale

The theatrical production of The Winter’s Tale that we watched in class was very interesting. Viewing the piece definitely aided in my understanding of the play as have all the other visual representations of the plays we have watched in class, including the ones performed by fellow classmates. Certain characters stood out to me as being different than the way I interpreted them when I read the text by myself without seeing it performed. The character of Paulina in particular played a smaller role in the play when I read it then when it was performed. I saw Paulina as sort of an aid to Hermione and not much more. In the production however, Paulina was one of the main characters who acted as the glue in the play by connecting other characters and tying the plot together. For instance, it was Paulina who adamantly scolded Leontes for his actions against Hermione in such a way that he questioned himself. I did not gather this from the text. Also, from the production I got the feeling that Hermione was in fact alive for those sixteen years and that it was Paulina who had been harboring her. I feel like that because she knew for a fact that the statue of Hermione would move if she asked it to, like it was really just a person and she was getting confirmation from Hermione that it would be okay if Hermione entered back into his life before she told Hermione that it would be okay for her to reveal herself as alive. I didn’t really get the image of Hermione as being resurrected or coming back to life in the scene we saw in class, it looked to me as if she had been alive the whole time.
Also, the character of Hermione was represented in a way that I had not thought about in the text. It seemed as though she was quite passive when she was seen in the trial and I don’t know if that’s because she thought she was helpless and could not change her fate at that point or what but she seemed rather indifferent to me during the whole trial. The lines at the beginning of ACT II SCENE II from Hermione demonstrate this:

Since what I am to say must be but that
Which contradicts my accusation and
The testimony on my part no other
But what comes from myself, it shall scarce boot me
To say 'not guilty:' mine integrity
Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it,
Be so received. But thus: if powers divine
Behold our human actions, as they do,
I doubt not then but innocence shall make
False accusation blush and tyranny

In these lines, Hermione seemed rather passive and accepting. When I read the text I saw her as having passionate defense for herself and I saw her fighting for her life.
I wouldn’t change much about the play. I didn’t really like the actor who played Leontes; I maybe would have tried to find someone besides that. Besides that, it was a good production but just different than how I interpreted it when I read it.