Exit, pursued by a bear. Enter a shepherd (3.3). The “tale” of The Winter’s Tale unfolds in scenes set sixteen years apart. In the first part of the play, Leontes, king of Sicilia, plays host to his friend Polixenes, king of Bohemia. Suddenly, Leontes becomes unreasonably jealous of Polixenes and Leontes’s pregnant wife, Hermione. Leontes calls for Polixenes to be killed, but he escapes. Hermione, under arrest, gives birth to a daughter; Leontes orders the baby to be taken overseasRead more