Star rating: ⭐⭐
Characters
Leontes: King of Sicilia, whose jealousy sparks the conflict.
Hermione: Queen of Sicilia, wrongly accused of infidelity.
Perdita: Their daughter, raised by a shepherd.
Polixenes: King of Bohemia and Leontes’ friend.
Camillo: Loyal lord who aids both kings.
Paulina: Noblewoman who defends Hermione.
Antigonus: Paulina’s husband, abandons Perdita.
Florizel: Polixenes’ son, in love with Perdita.
Autolycus: Roguish peddler and comic relief.
Shepherd: Finds and raises Perdita.
Clown: Shepherd’s son.
Mamillius: Leontes and Hermione’s son.
Cleomenes: Lord sent to consult the oracle.
Dion: Accompanies Cleomenes.
Archidamus: Lord of Bohemia.
Emilia: Attendant on Hermione.
Mopsa and Dorcas: Shepherdesses and comic figures.

Summary
King Leontes of Sicilia begins to suspect that his wife, Hermione, is being unfaithful to him with King Polixenes of Bohemia. King Polixenes flees Sicilia with Mamillus, a servant of Leontes. Hermione supposedly dies. Leontes ordered that his daughter with Hermione, Perdita, is abandoned where she is taken care of by a shepherd. Leontes later finds out that he was incorrect in his suspicions. However, no one can find Perdita. 16 years pass, and Leontes is still in mourning.
Florizel, the son of Polixenes, becomes infautated with Perdita, but he is unaware of her royal heritage. Polixenes disapproves of the match, so Florizel and Perdita leave to Sicilia where they find out that Perdita is the daughter of Hermione. Hermione is found not to be dead. Florizel and Perdita marry soon after.

Missed Tragedy Potential
The play starts out with a strong plot of Leontes’ fear of his wife’s potential infidelity. After Leontes imprisons his wife, it could take many different directions. For example, Hermione or Perdita could take revenge, Polixenes could wage war on Sicilia, or Leontes could kill himself with grief. However, it takes the path that defies the current tone of the story by making it a comedy. This change is extremely jarring.

Rushed Ending
The play’s ending sequence is far too rushed. Perdita’s true parentage is revealed, and Hermione is “miraculously restored to life,” both important events in the sequence of the play, but these occurrences are not given their due. Perdita’s identity and her connection to the royal lineage is central to the plot and is the culminates of the tension of the whole play. Additionally, Leontes’ false accusations are a sort of inciting incident of the play, and its reversal is central to the plot. Yet, it seems these moments are sold short and leave a longing for a more leisurely ending to the play.

Unnecessary Scenes
After Leontes discovers Hermione’s innocence, the play shifts in tone, style, and topic, and Shakespeare seems unsure how to fill the newly opened narrative space, which he fills with unnecessary scenes and subplots simply to add time before Perdita’s royal connection and Hermione’s return. In Act 4, Scene 4, the shepherd and his son are introduced, which seems somewhat disconnected in tone and topic from the central themes and arcs established earlier. This scene is indicative of a broader issue of the balance between expanding a story and losing its essence. Shakespeare also begins to introduce songs, confusingly. This sudden introduction almost looks like Shakespeare grasping at straws.