A Winter's Tale Character List

Leontes

The King of Sicilia, and the childhood friend of the Bohemian King Polixenes. He is gripped by jealous fantasies, which convince him that Polixenes has been having an affair with his wife, Hermione; his jealousy leads to the destruction of his family.

Polixenes

The King of Bohemia, and Leontes's boyhood friend. He is falsely accused of having an affair with Leontes's wife, and barely escapes Sicilia with his life. Much later in life, he sees his only son fall in love with a lowly Shepherd's daughter—who is, in fact, a Sicilian princess.

Perdita

is one of the heroines of William Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale. She is the daughter of Leontes, King of Sicilia, and his wife Hermione

Florizel

Polixenes's only son and heir; he falls in love with Perdita, unaware of her royal ancestry, and defies his father by eloping with her.

Mamillius

The young prince of Sicilia, Leontes and Hermione's son. He dies, perhaps of grief, after his father wrongly imprisons his mother.

Archidamus

A lord of Bohemia, he goes with the king to spy on the prince.

Antigonus

is a lord at Leontes's court. He is married to Paulina, and has three daughters. A grey-bearded old man, he is willing to stake almost all he has on Hermione's innocence, believing that the king must have been convinced by some Iago-like figure of her disloyalty. He is also afraid of the ridicule Leontes's madness will bring on the court. He attempts to rule his wife, but she is too forceful a personality, leading him to be considered henpecked. He stands up to Leontes, but obeys him when his allegiance is called on, and also when having sworn to obey before hearing the command he receives the order to abandon Hermione's baby in deserted place. He receives a visitation from Hermione's ghost, who tells him what to do with the child. Though he dislikes the oath, unlike Camillo he does not break it, though he does what he can for the baby before being eaten by a bear. While in the process of having his shoulder chewed on, he is still able to cry out his name and rank to a passerby.

Mopsa

A young shepherdess that is in love with the old shepherd's son. The other one is Dorcas.

Hermione, Queen of Siclia

is Leontes's wife, and the daughter of the Emperor of Russia. Very much aware of her dignity, she has a son, Mamillius, and is nine months' pregnant at the start of the play. She is persuasive, able to convince Polixenes to remain an extra week, and easy to enter in conversation with. Though exhausted at times by her son's energy, she enjoys having him tell her stories. When she is suddenly attacked by an irrational Leontes accusing her of adultery, she had first believes this to be a misunderstanding, but on realizing that he is in earnest she submits to his will, though refusing to speak any word that might suggest her guilt. She gives birth to a daughter in prison and is willing to trust Paulina with her, but this is the last time she sees the child. She is not fully recovered from childbirth when she is brought to court to answer the charges against her. Her pride is evident as she lists all the wrongs done to her and states that she is fighting for her honor, not her life. When the news of her son's death arrives, she is however overcome. Whether she dies at this point is a matter of opinion. She is seems so and is accepted as such, and what seems to be her ghost appears to Antigonus to tell him what to do with her child, but 16 years later appears as a statue which is revived. Either she was dead, and her statue brought to life; or she hid away for sixteen years, posed as a statue to hear Leontes's remorse, and then decided to return to life. Each production must make up its own mind, though the evidence tends to point towards the latter interpretation. It should be noted is that though she takes Leontes's hand in this scene, she does not speak to him, only to her daughter. However, she also will not look at Polixenes until Leontes bids her to.

The Old Shepherd's Servant

is very enthusiastic about all comers to the feast, be they peddlers or dancers.

Clown

is the Old Shepherd's son. He is, to put it charitably, not the brightest of fellows, but he is good-natured. Out with his father to search for missing sheep, he witnesses a ship sinking in the storm, and a gentleman being eaten by a bear who calls to him for help. He does not do so, but does bury what's left of him. 16 years on, sent by his adopted sister to do the shopping for the sheep-shearing feast, he charitably helps a man who's been beaten by a ruffian, not realizing that his pocket is being picked. He has a taste for music, and is being wooed by both Dorcas and Mopsa - or perhaps he is wooing them. He convinces his father to tell the King that Perdita is not actually a member of their family by blood. He is certain that Autolycus is a gentleman, and is terrified of the punishments the rogue claims are being prepared for them. He takes well to being made a gentleman, and attempts to convince Autolycus to go honest.

Gaoler

appears sympathetic to Paulina, but follows his orders to the letter. He is afraid of punishment for letting the baby leave the jail, but is willing to be convinced by Paulina's arguments.

Old Shepherd

is a Bohemian. At the age of 67, searching for sheep, he comes across the baby Perdita and adopts her. Thanks the gold that was left with her, he becomes the richest man of his district. He has a crusty old man's opinion of teenage boys. Likewise, he chides the 16 year-old Perdita for not being as good a Queen of the Feast as his late wife was. He is hospitable, readily welcoming strangers to his house as a way to make new friends. He approves of Doricles as a husband for his daughter, and tells all and sundry that he'll get a remarkable dowry for her; indeed, he promises him as much as Doricles himself will bring to the wedding. He is floored by the revelation that Doricles is in fact Prince Florizel; his reaction is such that it worries Camillo that he may die. In terror that he will be hanged, he resolves to tell the Polixenes how he found Perdita, and present all the evidence that she is not, in fact, his daughter. Accepting Autolycus's offer of mediating, he finds himself shipped to Sicily, where he is confronted by Polixenes. He attempts to tell the King what he knows, though the latter refuses to hear and threatens him with a variety of methods of execution. Upon Leontes's arrival, he is finally able to tell his story, and the kings are so overjoyed that Polixenes ennobles him.

Autolycus

is a short rogue, formerly one of Florizel's servants. A consummate conman and pickpocket, he sings a great deal, both for his own pleasure and as part of his cons. He is well-known for going to all merry gatherings and having his way with people's purses. He was whipped from Florizel's servants, consorts with brothel-owners, worked as a bailiff, married a tinker's wife, attempted a variety of jobs, and settled on being a trickster. He arrives at the sheep-shearing as a pedlar, selling ballads and knick-knacks, and takes the opportunity to note who has money and where the keep it; and having sold his stock, he then takes their remaining money. He can counterfeit having been beaten at a moment's notice as well as play the gentleman. By chance he is around in time to exchange his clothes with Florizel before the latter's flight, and overhears enough of the plot to know what's going on. He also overhears the Old Shepherd and the Clown debating, and offers to be their advocate to the King in return for gold. He brings them aboard Florizel's ship, and it is therefore thanks to him that the mystery of Perdita's identity is revealed. He is not overly pleased at this, as it's a good thing rather than a roguish trick. Extremely quick-witted and able to turn any situation to his advantage, he is a coward, and trembles at the very thought of being caught and hanged.

Cleomenes

A lord of Sicilia, sent to Delphi to ask the Oracle about Hermione's guilt.

Camillo

An honest Sicilian nobleman, he refuses to follow Leontes's order to poison Polixenes, deciding instead to flee Sicily and enter the Bohemian King's service.

Dorcas

is a shepherdess, who claims that the Clown has promised more to her than to Mopsa. She loves a good ballad and enjoys singing.

Dion

A Sicilian lord, he accompanies Cleomenes to Delphi.

Emilia

is one of Hermione's ladies, allowed to attend on the Queen as she gives birth. She convinces Hermione to trust Paulina's plan to show the baby to Leontes.

Paulina

A noblewoman of Sicily, she is fierce in her defense of Hermione's virtue, and unrelenting in her condemnation of Leontes after Hermione's death. She is also the agent of the (apparently) dead Queen's resurrection.