'The Winter’s Tale' looks on the bright and dark sides of life

Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” is FSU/Asolo Conservatory’s latest production. Is it a tragedy or a comedy? According to director Jonathan Epstein, both. 

Tragic news first: King Leontes of Sicilia wrongly suspects his pregnant wife, Hermione, of infidelity with his best friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia. He sentences Hermione to death, she apparently dies, their son dies from grief and their newborn daughter, Perdita, is left to die on a hill in Bohemia.

The good news? In the second act, the story shifts gears to comedy. A kindly shepherd rescues Perdita and raises her as his very own. When Perdita comes of age, she falls in love with Polixenes' son. The story culminates in magical reunions, forgiveness, joy and lots of music and dancing. According to Epstein, there’s more to it than that. Here’s the rest of the story …

Is “The Winter’s Tale” a tragedy or a comedy?

It’s both. The first half is a Shakespearean tragedy driven by jealousy, while the second half is a pastoral romance full of music and comedy. The play ultimately ends in redemption — almost everyone is restored, except for poor Antigonus, who gets eaten by a bear. But even his actor returns to play a pickpocket. The final moments are deeply moving — the audience rarely leaves with dry eyes.

Was this mix of tragedy and comedy unusual for Shakespeare?

No. “The Winter’s Tale” belongs to the group of tragicomedies that Shakespeare wrote later in life. These were inventive fusions of two art forms. In comedies, the drive to procreate wins, ending in marriage. In tragedies, the need for justice dominates, often resulting in death. Tragicomedies like “The Winter’s Tale” blend the two. The play is beloved among actors for its intricate, transcendent language. It doesn’t just reflect character — it creates character. George Bernard Shaw even said that Shakespeare didn’t fully understand jealousy when he wrote “Othello,” but had mastered it by “The Winter’s Tale.”

Why do some scholars consider “The Winter’s Tale” a “problem play”?

Because they insist on rigid dramatic structure. Because Shakespeare broke the rules. Aristotle’s principles — the unities of action, time and place — don’t apply to “The Winter’s Tale.” The action is a tragedy in the first act and a comedy in the second. Sixteen years pass during intermission, and the setting shifts between Sicily and Bohemia. Shakespeare, like Picasso, mastered traditional forms but then broke the rules. By this point in his career, he wasn’t writing within conventions — he was reinventing them. From Shakespeare’s perspective, rules are for other people.

How do you handle the radical tonal shift between acts?

You commit to it and trust the playwright.

Leontes’ murderous jealousy seems to come out of nowhere. How do you explain his rapid descent into paranoia? Or do you?

I think you let the audience figure it out. Each actor who plays Leontes has also got to come up with their own explanation. I’ve played Leontes before. He’s got everything to be happy about. He’s there with his best friend, his fine young son and his pregnant wife. One moment, he’s kissing his wife affectionately. Then he says, “My heart dances.” To me, that sounds a lot like an atrial fibrillation. Right after that, Leontes is suddenly overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts. A-fib was my explanation as an actor, though I didn’t telegraph it to the audience.

Why does “The Winter’s Tale” still resonate today?

Because it mirrors today’s world. People in power behave badly in this play, just as they do now. Sicilia was a patriarchal society; our country has a largely patriarchal structure today. Without checks and balances, powerful leaders abuse their power.

Suspicion of guilt becomes conviction, and that leads to disastrous actions — just like today. This play also explores the slow, difficult process of forgiveness. That doesn’t happen overnight; it requires humility, time and commitment. Look at South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation process — post-apartheid didn’t bring instant paradise. “The Winter’s Tale” lets us witness the end of such a journey.

How do you guide young actors in complex roles like Leontes and Hermione?

I encourage them to draw on their own emotional responses. I’m not a jealous guy, so my portrayal of Leontes was rooted in self-hatred. Our Leontes, Billy Lyons, has a natural sense of physical jealousy, so his interpretation is different. Uri Zhang, the actress playing Hermione, brings a powerful authenticity. As a foreign actress, she understands her character’s sense of isolation and powerlessness in Sicilia. This makes her performance deeply truthful. When Zhang transforms into a lively shepherdess in Bohemia, you can also see her comic side. She’s a great singer and dancer, along with Yaala Muller. After starting out so seriously, they turn into free-spirited shepherdesses strutting around to ZZ Top. It’s fun for me, and I hope it’ll be fun for the audience.