The Winter’s Tale

A king who destroys his family with a single suspicion. A baby abandoned on a desolate shore. A statue that steps down from its pedestal. And a bear.

Shakespeare's late romance is his strangest and most beautiful play—a story of jealousy, loss, and the miraculous power of forgiveness that spans sixteen years and two very different worlds.

Leontes, King of Sicily, becomes convinced without evidence that his pregnant wife Hermione is having an affair with his childhood friend Polixenes. He imprisons her, orders the death of his friend, and banishes his newborn daughter to a desolate coast. His son dies of grief. Hermione collapses, and is reported dead. For sixteen years, Leontes lives in guilt and sorrow. Meanwhile, the abandoned baby—named Perdita—has been raised by shepherds in Bohemia, where she falls in love with Polixenes's son, Florizel. The young lovers flee to Sicily, and the play builds toward one of the most famous final scenes in all of drama: a statue of Hermione that may, impossibly, be alive.

This is Shakespeare at his most lyrical and redemptive: a play about the madness of jealousy, the cruelty of time, and the belief that even the dead can return if we are willing to forgive. The Winter's Tale ends with a miracle—and a question: Do we deserve it?

• One of Shakespeare's late romances, written around 1610–1611

• Famous for its sudden shift from intense tragedy (Act 3) to pastoral comedy (Act 4) to miraculous resolution (Act 5)

• Features the most famous stage direction in English literature: "Exit, pursued by a bear"

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the longest winter eventually gives way to spring.

About the Author

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he moved to London and became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men). The Winter's Tale was written around 1610–1611 and was performed at the Globe Theatre and later at court. The play is based on Robert Greene's 1588 pastoral romance Pandosto. Shakespeare made significant changes: in Greene's version, the abandoned baby dies, and the queen never returns. The famous stage direction "Exit, pursued by a bear" has delighted and baffled audiences for centuries; scholars have speculated that the bear was a real animal from the bear-baiting pits near the Globe. The play fell out of fashion in the 18th and 19th centuries but has become one of Shakespeare's most beloved works in the modern era. His other major works include Hamlet, King Lear, The Tempest, and The Winter's Tale is often performed alongside The Tempest as a companion piece about forgiveness and reconciliation. He died in 1616 at the age of 52 and is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.