Leontes, after my first impression, betrayed my opinion of him. I thought he loved Hermione!!! But then he puts her in jail and I just can't believe that he loved her as much as she loved him. But now I have a strong opinion of Hermione's feelings towards her husband. She loved him, she was devoted to him, and she was always true to him.
Why does this matter? Well, she, the innocent, died for a guilty man's deeds. Tragic. What more is that he is now responsible for lying, almost murdering (Polixenes) and falsely accusing his wife. His wife, whom everyone loved, believed, and stood up for, is dead because of him. Now no one likes him anymore and he probably even hates himself. And then Shakespeare leaves us hanging.
So what about the second half of the story? Will the two lovers end up the way Leontes and Hermione did? Or will Perdita be anything like the noble and brave and loyal mother she never knew? What is the first half of this play telling us about the second half? I think it means something, and I'm excited to find out what that is!
No comments:
Post a Comment