In a land ruled by a paranoid and jealous king hell-bent on destroying his own family and buffeted by violent storms, miracles, and a very large and hungry bear, Shakespeare’s characters go from intense melodrama to comedy to redemption in the five wild acts of The Winter’s Tale. In this week’s episode, Will and James find themselves surprised by how much they liked this romance and debate what makes it so much more successful than some of the Bard’s later plays.

Credits

• Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)

• Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)

• Illustrative Excerpts: “The Winter’s Tale,” dir. Gregory Doran, Heritage Theatre (1999); “The Winter’s Tale,” dir. Kenneth Branagh, Garrick Theatre (2015)