The cast of The Winter's Tale
The people who make The Winter's Tale move — what they want, who they love, who they hate, and how each one fits the story. Tap any name to read more.
Leontes
Jealous tyrant; King of Sicilia whose baseless suspicion destroys his family and kingdom · Middle-aged (implied); sixteen years older by Act 5
Autolycus
A roguish peddler and thief; trickster and agent of fortune
Camillo
Leontes' counselor and agent of redemption; a man of integrity caught between obedience and conscience
Paulina
Hermione's fierce advocate and keeper of secrets; the conscience of the court who transforms into architect of redemption · Middle-aged to elderly
The Clown
Comic servant and son of the Shepherd; a man newly elevated to gentlemanhood · Young man
Polixenes, King of Bohemia
Wronged friend and father; catalyst of tragedy and restoration · Middle-aged
Florizel
Prince of Bohemia; a young man of constancy and feeling, willing to sacrifice rank for love · Young adult
The Shepherd
A humble countryman who finds and raises the exposed princess Perdita · eighty-three
Hermione
Queen of Sicilia; victim of her husband's jealousy and the play's moral center · Royal consort; appears mature
Perdita
The lost princess raised as a shepherd's daughter; embodies natural grace and moral clarity · sixteen
Antigonus
Loyal courtier forced to execute a tyrant's cruel command; tragic instrument of separation · Middle-aged
First Lord
Leontes' courtier and voice of reason; witness to the king's jealous collapse
Mamillius
Young prince of Sicilia; innocent victim of his father's jealous madness · a child
Mopsa
Shepherdess and dancer at the Sheep-Shearing Feast
Dorcas
Shepherdess and singer at the sheep-shearing feast
Servant
Messenger and attendant in the royal palace
Archidamus
Bohemian courtier and ambassador of goodwill
Cleomenes
Oracle messenger and voice of consolation
First Gentleman
Courtly messenger and witness to miraculous reunions
Gaoler
Prison keeper; minor official bound by the king's command
Third Gentleman
Courtly messenger and narrator of the statue's revelation
Hear every line of The Winter's Tale, narrated.
