"Don't Be Fooled By The Lots That I Got" (Tutorial)

Question: “What is the importance of social status to the play, and what happens because of social status? Cite specific examples from the play to support your answer.”

           

The play, Winter’s Tale authored by Shakespeare, focuses pointedly at the issue of social status and how it affects interactions among the classes. It is clear that this ideology is a reflection of the practices of the era. The Lost Colonial Educational Pages posits that high social status regarded those who held the monarchy, nobility, gentry, merchants and beneath them, labourers. The common traits among these groups include family name, gender and marriage. Scholars suggest that social status provides a sense of belonging to the various members of society and according to Marx, a clear distinction between the wealthy and powerful and the poor and exploited.

            Through out Shakespeare’s written works, although primarily focused on the ‘upper crust’, when the reader does, in fact, get a glimpse of the ‘not-so-fortunate’, the men are always the head of the home and primary decision makers, with the exception of the deviant women, who is, in this case, Paulina. This is a trend of male dominance throughout the classes. 

            Winter’s Tale illustrates the prominence of male dominance that over shadow social status. In the text, the reader sees equal interaction between Camillo and Leontes or  Polixenes.

        

          Leontes: “Let that suffice. I have trusted thee, Camillo,
With all the nearest things to my heart, as well
My chamber-councils, wherein, priest-like, thou
Hast cleansed my bosom…”

           

This extract depicts Leontes’ value for Camillo’c companionship not withstandin the fact that his is simply a servant.

            Pauline: …

Leontes: What noise there, ho?

Paulina: No noise, my lord; but needful conference
About some gossips for your highness.

Leontes: How!
Away with that audacious lady! Antigonus,
I charged thee that she should not come about me:
I knew she would.

Antigonus: I told her so, my lord,
On your displeasure's peril and on mine,
She should not visit you.

Leontes: What, canst not rule her?

From this extract, it is clear to note that Leontes bares no value in what Paulina has to say and considers her plea as ‘noise’. When comparing these two extracts, it is clear that Leontes’ view of social status is blurred in light of gender.

However, not in all circumstances is social status blurred by gender but there are clear-cut conflict between the classes in Winter’sTale. In Act 4, at the Sheep sharing festival, Polixenes and Camillo disguise themselves in to spy on Florizel, at which time, they learn of Florizels intention to marry a shepherd’s daughter. Upon  unveiling himself (Polixenes) he says the following:

Polixenes: Mark your divorce, young sir,

Discovering himself

Whom son I dare not call; thou art too base
To be acknowledged: thou a sceptre's heir,
That thus affect'st a sheep-hook! Thou old traitor,
I am sorry that by hanging thee I can
But shorten thy life one week. And thou, fresh piece
Of excellent witchcraft, who of force must know
The royal fool thou copest with,--

            This is a manifest of his obvious disdain of the intermingling between the two classes: wealthy and poor. He makes his disapproval clear by referring to Florizel as ‘royal fool’.

In conclusion, social status plays an important part in Winter’s Tale, as well as many of Shakespeare novelties. The reader sees it being manifested and the fore mentioned examples. However, interestingly, Shakespeare makes allowances for gender to over shadow class prominently in the text. Nevertheless, the conflict between social status between high and low are existence and adds a dramatic element to Shakespearean plays.