Shakespeare's 1611 late romance in which King Leontes of Sicilia becomes suddenly and irrationally jealous of his pregnant wife Hermione, condemns her, causes his son's death, and is separated from his daughter for 16 years before a reconciliation that resembles resurrection.
Dramatizes the violence of irrational jealousy — and the possibility of redemption and reconciliation after catastrophic betrayal — with the statue scene (Hermione seemingly comes back to life) as Shakespeare's most powerful image of grace and forgiveness.
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