LEONTES’ ORIGINAL SIN: GENESIS 3 AND THE WINTER’S TALE

Abstract

Abstract Scholars have often noted the presence of language about penance and repentance in The Winter’s Tale, but less attention has been paid to the way Shakespeare portrays sinfulness itself. This article argues that, especially in the first three acts, the playwright uses repeated allusions to Genesis 3, along with a theological interpretation of evil as privation, to reveal the nature, development, and consequences of Leontes’ sin. This biblically-inflected portrait of sin and evil, in turn, significantly shapes the themes of penitence and forgiveness in the latter half of the play, as Leontes’ repentant sinfulness is transfigured by grace.