Love

Love is an important theme throughout this play and is why some classify this among Shakespeare’s love stories. Leontes loves Hermione so much that he drives himself to jealousy. It’s this fear that causes him to publicly accuse her of adultery and drives his best friend away. The fact that Leontes is later repentant and that he spends some sixteen years mourning Hermione is another testament of his love for her. This love even conquers death though it’s possible that Hermione was never dead but had merely hidden until she was certain her life was no longer in danger. If Hermione does, in fact, die, the statue erected in her honor comes to life in the presence of the love of her husband, daughter, and good friends. The next example of this theme is seen in the love between Perdita and Florizel. Perdita...