SOURCE: Trienens, Roger J. “The Inception of Leontes' Jealousy in The Winter's Tale.” Shakespeare Quarterly 4, no. 3 (July 1953): 321-26.

In the following essay, Trienens focuses on the inception of Leontes's jealousy and contends that the character is beset with feelings of distrust from the very beginning of the play.

Much of the criticism of The Winter's Tale hinges upon the characterization of Leontes and upon his startling outburst of jealousy in Act I, scene ii. Most critics have assumed that Leontes is in a normal state of mind when this scene begins but that he suddenly becomes jealous when Hermione persuades Polixenes, the visiting king, to remain longer in Sicily. Yet this has seemed a very inadequate cause for suspicion, because Hermione, however graciously, merely obeys her husband's command. Therefore these critics have generally tried to account for his sudden jealousy in one of two ways. Either they have...