Summary

Act III

Act III, Scene I, takes place in “Sicilia, A Street in Some Town.” Two Sicilian lords, Cleomenes and Dion, are talking. They believe that the message from Apollo will clear Hermione’s name. They rush to get the message back to Leontes.

Act III, Scene II, tales place in “The Same. A Court of Justice.” Leontes announces the charge of adultery against Hermione and she’s brought into the court. The formal charge is read and Hermione is accused of having an affair with Polixenes and then plotting to kill Leontes once he discovered the affair. Hermione is given a chance to answer the charges and she says that it’s pointless to say she’s not guilty. Since they are already accusing her of being a liar, there would be no reason to believe anything she says. She says she...