Embedded Forms and the Progressive Wonders of 'The Winter's Tale

Written in an age of theatrical experimentation, The Winter's Tale stands out even amid the lively playhouse practices of its day for its allusions to multiple genres, ranging from the overt theatrical genres of tragedy and comedy, to contemporaneous subgenres such as pastoral tragicomedy and masque, to non-theatrical entertainments such as bearbaiting, broadside ballads, and statue-viewing. While prior critics have treated the play's numerous generic allusions in isolation, this dissertation reads The Winter's Tale as a progression of embedded forms meant to condition a sequence of affective and increasingly interactive audience responses, thus preparing Shakespeare's audience for the redemptive, participatory wonders of the final act. My three chapters trace Shakespeare's evocation of tragic tropes and rigid pageantry in the first half of the play; his nods to raucous, contemporaneous forms such as bearbaiting and pastoral tragicomedy in Acts III and IV; and the fading, nostalgia-inducing miracle plays and "old tales" he uses to frame the wonders of Act V. I argue that, through this progression, Shakespeare rejects the tyrannical, controlling visions of Leontes in favor of the participatory marvels of Act V, dismissing rigid, patriarchal forms such as Leontes' show trial while ultimately elevating generative, interactive, feminine forms such as Marian miracle plays and old wives' tales. Reading The Winter's Tale as a late career ars poetica designed to test and reinvigorate the theatrical faith of Shakespeare's audience, my dissertation explores the sprawling yet rigorous poetic logic behind the play's generic mixing.