SCENE II. A court of Justice. Winter's Tale  Shakespeare homepage  |  Winter's Tale  | Act 3, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE II. A court of Justice. 

 Enter LEONTES, Lords, and Officers  LEONTES  This sessions, to our great grief we pronounce, 

 Even pushes 'gainst our heart: the party tried 

 The daughter of a king, our wife, and one 

 Of us too much beloved. Let us be clear'd 

 Of being tyrannous, since we so openly 

 Proceed in justice, which shall have due course, 

 Even to the guilt or the purgation. 

 Produce the prisoner. 

 Officer  It is his highness' pleasure that the queen 

 Appear in person here in court. Silence! 



 Enter HERMIONE guarded; PAULINA and Ladies attending  LEONTES  Read the indictment. 

 Officer  [Reads]            Hermione, queen to the worthy 

 Leontes, king of Sicilia, thou art here accused and 

 arraigned of high treason, in committing adultery 

 with Polixenes, king of Bohemia, and conspiring 

 with Camillo to take away the life of our sovereign 

 lord the king, thy royal husband: the pretence 

 whereof being by circumstances partly laid open, 

 thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance 

 of a true subject, didst counsel and aid them, for 

 their better safety, to fly away by night. 

 HERMIONE  Since what I am to say must be but that 

 Which contradicts my accusation and 

 The testimony on my part no other 

 But what comes from myself, it shall scarce boot me 

 To say 'not guilty:' mine integrity 

 Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it, 

 Be so received. But thus: if powers divine 

 Behold our human actions, as they do, 

 I doubt not then but innocence shall make 

 False accusation blush and tyranny 

 Tremble at patience. You, my lord, best know, 

 Who least will seem to do so, my past life 

 Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true, 

 As I am now unhappy; which is more 

 Than history can pattern, though devised 

 And play'd to take spectators. For behold me 

 A fellow of the royal bed, which owe 

 A moiety of the throne a great king's daughter, 

 The mother to a hopeful prince, here standing 

 To prate and talk for life and honour 'fore 

 Who please to come and hear. For life, I prize it 

 As I weigh grief, which I would spare: for honour, 

 'Tis a derivative from me to mine, 

 And only that I stand for. I appeal 

 To your own conscience, sir, before Polixenes 

 Came to your court, how I was in your grace, 

 How merited to be so; since he came, 

 With what encounter so uncurrent I 

 Have strain'd to appear thus: if one jot beyond 

 The bound of honour, or in act or will 

 That way inclining, harden'd be the hearts 

 Of all that hear me, and my near'st of kin 

 Cry fie upon my grave! 

 LEONTES  I ne'er heard yet 

 That any of these bolder vices wanted 

 Less impudence to gainsay what they did 

 Than to perform it first. 

 HERMIONE  That's true enough; 

 Through 'tis a saying, sir, not due to me. 

 LEONTES  You will not own it. 

 HERMIONE  More than mistress of 

 Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not 

 At all acknowledge. For Polixenes, 

 With whom I am accused, I do confess 

 I loved him as in honour he required, 

 With such a kind of love as might become 

 A lady like me, with a love even such, 

 So and no other, as yourself commanded: 

 Which not to have done I think had been in me 

 Both disobedience and ingratitude 

 To you and toward your friend, whose love had spoke, 

 Even since it could speak, from an infant, freely 

 That it was yours. Now, for conspiracy, 

 I know not how it tastes; though it be dish'd 

 For me to try how: all I know of it 

 Is that Camillo was an honest man; 

 And why he left your court, the gods themselves, 

 Wotting no more than I, are ignorant. 

 LEONTES  You knew of his departure, as you know 

 What you have underta'en to do in's absence. 

 HERMIONE  Sir, 

 You speak a language that I understand not: 

 My life stands in the level of your dreams, 

 Which I'll lay down. 

 LEONTES  Your actions are my dreams; 

 You had a bastard by Polixenes, 

 And I but dream'd it. As you were past all shame,-- 

 Those of your fact are so--so past all truth: 

 Which to deny concerns more than avails; for as 

 Thy brat hath been cast out, like to itself, 

 No father owning it,--which is, indeed, 

 More criminal in thee than it,--so thou 

 Shalt feel our justice, in whose easiest passage 

 Look for no less than death. 

 HERMIONE  Sir, spare your threats: 

 The bug which you would fright me with I seek. 

 To me can life be no commodity: 

 The crown and comfort of my life, your favour, 

 I do give lost; for I do feel it gone, 

 But know not how it went. My second joy 

 And first-fruits of my body, from his presence 

 I am barr'd, like one infectious. My third comfort 

 Starr'd most unluckily, is from my breast, 

 The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth, 

 Haled out to murder: myself on every post 

 Proclaimed a strumpet: with immodest hatred 

 The child-bed privilege denied, which 'longs 

 To women of all fashion; lastly, hurried 

 Here to this place, i' the open air, before 

 I have got strength of limit. Now, my liege, 

 Tell me what blessings I have here alive, 

 That I should fear to die? Therefore proceed. 

 But yet hear this: mistake me not; no life, 

 I prize it not a straw, but for mine honour, 

 Which I would free, if I shall be condemn'd 

 Upon surmises, all proofs sleeping else 

 But what your jealousies awake, I tell you 

 'Tis rigor and not law. Your honours all, 

 I do refer me to the oracle: 

 Apollo be my judge! 

 First Lord  This your request 

 Is altogether just: therefore bring forth, 

 And in Apollos name, his oracle. 



 Exeunt certain Officers  HERMIONE  The Emperor of Russia was my father: 

 O that he were alive, and here beholding 

 His daughter's trial! that he did but see 

 The flatness of my misery, yet with eyes 

 Of pity, not revenge! 



 Re-enter Officers, with CLEOMENES and DION  Officer  You here shall swear upon this sword of justice, 

 That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have 

 Been both at Delphos, and from thence have brought 

 The seal'd-up oracle, by the hand deliver'd 

 Of great Apollo's priest; and that, since then, 

 You have not dared to break the holy seal 

 Nor read the secrets in't. 

 CLEOMENES  DION  All this we swear. 

 LEONTES  Break up the seals and read. 

 Officer  [Reads]	Hermione is chaste; 

 Polixenes blameless; Camillo a true subject; Leontes 

 a jealous tyrant; his innocent babe truly begotten; 

 and the king shall live without an heir, if that 

 which is lost be not found. 

 Lords  Now blessed be the great Apollo! 

 HERMIONE  Praised! 

 LEONTES  Hast thou read truth? 

 Officer  Ay, my lord; even so 

 As it is here set down. 

 LEONTES  There is no truth at all i' the oracle: 

 The sessions shall proceed: this is mere falsehood. 



 Enter Servant  Servant  My lord the king, the king! 

 LEONTES  What is the business? 

 Servant  O sir, I shall be hated to report it! 

 The prince your son, with mere conceit and fear 

 Of the queen's speed, is gone. 

 LEONTES  How! gone! 

 Servant  Is dead. 

 LEONTES  Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves 

 Do strike at my injustice. 



 HERMIONE swoons  How now there! 

 PAULINA  This news is mortal to the queen: look down 

 And see what death is doing. 

 LEONTES  Take her hence: 

 Her heart is but o'ercharged; she will recover: 

 I have too much believed mine own suspicion: 

 Beseech you, tenderly apply to her 

 Some remedies for life. 



 Exeunt PAULINA and Ladies, with HERMIONE  Apollo, pardon 

 My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle! 

 I'll reconcile me to Polixenes, 

 New woo my queen, recall the good Camillo, 

 Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy; 

 For, being transported by my jealousies 

 To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose 

 Camillo for the minister to poison 

 My friend Polixenes: which had been done, 

 But that the good mind of Camillo tardied 

 My swift command, though I with death and with 

 Reward did threaten and encourage him, 

 Not doing 't and being done: he, most humane 

 And fill'd with honour, to my kingly guest 

 Unclasp'd my practise, quit his fortunes here, 

 Which you knew great, and to the hazard 

 Of all encertainties himself commended, 

 No richer than his honour: how he glisters 

 Thorough my rust! and how his pity 

 Does my deeds make the blacker! 



 Re-enter PAULINA  PAULINA  Woe the while! 

 O, cut my lace, lest my heart, cracking it, 

 Break too. 

 First Lord  What fit is this, good lady? 

 PAULINA  What studied torments, tyrant, hast for me? 

 What wheels? racks? fires? what flaying? boiling? 

 In leads or oils? what old or newer torture 

 Must I receive, whose every word deserves 

 To taste of thy most worst? Thy tyranny 

 Together working with thy jealousies, 

 Fancies too weak for boys, too green and idle 

 For girls of nine, O, think what they have done 

 And then run mad indeed, stark mad! for all 

 Thy by-gone fooleries were but spices of it. 

 That thou betray'dst Polixenes,'twas nothing; 

 That did but show thee, of a fool, inconstant 

 And damnable ingrateful: nor was't much, 

 Thou wouldst have poison'd good Camillo's honour, 

 To have him kill a king: poor trespasses, 

 More monstrous standing by: whereof I reckon 

 The casting forth to crows thy baby-daughter 

 To be or none or little; though a devil 

 Would have shed water out of fire ere done't: 

 Nor is't directly laid to thee, the death 

 Of the young prince, whose honourable thoughts, 

 Thoughts high for one so tender, cleft the heart 

 That could conceive a gross and foolish sire 

 Blemish'd his gracious dam: this is not, no, 

 Laid to thy answer: but the last,--O lords, 

 When I have said, cry 'woe!' the queen, the queen, 

 The sweet'st, dear'st creature's dead, 

 and vengeance for't 

 Not dropp'd down yet. 

 First Lord  The higher powers forbid! 

 PAULINA  I say she's dead; I'll swear't. If word nor oath 

 Prevail not, go and see: if you can bring 

 Tincture or lustre in her lip, her eye, 

 Heat outwardly or breath within, I'll serve you 

 As I would do the gods. But, O thou tyrant! 

 Do not repent these things, for they are heavier 

 Than all thy woes can stir; therefore betake thee 

 To nothing but despair. A thousand knees 

 Ten thousand years together, naked, fasting, 

 Upon a barren mountain and still winter 

 In storm perpetual, could not move the gods 

 To look that way thou wert. 

 LEONTES  Go on, go on 

 Thou canst not speak too much; I have deserved 

 All tongues to talk their bitterest. 

 First Lord  Say no more: 

 Howe'er the business goes, you have made fault 

 I' the boldness of your speech. 

 PAULINA  I am sorry for't: 

 All faults I make, when I shall come to know them, 

 I do repent. Alas! I have show'd too much 

 The rashness of a woman: he is touch'd 

 To the noble heart. What's gone and what's past help 

 Should be past grief: do not receive affliction 

 At my petition; I beseech you, rather 

 Let me be punish'd, that have minded you 

 Of what you should forget. Now, good my liege 

 Sir, royal sir, forgive a foolish woman: 

 The love I bore your queen--lo, fool again!-- 

 I'll speak of her no more, nor of your children; 

 I'll not remember you of my own lord, 

 Who is lost too: take your patience to you, 

 And I'll say nothing. 

 LEONTES  Thou didst speak but well 

 When most the truth; which I receive much better 

 Than to be pitied of thee. Prithee, bring me 

 To the dead bodies of my queen and son: 

 One grave shall be for both: upon them shall 

 The causes of their death appear, unto 

 Our shame perpetual. Once a day I'll visit 

 The chapel where they lie, and tears shed there 

 Shall be my recreation: so long as nature 

 Will bear up with this exercise, so long 

 I daily vow to use it. Come and lead me 

 Unto these sorrows. 



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