INTERPRETATIONS OF 'THE WINTER'S TALE'
             This essay will look closely at three different interpretations of Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale'; the 1989 BBC production: Director: Jane Howell, producer: Jonathan Miller, the 1999 Royal Shakespeare company, director: Greg Doran, and the 2002 RSC: director: Matthew Warchus. The intention in this essay is to compare parts of the three interpretations; examining the scenes that had the most impact on me. The atmosphere, staging and symbolism are dramatic effects that will be taken into account; looking in particular at Act 3 scene 2 and Act 5 scene 3.
             In the opening scene arousing the audiences' attention seemed to be Warchus' first objective. He was able to create a magical and spectacular atmosphere through the accompaniment of noisy kettledrums. His opening scene was more powerful and appealing compared to Howells' and Dorans'.
             Warchus makes use of symbolism, for example, the magic trick. The woman in the coffin could represent Hermione, yet the woman exits out of the coffin symbolising Hermione will still be alive. Warchus used symbolism to introduce some of the themes of 'The Winters Tale'; death, resurrection and faith.
             Comparing this opening with Howells' and Dorans' interpretation, we can say that the two are more calming. In Howells' interpretation, the actors enter the scene quickly and the play is set off quite tediously compared to the 2002 version. Howell added a white set in the background, which could symbolise the fact that it is winter, and it could be reinforcing the title of the play. Kemp, acting as Leontes, and Stephens, acting as Polixenes were distant in Howells' interpretation compared to Leontes(Cumpsty) and Polixenes ( Saxon) in Warchus's interpretation, where the audience could really see the fact that they are friends "for perpetuity".
             Kemp and Stephens acted distant, this could suggest that Howell wanted to symbolise these two characters will be apart...