Leontes

King Leontes is the father of Perdita and husband to Queen Hermione in Shakespeare's comedy "The Winter's Tale". He becomes obsessed with the belief that his wife has been having an affair with Polixenes, his childhood friend and King of Bohemia. Because of this, he tries to have his friend poisoned, has his wife imprisoned, and orders his infant daughter to be abandoned. His daughter, Perdita, survives the journey although her protector is killed by a bear, and is raised among commoners. [ [http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/mirror/classics.mit.edu/Shakespeare/winters_tale/full.html Winter's Tale: Entire Play ] ] His young son dies of grief at his mother's plight, and Hermione faints on hearing the news and is reported to be dead. Leontes comes to understand his faults, and is filled with remorse for his ill-treatment of his Queen. At the end of the play, he is reunited with daughter and his wife, whose death has been falsely reported. According to Harold Bloom, he is Shakespeare's finest representation of jealousy of the male heart. [ [http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=631 Harold Bloom - An interview with author ] ]

Actors who have given notable performances as Leontes include Johnston Forbes-Robertson, Henry Ainley, John Gielgud, and Antony Sher.

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