FOLGER Shakespeare Library THE WORLD S LEADING CENTER FOR SHAKESPEARE STUDIES Each edition includes Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play Scene by scene plot summaries A key to famous lines and phrases An introduction to reading Shakespeare s language An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library s vast holdings of rare books Essay by Stephen Orgel The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D C is home to the world s largest collection of Shakespeare s printed works and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs The Winter s Tale one of Shakespeare s very late plays is filled with improbabilities Before the conclusion one character comments that what we are about to see Were it but told you should be hooted at Like an old tale It includes murderous passions man eating bears princes and princesses in disguise death by drowning and by grief oracles betrayal and unexpected joy Yet the play which draws much of its power from Greek myth is grounded in the everyday A winter s tale is one told or read on a long winter s night Paradoxically this winter s tale is ideally seen rather than read though the imagination can transform words into vivid action Its shift from tragedy to comedy disguises and startling exits and transformations seem addressed to theater audiences The authoritative edition of The Winter s Tale from The Folger Shakespeare Library the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers includes Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play S - from Amzon