- Who is it for?
- Ages 12–99
- How long is it?
- 31 min
- What does it include?
- Synced read-along and a quiz
- What does it cost?
- Premium access in Emma's Library
About this audiobook
King Leontes of Sicilia suddenly convinces himself that his pregnant wife Hermione and his lifelong friend Polixenes, King of Bohemia, have betrayed him. No evidence can move him. He orders loyal Camillo to poison Polixenes; instead Camillo warns the innocent king and flees with him. Leontes imprisons Hermione, rejects their newborn daughter, and commands Antigonus to abandon the baby. At Hermione's trial, an oracle declares her innocent and Leontes a jealous tyrant. News comes that their young son Mamillius has died from grief; Hermione collapses and is reported dead. The abandoned infant, Perdita, is raised by a Bohemian shepherd after Antigonus is lost off-stage. Sixteen years pass. Perdita and Polixenes's son Florizel fall in love, but the disguised king furiously opposes their unequal match. Camillo helps the couple flee to Sicilia. Evidence reveals Perdita's royal identity. Leontes, repentant through all the intervening years, welcomes her and reconciles with Polixenes. Hermione's friend Paulina unveils a lifelike statue of the lost queen; it moves, breathes, and embraces her family. Whether preserved in secret or restored by wonder, Hermione returns on her own terms, while the absent Mamillius reminds everyone that spring does not cancel winter.
Why it's worth a listen
A king's baseless jealousy destroys his family, but Shakespeare refuses to end the story in winter. Sixteen years later, a lost princess, a shepherd festival, a young prince, and the most astonishing statue in drama create the possibility of spring. This late romance asks more of repentance than regret: patience, truth, and willingness to accept that some losses cannot be reversed.
What listeners will learn
Subjects: literature, storytelling, historical imagination.
- character
- setting
- conflict
- choice
- consequence
- theme
- retelling
- winter
- tale
- classic
Questions for after listening
- Retell the central conflict in order.
- Name one important choice and what happened because of it.
- How did the setting or tradition shape the story?
A question to keep
Can time and repentance repair harm that forgiveness alone cannot undo?
Chapters
- The Shadow in the Sun
- The Cradle and the Court
- The Verdict of the Oracle
- A Coast of Storms and Shepherds
- The Festival of Summer
- The Stone That Breathed
- A Question to Keep
Editorial review
Quality reviewed · 96/100 on . Certificate EL-53CD-031A is bound to the exact narrated script.
The review checks factual care, audience fit, teaching quality, structure, tone and source honesty. Read the editorial standards.
Published 2026-07-19 · Updated
