The Winter’s Tale and Privileged Spectatorship

This chapter looks at sightlines (rather than lighting effects) to think about how Shakespeare may have exploited sightline difficulties in his theatres to create dramatic effects. I focus on how the staging of the culminating moment in The Winter’s Tale—the statue scene—may have produced sightline issues because Hermione’s statue was probably placed within the so-called discovery space. Referring to Simon Forman’s notorious and idiosyncratic account of his visit to the Globe as well as modern performances in replica spaces (Blackfriars, Wanamaker Playhouse), I develop a model of privileged spectatorship that associates clear sightlines with moral vision. However, I argue that the play undermines this association with the surprise ending of Hermione’s resurrection. From here I examine a Japanese adaptation of the play done in the style of Noh that deceives the audience and then awakens it to its previous misunderstanding of the supernatural element in its play-world.