King Leontes of Sicilia accuses his wife, Queen Hermione, of infidelity with his childhood friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia. Consumed by irrational jealousy, Leontes becomes obsessed with proving Hermione’s supposed adultery and orders her imprisonment before putting her on trial, where she steadfastly maintains her innocence.
Leontes’ baseless accusations lead to the destruction of his family: Hermione dies of grief, her newborn daughter is abandoned in a distant land, and her...