Original: Thou want’st a rough pash and the shoots that I have,
Modern: You don’t have a rough head and the beard that I have,

Original: To be full like me: yet they say we are
Modern: To look completely like me: yet people say we are

Original: Almost as like as eggs; women say so,
Modern: Almost as alike as two eggs; women say this,

Original: That will say anything but were they false
Modern: Who will say anything, but even if they were as false

Original: As o’er-dyed blacks, as wind, as waters, false
Modern: As re-dyed black fabric, as unreliable as wind and water, as false

Original: As dice are to be wish’d by one that fixes
Modern: As wished-for dice are to someone who recognizes

Original: No bourn ‘twixt his and mine, yet were it true
Modern: No boundary between what’s his and what’s mine, it would still be true

Original: To say this boy were like me. Come, sir page,
Modern: To say this boy looks like me. Come here, little boy,

Original: Look on me with your welkin eye: sweet villain!
Modern: Look at me with your sky-blue eyes: you adorable rascal!

Original: Most dear’st! my collop! Can thy dam?—may’t be?—
Modern: My dearest! My own flesh and blood! Could your mother?—is it possible?—

Original: Affection! thy intention stabs the centre:
Modern: Emotion! Your power pierces to the very core:

Original: Thou dost make possible things not so held,
Modern: You make possible things that aren’t thought possible,

Original: Communicatest with dreams;—how can this be?—
Modern: You connect with fantasies;—how can this be?—

Original: With what’s unreal thou coactive art,
Modern: You work together with what isn’t real,

Original: And fellow’st nothing: then ‘tis very credent
Modern: And partner with nothing: then it’s very believable

Original: Thou mayst co-join with something; and thou dost,
Modern: That you might unite with something real; and you do,

Original: And that beyond commission, and I find it,
Modern: And that goes beyond what’s permitted, and I discover it,

Original: And that to the infection of my brains
Modern: And that leads to the poisoning of my mind

Original: And hardening of my brows.
Modern: And the growing of cuckold’s horns on my forehead.

Act I, Scene ii of The Winter’s Tale takes place in the court of Sicilia, where King Leontes is attempting to persuade his childhood friend King Polixenes of Bohemia to extend his visit, as Polixenes has announced his intention to return home after a nine-month stay. When Leontes fails to convince him, he asks his pregnant wife, Queen Hermione, to try her hand at persuading Polixenes to remain. Hermione succeeds where Leontes could not, and Polixenes agrees to stay on. Leontes, observing the ease and warmth with which Hermione and Polixenes speak and interact with one another, begins to experience a sudden and intense jealousy, convincing himself that Hermione and Polixenes are engaged in a secret love affair and that the child Hermione carries is not his own.

As the scene progresses, Leontes’ jealousy deepens rapidly. He sends his young son Mamillius off with Hermione and Polixenes, and turns to his trusted counselor Camillo, confiding his suspicions and commanding Camillo to poison Polixenes. Camillo is horrified by the command, as he believes Hermione to be entirely innocent, and instead warns Polixenes of the danger he faces. Polixenes is shocked to learn of Leontes’ sudden and unfounded jealousy, and Camillo agrees to flee Sicilia with him, arranging their secret departure together. The scene ends with the two men making plans to escape, leaving Leontes’ court behind.

The Winter’s Tale begins in Sicilia, where King Leontes hosts his childhood friend Polixenes, King of Bohemia. When Leontes asks his pregnant wife Hermione to persuade Polixenes to extend his visit, her success in convincing him to stay triggers Leontes’ sudden and violent jealousy. He becomes convinced that Hermione and Polixenes are having an affair and that her unborn child is illegitimate. Despite protests from his courtiers, Leontes orders Polixenes’ death, but Camillo, the lord commanded to poison Polixenes, instead warns him and they both flee to Bohemia.

Leontes publicly accuses Hermione of adultery and imprisons her. She gives birth to a daughter in prison, and Leontes orders the baby to be abandoned in the wilderness. When Hermione is brought to trial, the Oracle of Delphi declares her innocent, but Leontes rejects this divine judgment. Immediately after, news arrives that their young son Mamillius has died from grief, and Hermione collapses and is reported dead. Stricken with remorse, Leontes vows to spend his life repenting. Meanwhile, the baby is abandoned on the coast of Bohemia, where a shepherd finds and raises her, naming her Perdita.

Sixteen years pass. Perdita, now a beautiful young shepherdess unaware of her royal birth, falls in love with Prince Florizel, son of King Polixenes. Polixenes, disguised with Camillo, discovers his son’s romance with a shepherd’s daughter and angrily forbids the match. The young lovers flee to Sicilia with Camillo’s help, accompanied by the shepherd and his son, who carry the tokens that were left with Perdita as a baby. In Sicilia, these tokens reveal Perdita’s true identity as Leontes’ lost daughter, leading to joyful reunions and Polixenes’ forgiveness when he arrives in pursuit of his son. The play concludes when Paulina, Hermione’s loyal friend, reveals that she has kept a statue of the dead queen. In a miraculous moment, the statue comes to life—Hermione has been hidden away for sixteen years, waiting for her daughter’s return. The royal family is reunited, Florizel and Perdita are betrothed with both fathers’ blessings, and Leontes encourages Paulina to marry Camillo.