Autolycus’ Journey in <i>The Winter’s Tale</i> and the Scope of Deceitfulness in Early Modern England

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  • Autolycus' Journey in The Winter's Tale and the Scope of Deceitfulness in Early Modern England

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Abstract

<p>This study focuses on Autolycus, a rogue in William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale (1611), and his movements from Bohemia to Sicilia, two countries with vastly differing cultures. I examine how his movements coincide with the situation of other individuals who, like Autolycus, moved from place to place in early modern England. This study clarifies the meanings behind Autolycus’ roles in the play. In Act 4, Scene 4, he coincidentally meets Camillo, a favourite of both Leontes and Polixenes, and Florizel, a prince of Bohemia. He is told by Camillo to swap clothes with Florizel and spontaneously accompanies them, escaping from the pastoral region where he grew up, to a country that is completely different from his own, by crossing the imaginary sea of Bohemia. Although during this period it was rare for ordinary people to travel to other countries, the spectators should have known Bohemia by name due to the royal marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Frederick, Elector Palatine of Bohemia. This study aims to trace the route taken by Autolycus and reflect on how it represents the audience’s image of the scope of activities for peddlers, cony-catchers, and swindlers, from both geographical and historical viewpoints, in early modern England.</p>

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