Take A Break From Studying and Watch this Movie Clip :)

               In class on Monday, we talked about how Shakespeare never really specifies an exact age for the character of Mamillius. Curious, I looked up different versions of how productions casted Mamillius’s character. One portrayal that really interested me was the movie The Winter’s Tale, released in 1999 and directed by Robin Lough. This production portrays Mamillius as a young boy. His character is actually played by a female in this movie; his womanly voice and feminine features really exaggerate the fact that this version of Mamillius has not yet gone through puberty. Also, this film portrays Mamillius as ill or disabled from the get-go; this interpretation does not make it seem as if his death is caused by the stress that is put upon him, as we discussed in class. He has to be wheeled around in a wheel chair, suggesting that he was sick to begin with.
                This performance of Act II, Scene I also depicts Leontes in an interesting light. In this clip, he seems more than jealous – he comes off as a little bit deranged. In one part, he gets so worked up that he shoves Hermione, almost hits her, and ends up throwing her to the ground. His mannerisms are also a little bit lunatic. In this scene, Leontes is portrayed as a nervous wreck who is unable to stand still. The director also has him search through Hermione’s purse after he orders her to prison, which illustrates how desperate Leontes is to prove that his suspicions are right. Whenever any of the other men try to reason with him, Leontes becomes visually angry and even shoves one of them. Overall, the director of this film decided to make Leontes a considerably violent character, which adds an entirely different dimension to his madness.