Polixenes's Madness

6.8.08

We all know Leontes is mad but how can we make sense of Polixenes flying off the handle when he realises his son is about to marry a shepherdess? Particularly nowadays where the general public does not understand why it is bad for a royal to marry someone low-born. Also, this is a social custom that we do not need to promulgate. Instead, we needed to come up with a better reason for him to fly off the handle. This scene (IV.iv) also posed problems because we have a Polixenes who is very eager to go with the flow; for him to then turn around and go nuts is difficult to make sense of. However, if, as we discovered last night, he is drinking then his outburst makes sense. And we must not forget that the scene is a party one so it is highly logical that he would be more than a little tipsy.