A Play of Binaries: Use of Antonyms to Explore ‘The Winter’s Tale’ by William Shakespeare

Abstract

This is an attempt to use binary opposition to explore a play using textual analysis technique. Binaries within Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale are analyzed to reinforce the idea of certain explicit themes. Since the text is built on many contrasts, which enhance the dramatic effect so, tracing antonyms enables to explore the conflicts among characters, within a character, and external, internal conflicts of character(s). The declining frequency of antonyms reveals the resolution of conflicts. Conflicts revealed through antonyms, show rise and fall of conflicts among characters or within a character, and mark exposition and resolution of dramatic tension. A pattern of declining or rising antonyms of a character’s speech also gives great insight into the character’s ability to change or adapt during action. The greatness of Shakespeare’s plays also lies in his ability to transfer the conflict from external to internal realm. From the play, 339 identifiable antonyms were collected. Words uttered by a character found against some other character’s words at that time are identified as antonyms, along with the words of a character presenting in contrast with his/her own words in some other point of time.