The winter's tale is a play in five acts by William Shakespeare, originally produced in 1610-11 with a plot based on the play Pandosto (1588) by Robert Greene. One of Shakespeare's final plays, it is a romantic comedy with elements of tragedy. Leontes, the jealous king of Sicilia, mistakenly believes that his faithful wife Hermione is having an affair with his old friend Polixenes, the king of Bohemia. Various mayhem ensues, after which the three reconcile following the wedding of their children. (Florizel, the son of Polixenes, weds Perdita, the daughter of Leontes and Hermione.) This edition includes detailed notes and commentary on the same page as the text, a full introduction discussing the critical and historical background to the play, and appendices presenting sources and relevant extracts.