Three of the works below are more straightforward adaptations of The Winter's Tale and follow the original plot fairly closely, and the other three iterations are more or less loosely based on the themes or sentiments portrayed in the original. Adaptations of this piece span across multiple mediums of art, and depicted here is a novel, various poems, a ballet, and an opera.

The collected works of this anthology span through the 20th and 21st centuries. The earliest works are the poems, beginning with D.H. Lawrence's written in 1916, Dylan Thomas's from 1945, and Seamus Heaney's from the time between 1966 and 1972. While there are decent gaps between these works, all three have are vague and bleak in their own rights. Both Heaney and Lawrence's poems depict a cold and desolate world and emphasize the loss of a woman, while Thomas's poem creates the same empty world infused with images of the male character grieving a loss. The bleakness of these works is no surprise; though somewhat separated in time, the 20th century as a whole is remembered for the various wars that it endured. Lawrence's poem emerged just after World War I, and Thomas's just after World War II. Heaney was a young boy during World War II, but growing up in Northern Ireland, he experienced the Northern Ireland Conflict between the years of 1968 and 1998 (Dorney). Hence, with the atrocities of war in the forefront of these artists' minds, it is clear why their take on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale stress some of the drearier aspects of the play.

The other three works, on the contrary, are all very recent. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson was published in 2015, The Winter's Tale opera was first performed in 2017, and The Winter's Tale ballet was performed from 2014 to 2018. One thing that we can see form this is simply that Shakespeare's work, at least with this particular play, is beginning to expand through various new and exciting mediums of artwork. While there have been other novels based on this play, there are none so explicit and the contemporary rendition by Winterson. Moreover, making this work into a ballet and an opera, as opposed to simply a play, creates new methods of exploring different themes within the play. More than a sense of art, however, is the political and social climate which we live in today. In speaking about The Winter's Tale opera, Rory Kinnear, the co-writer, explained the connection of the adaptation to international politics: This "piece is about regeneration. About how we still hold on to each other despite fractures, how good things can coalesce around those fractures" (Seymour). Perhaps this is why these three pieces have slightly more hopeful attributes, while the earlier iterations do not. Kinnear adds, "yes, we're doing a piece about an authoritarian, borderline-tyrannical leader who is appalling in his treatment of women, ignorant of nature, and quick to create borders between a neighbouring country. [...] The timing of premiering it in February 2017 is slightly discomforting" (Seymour).

Perhaps what we can learn from this is that Shakespeare spans time, just as this play does, and the messages therein are carried through history. Enjoy. 

Works Cited:

Dorney, John. "The Northern Ireland Conflict 1968-1998-An Overview." The Irish Story, https://www.theirishstory.com/2015/02/09/the-northern-ireland-conflict-1968-1998-an-overview/#.XAduW2hKhZg. 

Seymour, Claire. "A Winter's Tale: A World Premiere at English National Opera." Opera Today, 5 Mar. 2017, https://www.operatoday.com/content/2017/03/a_winters_tale_.php. 

Pictures:

https://sylviaplathinfo.blogspot.com/2016/12/sylvia-plaths-winters-tale-illustrated.html https://www.amazon.com/Gap-Time-Novel-Hogarth-Shakespeare/dp/0804141371 https://www.northscapephotography.com/archives/20140121-field/ https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2006/11/seamus-heaney-digging-wi-html https://www.roh.org.uk/productions/the-winters-tale-by-christopher-wheeldon https://en.schott-music.com/work-of-the-week-ryan-wigglesworth-the-winters-tale/  https://www.google.com/search?biw=1106&bih=518&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=dDkGXLf5GavZjwSylZCYCA&q=winters+tale+english+national+opera&oq=winters+tale+english+national+opera&gs_l=img.3...62287.69629..69838...0.0..2.80.2562.40......1....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0j35i39j0i67j0i10j0i10i30j0i5i30j0i8i30j0i10i24j0i24.ooFgwLz3SWg#imgrc=vpzZweXIPJO_BM: