One of Shakespeare's final plays, The Winter's Tale is a romantic comedy with elements of tragedy. The plot was based on a work of prose fiction. TL;DR (may contain spoilers): King Leontes becomes paranoid about his wife's fidelity; he imprisons her, kills their son, and banishes their infant daughter. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of The Winter's Tale. The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of Although it was grouped among the comedies. Yesterday the fields were only grey with scattered snow, And now the longest grass-leaves hardly emerge; Yet her deep footsteps mark the snow, and go. . A short summary of William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. “The Winter's Tale” by William Shakespeare is a fascinating, tragic, psychological but little known play that Shakespeare wrote about five years before his. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes The Winter's Tale Study Guide has everything you need to ace. the winter's tale summary pdf.