The tone of The Winter's Tale varies quite a bit throughout. The play is strikingly somber in the first three Acts, though the solemn tone is interspersed with moments of levity, such as the conversation between Hermione, her ladies, and her son during Act 2, Scene 1. As Hermione's life and honor come under threat, however, the play's tone becomes increasingly dark and ominous.
With the shift to the Shepherd's cottage in Act 4 and the subsequent focus on the romance between Florizell and Perdita, the tone becomes more festive and lighthearted. In Act 5, the tone becomes ever more tender and hopeful due to the touching reconstruction of the family once Hermione's statue is unveiled, though it remains somewhat bittersweet due to Leontes's professions of regret for his past behavior.
It is the stark contrast between the dark tone of the first three acts and the lighthearted one of Acts 4 to 5 that has contributed to the classification of The Winter's Tale as a tragicomedy or romance. Though the play is not consistently comic throughout, its hopeful resolution aligns it with the characteristics of a more straightforward comedy.
