When the First Folio, the first official printing of William Shakespeare’s plays, was published in 1623, the plays were divided into three genres: comedy, tragedy, and history. For hundreds of years, Shakespearean scholars have debated these classifications and proposed more specific genres, such as the problem play. Though scholars also debate the specific characteristics of a Shakespearean problem play, plays within this genre are typically characterized by their combination of comedy and tragedy as well as their focus on a morally relevant issue. Many consider The Winter’s Tale to be a problem play, as the first three acts focus on tragedy and the last two on comedy. It explores the anguish and growth of its protagonist Leontes, much like Shakespeare’s tragedies, yet concludes with a marriage like many of his comedies.

The Winter’s Tale is also considered to fall within the genre of Shakespeare’s late romances, a series of plays written toward the end of his life that often combine comedy and tragedy. Though the exact dates of most Shakespeare plays are unknown, it is assumed The Winter’s Tale—along with plays like The Tempest and Cymbeline—is one of the last plays he wrote.