How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.
Quote #10
Sir, you have done enough, and have perform'd
A saint-like sorrow: no fault could you make,
Which you have not redeem'd; indeed, paid down
More penitence than done trespass: at the last,
Do as the heavens have done, forget your evil;
With them forgive yourself.
LEONTES
Whilst I remember
Her and her virtues, I cannot forget
My blemishes in them, and so still think of
The wrong I did myself; which was so much,
That heirless it hath made my kingdom and
Destroy'd the sweet'st companion that e'er man
Bred his hopes out of. (5.1.1)
Some of Leontes's advisors urge the king to forgive himself for his sins. It’s been sixteen years and, according to Cleomenes, it’s time to move on—for Leontes's sake and also the sake of the kingdom. With Mamillius dead and Perdita lost, the kingdom is without an heir, so all of Sicily is suffering.