Some critics have claimed that the structure of 'The Winter's Tale;(William Shakespeare) is clumsy, others have claimed it to be a masterpiece of skilful construction. What are your views?

Shakespeare wrote 'The Winter's Tale' when he was nearing the end of his life, and as a result of this it contains many different underlying themes which he wants his audience to consider. In order for these morals/ themes to be presented convincingly, the play must be constructed to integrate them in a natural way. Some critics feel that this effect is not achieved, such as Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch- 'If we really prefer this sort …

…so desired. I can, however, certainly see flaws in it, and anomalous characters such as Autolycus never seems to complete the Christian cycle- as the Clown tells him, "..I know that thou art no tall fellow of thy hands...But I'll swear it.". Despite this, I still feel that the structure allows the play to achieve its objectives, and the audience of the time, and of today, will have certainly drawn many lessons from it.