ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on artificial intervention into nature and the distinction between art and reality. Examining the garden-related metaphors in William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale (ca. 1610/1611), it explores the comparisons between the breeding and grafting of plants and their potential application as a class-based concept in art. Through the emblem of ‘nature's bastards’ and of the living artwork, the play considers what distinguishes art from nature, both in the image of the cultivated garden and in the artificially staged body. Through the contrast between natural and artificial beauty, the play also negotiates the moral and aesthetic implications of cosmetic enhancement and deception. By linking horticultural and theatrical metaphors, the chapter argues that Shakespeare's play reflects on its own artifice, the capacity of theatre to imitate nature, create illusion and reveal truth through transformation.
