Shakespeare's play "The Winter Tale" is a play about the destructive powers of jealous emotions. In the play we meet two royal families whose paths start off linked, but are then parted by the jealous emotions of one king. It is these jealous emotions, so aptly demonstrated by the king of Sicilia, that are the cause of nearly irreparable harm to relationships.

It is the emotion of jealousy that ultimately destroys the family of King Leontes. Although both he and Polixenes, the King of Bohemia, grew up as childhood friends, it is clear from the beginning of the play that Leontes does not value that friendship in the same way anymore. While he pays lip service to their royal friendship, it is clear that with each passing hour the kings jealous emotions are stirring within him. Eventually King Leontes gives in to his jealousy and thus begins down a path that not only destroys a lifelong friendship. but cost the king his wife, child and newborn heir. It is at the moment that the king gives in to his jealous emotions that he becomes a slave to them. No longer is the king able to act in a rational and intelligent manner, but his mad jealousy drives him from royal posterity to raving lunacy by the end of act two.

In a similar manner, jealousy in relationships today is one of the key causes of their destruction. When either party in the relationship does not exhibit a mutual trusts in one another, the destructive emotion of jealousy can begin to seep in. Once these jealous feelings enter into the mind, normal, sane, rational, people can quickly become depraved and indifferent monsters. Too often it can be seen on the news about so called "crimes of passion" where the jealous boyfriend kills the girlfriend or vice versa. Daytime soap operas derive nearly all there suspense based off couples suspected infidelity and lack of trusts in one another with obvious results that appeal to their viewers. The result is that once a person gives in to jealous emotions he becomes no better than King Leontes.

The emotion of jealousy is a strong, destructive force to a relationship. It can transform everyday reasonable people into a dangerous source of jealous rage, with the end result being the destruction or alienation of loved ones. What is needed most to confront this problem is pure and simple trust. With mutual trusts a relationship can grow and mature on a solid and stable foundation. It is only when we begin to exhibit trusts in our relationships today can we begin to have a meaningful and true bond with one another.