Lovable Rogues and Identity Crises

So, I read Act IV of The Winter's Tale, and my favorite character by far is Autolycus.  The scene where he pretends to have been robbed by highwaymen and then takes advantage of Clown was extremely clever in my opinion (almost like a parody of the parable of the Good Samaritan).  He even mocks Clown in a later scene when he listens sympathetically to Clown's story of being taken advantage of on the highway.  Immediately after boasting of picking everyone's pocket after the fair, he helps Florizel and Perdita escape by switching costumes with Florizel.  What is it that draws us to the lovable rogue?  The person who, though outside "normal" society, still turns out to have a heart of gold?  The rogue is a common character in many stories across time (Tom Sawyer, Coyote from Native American stories, Shawn and Gus from Psych), and even though we see essentially the same character in all the stories, we still laugh.  Something touches us about their desire to help others in spite of their antics. 

Winter's Tale a comedy or drama?  I've heard it both ways.

And now for something completely different...




Another thing that drew my attention was how no one recognized Autolycus/Florizel after they switched outfits.  Clown, for example, had met Autolycus twice prior to his encounter with the "courtier" and failed to recognize him each time (this could in fact be because Clown is dumb.  But other people, like the Old Shepherd, fell for it as well).  It reminded me of something I learned in New Testament last semester-the idea that identity is represented by clothing.  My teacher showed me this example with the parable of the Prodigal Son, who went from rags to fine clothes, and the instance in the gospel of Luke where Jesus casts a devil out of a man, who is first described as naked when possessed, but clothed when healed.  What we choose to wear determines our perception of ourselves and other's perceptions of us.  Shakespeare shows this in several of his plays, this changing clothes to change identity (it's a common motif in lots of literary works).  No one seems to ever notice these changes-and in some cases, like Twelfth Night, you really think they should.  I think that Shakespeare is making the point that identity is fluid, that we can change the way we see ourselves, which will in turn change the way others see us.