The Winter's Tale Why the purpose?

What is the purpose of the first scene?

William Shakespeare's play the Winters' Tale opens the play with a conversation between a Sicilian Lord by the name of Camillio and a Bohemian Lord by the name of Archidamus. They speak to many aspects of the culture of entertainment and the likes of both countries in a comparison manner. Furthermore they also speak hint of events to come further down in the story.

The purpose of Act1 Scene 1 was to act as a foreshadow of the events that are to take place in the play. It also acts as a background to cover the reader's understanding of the main characters, the Kings of Bohemia and Sicilia and their relationships in pertinence childhood and their present state of being kings. Though the scene may seem in some instances to have no relevance to the rest of the play once one seeks between the lines and understands the different hidden meanings one will notice that the scene acts as a background and a fortuneteller of the events to come.