INTRODUCTION

• Cymbeline also known as Cymbeline, King of Britain or The Tragedy of Cymbeline, is a play

by William Shakespeare, set in Ancient

Britain (part of the play is set in the area

corresponding to Wales[1]) and based on legends

concerning the early Celtic British

King Cunobeline.

• Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio,

modern critics often classify Cymbeline as

a romance.

• Like Othello and The Winter's Tale, it deals

with the themes of innocence and jealousy.

While the precise date of composition remains

unknown, the play was certainly produced as

early as 1611.[2]

MAIN CHARACTERS

• Cymbeline, King of Britain

• Queen, Wife to Cymbeline

• Cloten, Son to the Queen by a former husband

• Imogen, Daughter to Cymbeline by a former

queen

• Posthumus Leonatus, a gentleman, husband to

Imogen

• Belarius, a banished lord, disguised under the

name of Morgan

• Guiderius & Arviragus, Sons to Cymbeline,

disguised under the names of Polydore and

Cadwal, supposed sons to Morgan

• Iachimo, Smooth-talking trickster who

befriends Posthumus

THE STORY• Imogen, the daughter of the British king

Cymbeline, disobeys her Father and marries a

lowborn gentleman, Posthumus, instead of his

oafish stepson, Cloten.

• Cloten is the son of Cymbeline's new Queen, a

villainous woman who has made the king her

puppet.

• Cymbeline exiles Posthumus to Italy, where he

encounters the smooth-tongued Iachimo.

Iachimo argues that all women are naturally

unfaithful, and he makes a bet with

Posthumus that he will be able to seduce

Imogen.

• He goes to the British court and resorts to

trickery: He hides in a large chest and has it

sent to her room; that night he slips out,

observes her sleeping, and steals a bracelet

that Posthumus once gave to her.

THE STORY, PART 2

• Posthumus, furious at being betrayed by his

wife, sends a letter to Britain ordering his

servant, Pisanio, to murder Imogen. But

Pisanio believes in Imogen's innocence, and

he convinces her to disguise herself as a boy

and go search for her husband, while he

reports to Posthumus that he has killed her.

• Imogen, however, soon becomes lost in the

wilds of Wales, and she comes upon a cave

where Belarius, an unjustly banished

nobleman, lives with his two sons, Guiderius

and Arviragus.

• In fact, the two young men are not his sons

but Cymbeline's; Belarius kidnapped them to

avenge his banishment. They welcome

Imogen, who is still dressed as a boy.

THE STORY, PART 3• Meanwhile, Cloten appears, having come in

pursuit of Imogen; he fights a duel with

Guiderius, who kills him, and cuts off his

head.

• Elsewhere, Imogen, feeling ill, drinks a

potion the queen has given her. Although

the queen believed it to be poison, it merely

induces a deep, death-like sleep.

• Belarius and the others come upon Imogen

and, thinking her dead, lay her body beside

that of the slain Cloten.

• Awaking after they have left the scene, she

mistakes the body of Cloten for that of

Posthumus, and she sinks into despair.

THE STORY, PART 4

• A Roman army invades, and Postumus

joins their ranks, only to be captured by

Cybeline’s forces, and taken prisoner.

• Eventually, Posthumus and Imogen are

reunited, and they forgive a contrite

Iachimo, who confesses his deception.

• The identity of Guiderius and Arviragus

is revealed, Belarius is forgiven, and the

Queen dies, leaving the king free of her

evil influence.

FAIRY TALE COMPARISONS

• Cymbeline shares several elements with

familiar Fairy Tales:

• It has a wicked stepmother

(Cinderella/Snow White)

• It has a potion that causes a death-like

sleep (Sleeping Beauty/Snow White)

• A servant is sent to kill the ingénue, but

he has pity on her and spares her life

(Snow White)

• Two boys are raised in the wild, and are

later revealed to be royalty (Iron John)

ANALYSIS• Cymbeline is not, to put it charitably, one

of Shakespeare's finest plays. The

language, while sometimes rich, is often

clumsy, and the mediocrity of certain

scenes have led a number of critics to

suggest that the Bard collaborated with a

less talented playwright in writing this

play.

• Nevertheless, the play is entertaining, if

nothing else: It is filled with plot and

provides us with swordfights, disguises,

poisons, and two eminently hissable

villains in the Queen and Cloten. Indeed,

the entire story contains many elements

of the fairy tale--including the best

element, the happy ending.

QUOTES• Lest the bargain should catch cold and starve.

Iachimo, 1.4

• His fortunes all lie speechless, and his name

Is at last gasp.

Queen, 1.5

• Boldness be my friend!

Arm me, audacity, from head to foot!

Iachimo, 1.6

• Some griefs are med'cinable.

Imogen, 3.2

• Our cage

We make a choir, as doth the prison'd bird

And sing our bondage freely.

Arviragus, 3.3

• The art o' the court,

As hard to leave as keep; whose top to climb

Is certain falling, or so slippery that

The fear’s as bad as falling.

Belarius, 3.3

• 'Tis slander,

Whose edge is sharper than the sword; whose tongue

Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whose breath

Rides on the posting winds, and doth belie

All corners of the world.

Pisanio, 3.4

• I have not slept one wink.

Pisanio, 3.4

• Fear no more the heat o' the sun

Nor the furious winter's rages;

Thou thy worldly task hast done,

Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages:

Golden lads and girls all must,

As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

Guiderius, 4.2

FILMS

• Cymbeline has received only a handful

of adaptions on film:

• Two silent films, in 1913, and 1925.

• A 1982 BBC television version.

• And a reimagined “biker-gang” version

starring Ethan Hawke, set to be

released in 2014.

A NUTSY THE SQUIRREL PRODUCTION

COPYRIGHT 2014 OAK HILLS MEDIA CENTER

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/cymbeline/summary.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbeline

• http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cymbeline

• http://www.imdb.com/find?q=cymbeline&s=all

• MUSIC

Sad Violin – Artist unknown; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuNhTLVgV2Y