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Cymbeline is among Shakespeare's last five plays, four of which are romances: "Pericles," "The Winter's Tale," "The Tempest," and "Cymbeline." “Cymbeline" is the least performed of the four; the plot is complicated, and the characters are mostly one dimensional (except for the heroine Imogen and the Machiavellian Iachimo). The play is ambitious, too, and entails all of Shakespeare's favorite subjects: love, loss, treachery, the unequal conflict between the good and the evil, and the fragile balance between men and women. However, Imogen is one of the Bard's inspired creations, on the level of Rosalind, but put through a far more harrowing experience. Helen Faucet, the 19th century actress, suggested the play should be retitled "Imogen, Princess of Britain.” She has a point. The reason to read the play (so say the critics) is for Shakespeare’s particularly exquisite verse. “Cymbeline” is perhaps an acquired taste, but worth seeing for unsinkable Imogen, who has been played by a number of great actors down through the years, including Vanessa Redgrave and Dame Judi Dench. No less than Charles Van Doren has counted it among his five favorite plays by William Shakespeare. More about that later.
The story is reminiscent of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs--with added pitfalls. Imogen’s stepmother, the evil queen, wants her to marry her son, clueless and irredeemable Cloten. Against the Queen’s wishes, and that of her father, King Cymbeline, she marries Posthumus. Posthumus is then banished from Britain. Before departing for Rome, he gives a bracelet to Imogen. In Rome, Posthumus meets the cunning interloper Iachimo, who tells him that his wife can be made unfaithful.Read more ›
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I'm a huge Shakespeare fan, and not only have I bought individual plays, but now that I have a Kindle I was able to get the complete works of Shakespeare, Dickens and Poe! Yup ... I'm in heaven!
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"Cymbeline" is one of Shakespeare's last plays, and boasts more subplots than almost any other of the Bard's works. However, the resolution of this play brings all of the subplots together nicely in a satisfying (and convenient I admit) resolution that is one of the happiest endings in all of Shakespeare. By the way, I give "Cymbeline" a 4 star rating compared to other Shakespeare, not to literature as a whole. The Bard is in a class of his own. "Cymbeline" shares a lot in common with the play that Shakespeare wrote soon after it, "The Winter's Tale". Many readers don't like these late Shakespeare's but I love them as their themes of grace and redemption resonate mightily with me. The two male leads of both plays (Posthumus and Leontes) also share common traits, as both are quick to anger, rage, and willingness to believe the worst about their spouses. And both are the unworthy recipients of the redeeming power of forgiveness and grace. Act 2:4 is a highlight of this dizzying play as we get to see one of Shakespeare's lesser villains, Iachimo, toying with Posthumus, who believes he is a cuckold. Iachimo paints such vivid pictures in the jealous mind of this dupe that he backs Posthumus into a corner with sexual imagery. The cat enjoys toying with this mouse, and it makes for delightful reading! This play also boats the richly drawn character of Imogen, the daughter of the king of the title and wife to Posthumus. She is a great Shakespearean heroine, especially in Acts 3 and 4 of this play. In those two acts she is on par with "As You Like It's" Rosalind, who is in my opinion Shakespeare's greatest female creation. Imogen is almost too well drawn a character for this play, such is her vivacity and delight for the reader.Read more ›
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Lear, Macbeth, Richard II, and Richard III fall because one way or another they go beyond their authority. They are proud, vain, and presumptuous. Cymbeline is merely stupid and he is allowed a happy old age.
With Cymbeline, Shakespeare outdoes himself in his plots and subplots.
The curtains lift on a conversation to bring the audience up to date on the situation. Cymbeline, King of the Britons, frowns. He is widowed, his sons are long dead, he remarried but his only living child and daughter Imogen refuses to marry the man he chose for her, Cloten, who is his stepson. Imogen loves Posthumus, a worthy man that he took in as a boy many years before. The lovers marry in secret and Cymbeline banishes Posthumus for it.
Meanwhile, Cymbeline at the urging of his wife refuses to pay any further tribute to Rome. The Roman ambassador sadly has no choice: this means war.
Then things get weird.
In Rome, Posthumus boasts of his wife's virtue but is tricked into believing she betrayed him. Imogen disguises herself as a boy to avoid being killed by Posthumus who has sword revenge; then she meets an old man and his two sons, who are really Cymbeline's sons. That's right, they aren't dead.
Cloten runs after Imogen wearing Posthumus's old clothes, but being a loudmouth and an idiot he also runs into the two sons, insults them, and is killed for his pains.
The Romans finally arrive in force and lose, thanks to Cymbeline's sons and the old man, and Posthumus too. The queen dies, possibly of grief at losing her son, and reveals she never loved Cymbeline only his station and his power, which she was plotting to obtain for her son.
Once all is revealed, Cymbeline in a genial mood forgives more or less everyone.Read more ›
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