Each edition includes:
Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Academic Programs at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, Chair of the Folger Institute, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare's Romances and of essays on Shakespeare's plays and on the editing of the plays.
Paul Werstine is Professor of English at King's College and the Graduate School of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is the author of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare's plays and was Associate Editor of the annual Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England from 1980 to 1989.
ACT 1
1 Chorus
Enter Gower.
Gower
To sing a song that old was sung,
From ashes ancient Gower is come,
Assuming man's infirmities
To glad your ear and please your eyes.
It hath been sung at festivals,
On ember eves and holy days,
And Lords and ladies in their lives
Have read it for restoratives.
The purchase is to make men glorious,
Et bonum quo antiquius, eo melius.
If you, born in these latter times
When wit's more ripe, accept my rhymes,
And that to hear an old man sing
May to your wishes pleasure bring,
I life would wish, and that I might
Waste it for you like taper light.
This Antioch, then: Antiochus the Great
Built up this city for his chiefest seat,
The fairest in all Syria.
I tell you what mine authors say.
This king unto him took a peer,
Who died and left a female heir
So buxom, blithe, and full of face
As heaven had lent her all his grace;
With whom the father liking took
And her to incest did provoke.
Bad child, worse father! To entice his own
To evil should be done by none.
But custom what they did begin
Was with long use accounted no sin.
The beauty of this sinful dame
Made many princes thither frame
To seek her as a bedfellow,
In marriage pleasures playfellow;
Which to prevent he made a law
To keep her still, and men in awe,
That whoso asked her for his wife,
His riddle told not, lost his life.
So for her many a wight did die,
As yon grim looks do testify.
He indicates heads above the stage.
What now ensues, to the judgment of your eye
I give my cause, who best can justify.
He exits.
Scene 1
Enter Antiochus, Prince Pericles, and followers.
Antiochus
Young Prince of Tyre, you have at large received
The danger of the task you undertake.
Pericles
I have, Antiochus, and with a soul
Emboldened with the glory of her praise
Think death no hazard in this enterprise.
Antiochus
Music! Music sounds offstage.
Bring in our Daughter, clothèd like a bride
For embracements even of Jove himself,
At whose conception, till Lucina reigned,
Nature this dowry gave: to glad her presence,
The senate house of planets all did sit
To knit in her their best perfections.
Enter Antiochus' Daughter.
Pericles
See where she comes, appareled like the spring,
Graces her subjects, and her thoughts the king
Of every virtue gives renown to men!
Her face the book of praises, where is read
Nothing but curious pleasures, as from thence
Sorrow were ever razed, and testy wrath
Could never be her mild companion.
You gods that made me man, and sway in love,
That have inflamed desire in my breast
To taste the fruit of yon celestial tree
Or die in th' adventure, be my helps,
As I am son and servant to your will,
To compass such a boundless happiness.
Antiochus
Prince Pericles --
Pericles
That would be son to great Antiochus.
Antiochus
Before thee stands this fair Hesperides,
With golden fruit, but dangerous to be touched;
For deathlike dragons here affright thee hard.
Her face, like heaven, enticeth thee to view
Her countless glory, which desert must gain;
And which without desert, because thine eye
Presumes to reach, all the whole heap must die.
He points to the heads.
Yon sometimes famous princes, like thyself,
Drawn by report, advent'rous by desire,
Tell thee with speechless tongues and semblance pale
That, without covering save yon field of stars,
Here they stand martyrs slain in Cupid's wars,
And with dead cheeks advise thee to desist
For going on death's net, whom none resist.
Pericles
Antiochus, I thank thee, who hath taught
My frail mortality to know itself,
And by those fearful objects to prepare
This body, like to them, to what I must.
For death remembered should be like a mirror
Who tells us life's but breath, to trust it error.
I'll make my will, then, and as sick men do
Who know the world, see heaven but, feeling woe,
Gripe not at earthly joys as erst they did;
So I bequeath a happy peace to you
And all good men, as every prince should do;
My riches to the earth from whence they came,
To the Daughter. But my unspotted fire of love to you. --
Thus ready for the way of life or death,
I wait the sharpest blow.
Antiochus
Scorning advice, read the conclusion, then:
Which read and not expounded, 'tis decreed,
As these before thee, thou thyself shalt bleed.
Daughter
Of all 'sayed yet, mayst thou prove prosperous;
Of all 'sayed yet, I wish thee happiness.
Pericles
Like a bold champion I assume the lists,
Nor ask advice of any other thought
But faithfulness and courage.
He reads the Riddle:
I am no viper, yet I feed
On mother's flesh which did me breed.
I sought a husband, in which labor
I found that kindness in a father.
He's father, son, and husband mild;
I mother, wife, and yet his child.
How they may be, and yet in two,
As you will live resolve it you.
Aside. Sharp physic is the last! But, O you powers
That gives heaven countless eyes to view men's acts,
Why cloud they not their sights perpetually
If this be true which makes me pale to read it?
Fair glass of light, I loved you, and could still
Were not this glorious casket stored with ill.
But I must tell you now my thoughts revolt;
For he's no man on whom perfections wait
That, knowing sin within, will touch the gate.
You are a fair viol, and your sense the strings
Who, fingered to make man his lawful music,
Would draw heaven down and all the gods to
hearken;
But, being played upon before your time,
Hell only danceth at so harsh a chime.
Good sooth, I care not for you.
Antiochus
Prince Pericles, touch not, upon thy life,
For that's an article within our law
As dangerous as the rest. Your time's expired.
Either expound now or receive your sentence.
Pericles
Great king,
Few love to hear the sins they love to act.
'Twould braid yourself too near for me to tell it.
Who has a book of all that monarchs do,
He's more secure to keep it shut than shown.
For vice repeated is like the wand'ring wind,
Blows dust in others' eyes to spread itself;
And yet the end of all is bought thus dear:
The breath is gone, and the sore eyes see clear
To stop the air would hurt them. The blind mole casts
Copped hills towards heaven, to tell the earth is thronged
By man's oppression, and the poor worm doth die for 't.
Kings are earth's gods; in vice their law's their will;
And if Jove stray, who dares say Jove doth ill?
It is enough you know; and it is fit,
What being more known grows worse, to smother it.
All love the womb that their first being bred;
Then give my tongue like leave to love my head.
Antiochus, aside
Heaven, that I had thy head! He has found the meaning.
But I will gloze with him. -- Young Prince of Tyre,
Though by the tenor of our strict edict,
Your exposition misinterpreting,
We might proceed to cancel of your days,
Yet hope, succeeding from so fair a tree
As your fair self, doth tune us otherwise.
Forty days longer we do respite you,
If by which time our secret be undone,
This mercy shows we'll joy in such a son.
And until then, your entertain shall be
As doth befit our honor and your worth.
All except Pericles exit.
Pericles
How courtesy would seem to cover sin
When what is done is like an hypocrite,
The which is good in nothing but in sight.
If it be true that I interpret false,
Then were it certain you were not so bad
As with foul incest to abuse your soul;
Where now you're both a father and a son
By your untimely claspings with your child,
Which pleasures fits a husband, not a father,
And she an eater of her mother's flesh
By the defiling of her parents' bed;
And both like serpents are, who, though they feed
On sweetest flowers, yet they poison breed.
Antioch, farewell, for wisdom sees those men
Blush not in actions blacker than the night
Will 'schew no course to keep them from the light.
One sin, I know, another doth provoke;
Murder's as near to lust as flame to smoke.
Poison and treason are the hands of sin,
Ay, and the targets to put off the shame.
Then, lest my life be cropped to keep you clear,
By flight I'll shun the danger which I fear. He exits.
Enter Antiochus.
Antiochus
He hath found the meaning,
For which we mean to have his head.
He must not live to trumpet forth my infamy,
Nor tell the world Antiochus doth sin
In such a loathed manner.
And therefore instantly this prince must die,
For by his fall my honor must keep high. --
Who attends us there?
Enter Thaliard.
Thaliard
Doth your Highness call?
Antiochus
Thaliard, you are of our chamber, Thaliard,
And our mind partakes her private actions
To your secrecy; and for your faithfulness
We will advance you, Thaliard. Behold,
Here's poison, and here's gold. He gives poison and money. We hate the Prince
Of Tyre, and thou must kill him. It fits thee not
To ask the reason why: because we bid it.
Say, is it done?
Thaliard
My Lord, 'tis done.
Antiochus
Enough.
Enter a Messenger.
Let your breath cool yourself, telling your haste.
messenger My Lord, Prince Pericles is fled. He exits.
Antiochus, to Thaliard
As thou wilt live, fly after,
and like an arrow shot from a well-experienced archer hits the mark...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite Shakespeare; it has everything--action, adventure, strong women, romance and a happy ending!,
By Peabody823 (IL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pericles (Folger Shakespeare Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
I'd never heard of this before, but now it's actually one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. It has it all--action, adventure, love, smart women who get out of sticky situations all by themselves using their talents, a happy ending and it moves along really quickly. Even if you don't usually enjoy Shakespeare, pick this one up!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Good But Flawed Romance,
By Bradley Headstone "Sean ARES Hirsch" (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pericles (Folger Shakespeare Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
This play was popular, but in my opinion, it has a lot of flaws that you will find with reading carefully. Pericles is a romantic and not a rationalist. He is seeking to win the daughter of a wicked king even though he is gambling with his life. (If he misses the riddle, he dies.) The daughter is a product of incest, and Pericles is horrified when he guesses the riddle, but it does seem strange that the wicked king would even hint at this in the slightest. The wicked king now wants to kill Pericles. (Kind of a strange start)
Pericles flees, and we meet the eccentric Helicanus who is loyal to Pericles. It does seem strange that Pericles feels he isn't safe in his own kingdom against the wicked king. (This too seems strange.) But moving on, Pericles goes to Tharsus, where they are suffering a famine. Pericles offers them relief to which Cleon and his wife are grateful. Pericles makes hiw way to Pentapolis, falls in love with a woman named Thaisa, and wins the right to marry her. All seems well. Pericles hears that the wicked king is dead and that he can go home. Well, on the sea voyage home, his wife Thaisa gets ill, and she appears dead. (Apparently no one felt for a heartbeat or listened for her breath.) But because of superstition, they throw her in the sea. Though Thaisa gives birth to a daughter (Mariana) before this happens. Well, Thaisa floats to Ephesus and Thaisa is taken into the temple of Diana where she will be safe. (And probably remain unknown to man unless she runs across her husband again.) Moving on Pericles leaves his daughter with his friend Cleon at Tharsus. Though, Cleon's wife is jealous and wants Mariana dead. (Kind of ungrateful after Pericles saved them from a famine.) Well, the murder plot fails, and Mariana makes it to a house of prostitution. But she refuses to 'work there' so to speak. She meets her future husband, and he helps her escape. Finally, Mariana and Pericles are reunited, but they don't recognize each other at first. It seems VERY STRANGE that they never saw each other on speaking terms. But they eventually realize who the other is. Now Pericles wants revenge on Cleon, even though Cleon didn't have anything to do with what Mariana suffered. And of course, Pericles has a dream about where to find Thaisa, and the family is happily reunited. It's a good play if you like romance, but if you are looking for a play that makes sense, you are going to be disappointed.
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