Customer Reviews

Pericles (Folger Shakespeare Library)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.