Shakespeare Marathon, Part VI: Cymbeline

Pre-Saxon Britain, Roman incursions, cross-dressing, banishment, friendship betrayed.....these are all elements of Cymbeline, an under-performed work by Shakespeare. Cymbeline has been the sixth work by Shakespeare I have taken on in sequence since beginning this quest over a week ago. What has not accompanied this reading has been a viewing of a cinematic adaptation. Unfortunately, as is the case with several of the Bard's lesser romances, adaptations are sparse. Once again, I will have to resort to the BBC to see enacted what I have just finished reading.

Cymbeline is reminiscent of As You Like It owing to the following features: female disguised as male, banishment from the king's demesne and joyous reunion at last. The story concerns the Celtic king Cymbeline, who is based upon Cunobelinus. The king's daughter Imogen is loved by Posthumus, who is sent into exile by the king upon his discovery that the youth has married his daughter. Posthumus, while estranged from his true love, enters into a wager with the amoral Iachimo, who professes his capacity for seducing the true love of the forlorn young man. Hoodwinked by Iachimo, Posthumus arranges for his man-servant Pisanio to murder Imogen. Pisanio, gentle of heart, is unable to carry out the deed and allows Imogen to flee whilst disguised as a boy. Hiding in the hinterlands of her country, Imogen is taken in by Belarius, a former confederate of Cymbeline who was unjustly banished years prior. Belarius is the guardian of the two sons of Cymbeline, whom he took as his own, leaving the king unaware of their fates. As Britain is unsuccessfully invaded once again by Rome, the principals find themselves united in a most unlikely fashion leading to an ultimately peaceful resolution.

This entry into the marathon will be revised as soon as I have the chance to take in the BBC production of the play and finally see it dramatized.