Act I, scenes iii-iv; Act II, scenes i-ii, Act III, scenes v-vii; Act IV, scenes i-ii, Act IV, scenes iii-iv; Act V, scenes i-iv. As Giacomo admits to his deception, Posthumus reveals himself to the court. A villainous woman, she will stop at nothing--including murder--to see her son Cloten married to Imogen and, thus, made the eventual king of Britain. At that moment, the Roman army arrives. Cymbeline. CYMBELINE What, art thou mad? Director Melly Still explains the story of Shakespeare's Cymbeline. Cymbeline is a play by William Shakespeare first performed around 1611. Posthumus sends a letter to his servant, Pisanio, commanding him to kill Innogen for her infidelity. Cymbeline's wife and Imogen's stepmother. Belarius and his adoptive sons come upon Imogen and, heart-broken, lay her body beside that of the slain Cloten. The next day, Cymbeline calls the prisoners before him, and the confusion is sorted out. Posthumus then reveals himself, and Fidele reveals herself to be Innogen. In Cymbeline, when Imogen says “but most miserable / Is the desire that’s glorious” (1.6.6–7), she is using such a construction. Once they reach Milford Haven in Wales, Pisanio leaves Innogen to seek her fortune. His kingdom must pay tribute. Directed by Elijah Moshinsky. This synopsis relates to our 2016 production and includes some changes to the play. According to his story, he, many years before, had escaped with the royal nursemaid. The Queen believed it to be a deadly poison. Cymbeline is believed to be one of Shakespeare's final plays and is about deceit, pursuit and seduction. Giacomo and Posthumus are two Roman soldiers, and the Roman General Caius Lucius takes the disguised Innogen as his page. When Cymbeline grants a boon to Fidele, the page asks why Giacomo wears Posthumus' ring. With Innogen’s long-lost brothers' return and Posthumus’ dream explained, the play ends with Cymbeline pardoning Belarius and making peace with Rome. When Imogen balks and secretly marries Posthumus, the king has him banished. Cymbeline is King of Britain; his first wife died, and he married a wicked queen. Cymbeline, Queen of Britain when Augustus Caesar was Emperor of Rome, has a daughter, Innogen, and two sons who were stolen in infancy. Storyline A gritty story of a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang. Cloten is the son of Cymbeline's new Queen, a villainous woman who has made the king her puppet. They welcome Imogen, who is still dressed as a boy. Queen. He stole the crown prince Guiderius and his brother Arviragus, Cymbeline's sons. Cloten's arrogance annoys them, and after a fight breaks out between them, Cloten is beheaded. Innogen has actually taken ‘medicine’ given to her by the Queen, her stepmother. Cymbeline takes a jab at Lucius, saying he and his army... (full context) Cymbeline agrees to Lucius’ request, and swears he’s seen Fidele before, telling Fidele that he will grant him one favor. When Polydore and Cadwal admit to killing the Prince, Cymbeline is angry. The film is directed by Michael Almereyda and stars Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, Dakota Johnson, Milla Jovovich and John Leguizamo. Cymbeline also has elements of comedy, for instance, the end resembles the final scene of Twelfth Night as lost siblings are reunited; of pastoral romance, for instance, the princes growing up incognito in a cave in Wales; and of history, for instance, Cymbeline was an early British king, and Rome did occupy Britain during his reign. He is the Cymbeline in William Shakespeare’s play of that name, but the play’s fanciful plot bears no relation to the events in Cunobelinus’s career. But the doctor who made it had secretly substituted a sleeping draught after suspecting the Queen's motives. © 2021 Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Registered Charity Number 209302. The king of Britain and Imogen's father. Ace your assignments with our guide to Cymbeline! The Romans are condemned (including Innogen, Giacomo, and Posthumus), but Caius Lucius asks for Fidele’s freedom. Cymbeline. The story of love and passion crafted by our designers, pattern makers, toile makers, seamstresses, laces and fabrics. Cymbeline arranges the marriage of his beautiful daughter, Imogen, to Cloten but she defies him and marries the poor but worthy Posthumus Leonatus in … Posthumus and Iachimo are traveling with the Roman army, but Posthumus switches to the garb of a British peasant and fights valiantly for Britain. Cloten is the son of Cymbeline's new Queen, a villainous woman who has made the king her puppet. War erupts between dirty cops and outlaw bikers as a drug kingpin (Ed Harris) tries to protect his empire. In Italy, Posthumus boasts of Innogen's faithfulness to him. Imogen, the daughter of the British king Cymbeline, goes against her father's wishes and marries a lowborn gentleman, Posthumus, instead of his oafish stepson, Cloten. So he banishes Posthumus (Michael Pennington), who goes to fight for Rome. He becomes furious and vows revenge, while she worries over the loss of her bracelet. With Richard Johnson, Michael Pennington, Claire Bloom, Robert Lindsay. Cymbeline (Richard Johnson), the King of Britain, is angry that his daughter Imogen (Dame Helen Mirren) has chosen a poor (but worthy) man for her husband. Wearing a stolen set of Posthumus' clothes, Cloten pursues her to Wales. Giacomo arrives in Italy with the bracelet and intimate details about Innogen's body and bedchamber. IMOGEN Sir, It is your fault that I have loved Posthumus: You bred him as my playfellow, and he is A man worth any woman, overbuys me Almost the sum he pays. Cymbeline as a girls' name is pronounced SIM-be-leen. Cymbeline is the first of Shakespeare's plays to depict a deity descending from above, and although this trick is as old as the deus ex machina of Ancient Greece, perhaps the presence of a ceiling in the Blackfriar's theater (as opposed to the open-air Globe) made this effect at least somewhat realistic. After Cymbeline banishes Posthumus for his secret marriage to Imogen, Pisanio (under Posthumus’ orders) pledges his loyalty to Imogen and promises to serve her faithfully.The Queen and Cloten try to use him in their schemes for power, and Pisanio pretends to go along with their plots in order to protect Imogen. Meanwhile, the Queen, Innogen's step-mother, attempts to annul her step-daughter's marriage to Posthumus. That night, the god Jupiter promises the spirits of Posthumus's dead ancestors that he will care for their descendant. In the play Cymbeline, the king of Britain, decides that his daughter, Imogen, must marry his horrid stepson Cloten. Shakespeare uses symbols to expose the spirituality of the play: the costumes, the animals, the names, and the stars reflect Elizabethan social manners, but are based on ancient beliefs about icons. Although the queen told her it was medicinal, the queen herself believed it to be a poison. The Romans are defeated, thanks to the intervention of Belarius, Guiderius, and Arviragus, and Posthumus, still trying to punish himself, switches back to Roman garb and allows himself to be taken prisoner. Cloten, meanwhile, continues to pursue Imogen, but she rebuffs him harshly. Cymbeline, Queen of Britain when Augustus Caesar was Emperor of Rome, has a daughter, Innogen, and two sons who were stolen in infancy. He learns that the Queen is dead and has confessed her wrong-doing. Cymbeline learns that his only daughter, Innogen, has secretly married his ward, Posthumus Leonatus, a man of low birth. However, the draught merely induces a deep sleep that resembles death. Posthumus is distraught by the news and overcome with guilt. If Shakespeare’s Cymbeline is a little known play, the historical figure is even more of an unknown monarch. In jail, he dreams of his dead parents whose ghosts, along with the god Jupiter, leave him a prophetic inscription and the hope that his wife may yet return. The independent charity that cares for the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage sites in Stratford-upon-Avon, and promotes the enjoyment and understanding of his works, life and times all over the world. Cymbeline sends Posthumus into exile in Italy, where he encounters a smooth-tongued Italian … In Shakespeare’s original version, however, Cymbeline is a male monarch. How hard is it to hide the sparks of nature. Cymbeline, King of Britain, tells a pretty crazy story, complete with an evil stepmother, a wicked villain, a scheming suitor, and a death potion. The Romans demand payment of the tribute that King Cymbeline has refused to pay them. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. The title of Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" (1609), whose protagonist is a 12th-century king of Britain. In the meantime, Iachimo has returned to Italy, and, displaying the stolen bracelet and an intimate knowledge of the details of Imogen's bedchamber, convinces Posthumus that he won the bet. In fact, the two young men are not his sons but Cymbeline's; Belarius has kidnapped them to avenge his banishment, though they themselves are ignorant of their true parentage. Thank you for your support to help care for the world's greatest Shakespeare heritage and keep his story alive. 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