Pericles, Prince of Tyre Play
Pericles begins with Prince Pericles of Tyre
realising that King Antiochus' daughter is pursuing
an incestous relationship with her father. Antiochus
has even passed a law preventing anyone from marrying
his daughter unless they can solve Antiochus' riddle;
failure will result in decapitation... Pericles solves
the riddle, angering the King who says Pericles is wrong,
giving him just forty days to give the "right"
answer.
Both Pericles and Antiochus are aware that Pericles
knows about the incest... Wisely, Pericles heads for
Tyre to escape. Unfortunately, Antiochus will not be
escaped so easily, Antiochus sending his chamberlain,
Thaliard to pursue the Prince wherever he is. Knowing
he will be gone for some time, Pericles appoints his
trusted counselor Helicanus to rule on his behalf as
regent before setting sail for Tharsus. Arriving in
Tharsus, which is suffering a famine, the Prince brings
food, earning Governor Cleon and wife Dionyza's gratitude.
Learning that Antiochus' forces are near, Pericles heads
off to sea again only to be shipwrecked, becoming the
only survivor.
Washing up in Pentapolis, Pericles falls for Thaisa,
the daughter of Simonides, successfully winning a tournament
to win her hand in marriage. Pericles soon learns from
Helicanus that the gods have killed Antiochus and daughter
by fire for their incestuous affair, the Lords of Tyre
petitioning that their Prince return lest mutiny ensue.
The Prince thus makes preparations to return by sea
with his wife Thaisa, now expecting their child. The
sail is not peaceful, the two travellers encountering
a storm during which their daughter, Marina is born.
Pericles believes his beloved Thaisa died giving birth.
Believing his wife dead, he buries his wife at sea,
sealing her in a watertight coffin which washes up in
Epheus. Cerimon, discovering Thaisa, successfully revives
her, Thaisa assuming that her husband has died. Thaisa
thus becomes a vestal virgin, thinking she will never
see her husband again. Now a solo parent and
fearing the dangerous seas, Pericles entrusts his daughter's
care to Governor Cleon and his wife at Tharsus before
continuing his voyage for Tyre.
Some sixteen years pass.... Marina has become a beautiful
woman, more beautiful than Dionyza's own daughter Philoten,
much to Dionyza's annoyance. Dionyza decides to have
Marina killed... Unfortunately Dionyza's servant cannot
kill the beautiful woman, instead telling his master
Dionyza that she is dead when Marina is captured by
the pirates of Valdes before the servant can kill her.
Cleon, devastated, raises a statue in Marina's memory,
Pericles grieving when he visits Tharsus and comes across
Marina's tomb.
Marina however is not dead; because of her beauty,
the pirates sell her into prostitution in Mytilene.
Meanwhile, in a brothel, Marina, refuses to sleep with
any man, converting many to a life of virtue instead.
Fortunately, Lysimachus, the local Governor of Mytilene
soon frees Marina.
Pericles, still grieving for Marina, reaches Mytilene,
running into his daughter before eventually recognizing
her. Lysimachus proposes to Marina, who happily accepts.
Whilst asleep, the Goddess Diana tells Pericles to head
for Ephesus. There, he finds Thaisa, now a senior priestess
of Diana, completing the reunification of the family.
We also learn that the people of Tharsus have burned
Cleon and wife Dionyza alive for trying to kill Marina.
Contents
Dramatis
Personæ
Act I
Prologue, Scene
I, Scene II, Scene
III, Scene
IV
Act II
Prologue, Scene
I, Scene
II, Scene III, Scene
IV, Scene V
Act III
Prologue, Scene
I, Scene II, Scene
III, Scene IV
Act IV
Prologue, Scene
I, Scene II, Scene
III, Scene IV, Scene
V, Scene VI
Act V
Prologue, Scene
I, Scene II, Scene
III
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