Cymbeline Criticism
Shakespeare's Cymbeline is a play that skillfully intertwines various elements of comedy, romance, history, and tragedy, making it one of the most complex works of his late period. Set against the backdrop of ancient Britain and Rome, the narrative revolves around King Cymbeline, his daughter Imogen, her husband Posthumus, and the cunning Iachimo. Initially criticized for its perceived structural flaws, contemporary scholarship has reframed Cymbeline as an experimental masterpiece that defies strict genre categorization, with Frank Kermode and others highlighting Shakespeare's inventive manipulation of genre.
The play's characters have been subject to evolving scholarly interpretations. Traditional critiques of superficiality have given way to psychoanalytic and historical analyses, with Murray M. Schwartz offering a Freudian perspective and David M. Bergeron examining Roman influences. The character of Imogen, in particular, has been extensively analyzed. Her use of disguise and the symbolic role of clothing are explored by John Scott Colley and Michael Shapiro, respectively, highlighting her constrained position within the play's socio-political dynamics.
Despite its ambiguous reputation, Cymbeline has enjoyed notable success on stage, with productions often lauded for their innovative approaches. Andrei Serban's Central Park production and Bartlett Sher's inventive staging have been praised for their fresh interpretations, though others, like Adrian Noble's RSC version, have been critiqued for sacrificing depth for pace, as noted by Stephen Orgel and Charles Isherwood.
In terms of thematic exploration, Cymbeline grapples with issues of identity, fidelity, and political allegory. Homer Swander examines the marriage subplot between Imogen and Posthumus, while Leah S. Marcus and Glenn Clark delve into its political allegories, reflecting on Jacobean politics and national identity. The father-daughter dynamic between Cymbeline and Imogen adds a personal dimension, as discussed by Charles K. Hofling.
Furthermore, the play's language and dramatic structure have been reassessed in modern criticism, with Maurice Hunt and Elena Glazov-Corrigan emphasizing its intricate crafting and paradoxical language that synthesizes comedy and tragedy. Peggy Munoz Simonds highlights Cymbeline's strength as a tragicomedy, a classification that reveals its true status as a masterfully complex exploration of human experience and societal norms.
Contents
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Cymbeline (Vol. 61)
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Criticism: Dramatic Structure
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Cymbeline and the Comedy of Anticlimax
(summary)
In the following essay, Powlick proposes that Shakespeare deliberately modified the conventions of tragedy in Cymbeline in order to expose the constricting nature of the genre.
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Natural Bonds and Artistic Coherence in the Ending of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Lawrence analyzes the difficult and often misunderstood ending of Cymbeline, and suggests that a close reading provides insights into Shakespeare's poetics and into Renaissance literature in general.
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Cymbeline as a Renaissance Tragicomedy
(summary)
In the following essay, Simonds claims that negative assessments of Cymbeline are often the result of misunderstandings about the play's proper classification, and suggests that evaluated as a tragicomedy rather than a romance, the work is a masterpiece.
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Cymbeline and the Comedy of Anticlimax
(summary)
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Criticism: Marriage, Family, And Love
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Cymbeline and the ‘Blameless Hero’
(summary)
In the following essay, Swander claims that Cymbeline is, in one sense, a modern and revolutionary text since it questions conventional Renaissance morality.
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Interpreting Posthumus' Dream from Above and Below: Families, Psychoanalysis, and Literary Critics
(summary)
In the following essay, Skura examines the conflict between family inheritance and personal individuality via the character of Posthumus.
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The Marriage Topos in Cymbeline: Shakespeare's Variations on a Classical Theme
(summary)
In the following essay, Simonds studies Shakespeare's variations on the familiar Renaissance marriage theme in Cymbeline, and examines the significance of those variations in terms of contemporary politics and Protestant theology.
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Cymbeline and the ‘Blameless Hero’
(summary)
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Criticism: Political Allegory
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Stuart Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Jones compares the character and foreign policy of James I with those of Cymbeline and his court.
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James
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Marcus contends that a close reading of Cymbeline will support an interpretation of the play as a political allegory that is deeply reflective of contemporary Jacobean politics.
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The ‘Strange’ Geographies of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Clark explores the geopolitical restructuring of England led by James I and suggests that Cymbeline served to support the king's political agenda.
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Stuart Cymbeline
(summary)
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Criticism: Dramatic Structure
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Cymbeline (Vol. 73)
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Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Kermode explores "Cymbeline" as one of Shakespeare's most complex and oblique works, highlighting its superb nature despite inconsistencies in blending ancient Britain with modern Italy, history with romance, and its intricate plot and language that reflect Shakespeare's experimental style and thematic depth.
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Criticism: Character Studies
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Between Fantasy and Imagination: A Psychological Exploration of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Schwartz undertakes a Freudian psychoanalysis of the principal characters in Cymbeline.
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Cymbeline: Shakespeare's Last Roman Play
(summary)
In the following essay, Bergeron studies the Roman sources of Cymbeline and probes affinities between several of the drama's main figures and individuals in the family of the Roman Emperor Augustus.
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Generic Sleight-of-Hand in Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Kay argues that Shakespeare manipulated audience expectations in Cymbeline by introducing various characters according to shifting generic tropes: first fairy tale, then romantic comedy, and lastly tragedy.
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Between Fantasy and Imagination: A Psychological Exploration of Cymbeline
(summary)
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Criticism: Production Reviews
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Review of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following review, Brustein describes director Andrei Serban's 1998 production of Cymbeline at the Delacorte Theater in New York's Central Park, mentioning its set, dramaturgical innovations, and strong individual performances, as well as its illumination of the play's theme of reconciliation.
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Review of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following excerpted review of the Royal Shakespeare Company's staging of Cymbeline at Stratford, Berlin observes that director Adrian Noble's extensive cuts of the play-text contributed to an increased energy in the performance, but seemed to diminish its magic and romance as well.
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Shakespeare Performed: Cymbeline at Santa Cruz
(summary)
In the following review of Danny Scheie's 2001 production of Cymbeline in Santa Cruz, California, Orgel praises the comic and innovative interpretation of Shakespeare's play and lauds the excellent performances; he also finds that the subversive directorial decisions remained true to the anarchic spirit of the drama.
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Morally Magnetic
(summary)
In the following review of Mike Alfreds's stylized Cymbeline at the Globe in 2001, Shore praises the production's minimal cast and privileging of comic and ironic elements. Acknowledging some weaknesses in the play's final scene, the critic nevertheless deems this “a fine, bold staging” of one of Shakespeare's most difficult plays to successfully realize.
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Shakespeare's Game, without a Score Card
(summary)
In the following review of Mike Alfreds's production of Cymbeline for the Shakespearean Globe Theater, which visited Brooklyn, New York, in 2002, Weber highlights the challenges and rewards of staging this sometimes absurd drama with only six actors.
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Review of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following review of Mike Alfreds's Cymbeline, which was transplanted from England to New York City in 2002, Winter comments on the attempts to reduce or eliminate the barrier between audience and stage, and summarizes individual performances in the production.
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Review of Cymbeline
(summary)
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Criticism: Themes
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Cymbeline and the Sudden Blow
(summary)
In the following essay, Bruster examines scenes in Cymbeline that strongly suggest the drama's parody of the romance genre and question viewer tolerance for violence.
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Questioning History in Cymbeline.
(summary)
In the following essay, Crumley evaluates Cymbeline as history and romance, concentrating on themes of historiography, epistemology, and the uncertainty of textual interpretation in the drama.
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Cymbeline and the Sudden Blow
(summary)
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Cymbeline
(summary)
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Cymbeline (Vol. 84)
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Riddle and Emblem: A Study in the Dramatic Structure of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Wickham relates images of the imperial eagle, Jupiter, the cedar tree, and military reparations in Cymbeline to the accession of James I to the English throne in 1603.
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The Woman's Parts of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Wayne explores the commoditization and objectification of Imogen in Cymbeline.
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Criticism: Production Reviews
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Review of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following review, Gupton evaluates Andrei Serban's 1998 New York Shakespeare Festival production of Cymbeline, set in the city's Central Park, and contends that “even Serban's magic with the actors, set, and text could not weave together all the disparate elements that make up the tangled web of Cymbeline.”
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Cymbeline at the Globe
(summary)
In the following review, Tucker praises Mike Alfreds's 2001 Globe Theatre production of Cymbeline as a “sprightly, well-paced production.”
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Review of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following review, Isherwood appraises director Bartlett Sher's rendition of Cymbeline performed by A Theater for a New Audience at the Lucille Lortel Theater in 2002. Sher is referred to as “ingenious” for his approach to the “play's preposterous extremes.”
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Review of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following review, Isherwood discusses Mike Alfreds's 2002 Globe Theatre Company production of Cymbeline at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; the critic argues that the play's ascetic approach “emphasized its weak points and downplayed its strengths.”
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Review of Cymbeline
(summary)
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Criticism: Themes
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Contract and Conscience in Cymbeline.
(summary)
In the following essay, Jordan examines the theme of verbal contracts in Cymbeline, focusing on the marriage of Posthumus and Imogen and Cymbeline's payment of the annual tribute to the Roman Empire.
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Dismemberment, Corporal Reconstruction, and the Body Politic in Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Hunt suggests that Shakespeare's use of corporal metaphors implies that body politics is a core theme in Cymbeline.
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Contract and Conscience in Cymbeline.
(summary)
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Riddle and Emblem: A Study in the Dramatic Structure of Cymbeline
(summary)
- Ovid, Pettie, and the Mythic Foundation of Cymbeline
- Speech Acts, Generic Differences, and the Curious Case of Cymbeline
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The Masculine Romance of Roman Britain: Cymbeline and Early Modern English Nationalism
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Introduction
(summary)
Shakespeare's Cymbeline, set in Roman Britain, is a compelling exploration of early modern English nationalism, intertwined with themes of gender and sexuality. As noted by Jodi Mikalachki, the play participates in a broader discourse about national identity during the early modern period, a time when England was grappling with its own historical narratives and origins. Scholars like Liah Greenfeld and Benedict Anderson present contrasting views on the emergence of nationalism, with Greenfeld tracing its roots to sixteenth-century England, while Anderson suggests it arose later, aligned with cultural systems rather than political ideologies.
Mikalachki highlights how early modern England's quest to define its national origins was fraught with tension, particularly concerning the role of women and the concept of familial order. Ancient British history—characterized by powerful female figures and primitive society—challenged the patriarchal and hierarchical norms of the time. This gendered perspective on nationalism becomes evident in Jacobean dramas, which often depict a masculine reconciliation with Roman civilization only after suppressing female resistance, as seen in Cymbeline and other contemporary works.
By focusing on Cymbeline, Mikalachki intends to reassess its interpretation as a nationalist drama, suggesting that the play reflects Renaissance anxieties about native origins and the formation of a cohesive national identity. The interplay of gender and sexuality in these narratives not only informs our understanding of nationalism in the period but also illuminates the cultural and historical complexities faced by early modern England in articulating its national identity.
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- III
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Introduction
(summary)
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Cymbeline (Vol. 36)
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Overviews
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Cymbeline: 'A Speaking Such as Sense Cannot Untie'
(summary)
In the essay below, Hartwig contends that while Cymbeline is characteristic of Shakespeare's tragicomedies, it has an unprecedented complexity stemming from shifting perspectives and the juxtaposition of reality and illusion.
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Shakespeare's Empirical Romance: Cymbeline and Modern Knowledge
(summary)
In this essay, Hunt refutes early criticism of Shakespeare's convoluted language as a major fault in the play, arguing that the playwright's dialogue deliberately relates to the dramatic structure and tone.
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The Encounter of Genres: 'Cymbeline's' Structure of Juxtaposition
(summary)
In the following essay, Marx examines the structure of Cymbeline in terms of its juxtaposition of different genres.
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Person and Office: The Case of Imogen, Princess of Britain
(summary)
In this essay, Thompson studies the character of Imogen, concentrating on her inner conflict between personal desires and royal duties.
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Cymbeline: 'A Speaking Such as Sense Cannot Untie'
(summary)
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Cymbeline And Imogen
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Notes on Shakespeare's Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Hofling explores the psychological relationship of Cymbeline to its author and notes important similarities between Shakespeare's personal relationships (such as that with his daughter Susanna) and the play. Hofling discusses echoes of the great tragedies in Cymbeline, particularly in relation to King Lear, highlighting the father-daughter relationship and other significant parallels.
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Notes on Shakespeare's Cymbeline
(summary)
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Classical Allusions
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Cymbeline and the Validity of Myth
(summary)
In the following essay, Carr maintains that Shakespeare sought to explore the effects of myth on the human psyche in Cymbeline through his allusions to stories of death and resurrection.
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Imogen's Wounded Chastity
(summary)
In the essay below, Bamford compares the plot and role of Imogen to the classical legend of Lucretia.
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Cymbeline and the Validity of Myth
(summary)
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Language And Imagery
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The Language of Sexual Revulsion
(summary)
In this excerpt, Colman suggests that the dark bawdiness of Cymbeline places it in the tradition of Othello, King Lear, and Timon of Athens, rather than with the other Shakespearean romances.
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Cymbeline and the Imagery of Covenant Theology
(summary)
In the essay below, Geller examines the religious imagery and covenant-contract theology found in Cymbeline, noting that "each of Cymbeline's main plots revolves about a covenant or contract."
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Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Freer contends that the motives, self-regard, and development of the three main characters—Imogen, Iachimo, and Posthumus—can be traced through the imagery and syntax of their speeches.
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Speech Acts, Generic Differences, and the Curious Case of Cymbeline
(summary)
In this essay, Glazov-Corrigan explores the unique relationship in Cymbeline between words and actions, maintaining that linguistic analyses such as Speech Act theory are useful tools for understanding Shakespeare.
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The Language of Sexual Revulsion
(summary)
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Overviews
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Cymbeline (Vol. 47)
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Overviews
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Cymbeline: 'In Self-Figur'd Knot'
(summary)
In the following essay, Cutts presents an overview of Cymbeline, discussing imagery, characterization, and the dream-like quality of the play.
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Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following excerpt, originally presented in 1974, Yates offers a historical approach to Cymbeline, seeing the play as Shakespeare's final, positive statement on his 'imperial theme,' previously illustrated in the tragedies Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear.
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Cymbeline: 'In Self-Figur'd Knot'
(summary)
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Deception, Misperception, And Disguise
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Disguise and New Guise in Cymbeline
(summary)
In the essay below, Colley examines the significance of Shakespeare's use of costume and disguise in Cymbeline as they relate to the characterization, action, and theme of the play.
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Cymbeline and the Perils of Interpretation
(summary)
In the essay that follows, Thomas studies issues of misinterpretation, deceit, and the legitimacy of paternal and textual authority raised by Cymbeline. Cymbeline is Shakespeare's case study of misreadings. At one time or another, all of the major characters in the play fall prey to blindness and misinterpret the words and actions of another character. The play's disorder leaves the characters with no certain grounds upon which they can base their judgments, thus their attempts to interpret other characters become problematic.
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From Center to Periphery: Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Shapiro explores Shakespeare's use of male disguise in Cymbeline, comparing Imogen to other female cross-dressers enacted by boys on the Shakespearean stage. He discusses how the powerlessness of the heroine in male disguise accompanies a deemphasis of her role, noting that while male disguise may embolden heroines in comedies, it does little to empower cross-dressed heroines in plays in the romance tradition.
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'Amaz'd with Matter' and 'Perplex'd in All': Wonder in Cymbeline
(summary)
In the essay below, Platt examines the transformative power of wonder in Cymbeline as part of the play's theme of misperception and the limits of rational comprehension.
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Disguise and New Guise in Cymbeline
(summary)
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History And Politics
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Shakespeare's Roman Trilogy: The Climax in Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Richmond evaluates Cymbeline as a drama concerned with natural law and its transformation by Christianity.
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Romance and Empire: Anachronistic Cymbeline
(summary)
In the essay that follows, Parker views Cymbeline as a history play and a romance, finding in the drama's apparent anachronism a meaningful juxtaposition of Augustan Rome and Renaissance Britain.
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Shakespeare's Roman Trilogy: The Climax in Cymbeline
(summary)
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Speech, Genre, And Characterization
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Allusion, Theme, and Characterization in Cymbeline
(summary)
Below, Schork maintains that the classical allusions spoken by Imogen and Iachimo highlight key elements of their characterization in Cymbeline. The purpose of this brief paper is to show that several of these allusions are not only conventionally appropriate, but also (and sometimes most subtly) dramatically significant.
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Cymbeline: Shakespeare's Wager Story
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Sexton analyzes Imogen as a slandered woman caught in a male wager over female infidelity.
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Shakespearean Comic Character: Ethos and Epideictic in Cymbeline
(summary)
In the essay that follows, Desmet discusses the relationship between rhetoric and knowledge of character in Cymbeline.
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Speech Acts, Generic Differences, and the Curious Case of Cymbeline
(summary)
In the following essay, Glazov-Corrigan investigates the paradox of words and deeds in Cymbeline and examines its significance to the ambiguous genre of the play.
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Allusion, Theme, and Characterization in Cymbeline
(summary)
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Overviews
- Further Reading