Prince of Tyre - William Shakespeare

Summary

"Pericles, Prince of Tyre" is a romance play by William Shakespeare, following the epic journey of its titular character, Pericles. The story begins with Pericles solving a dark riddle posed by King Antiochus, revealing the king's incestuous relationship with his daughter. Fearing for his life, Pericles flees Tyre. His travels take him through many perils, including shipwrecks, a jousting tournament where he wins the hand of Princess Thaisa of Pentapolis, and a devastating storm at sea during which Thaisa seemingly dies giving birth to their daughter, Marina. Pericles casts Thaisa's body into the sea, which is later revived by the benevolent physician Cerimon. He leaves baby Marina in the care of Cleon and Dionyza, the governor and his wife of Tarsus.

Years pass, and Marina grows into a virtuous and beautiful young woman, surpassing Dionyza's own daughter. Out of jealousy, Dionyza plots Marina's murder, but Marina is abducted by pirates before her assassin can kill her. The pirates sell Marina to a brothel in Mytilene, where she miraculously maintains her chastity through her eloquence and moral purity, converting many visitors and eventually becoming a respected music and needlework teacher. Meanwhile, Pericles, believing Marina dead, falls into a deep despair and takes a vow of silence. Through a series of providential events, Marina is brought aboard Pericles' ship. Her gentle persistence and story gradually break through his grief-stricken silence, leading to a miraculous father-daughter reunion. Guided by a vision from the goddess Diana, Pericles travels to Ephesus, where he is reunited with his long-lost wife, Thaisa, who had become a priestess in Diana's temple. The play concludes with the family restored and Marina marrying Lysimachus, the governor of Mytilene.

Book Sections

Section 1

The play opens with the narrator, Gower, introducing the audience to Antiochus, the wicked king of Antioch, and his beautiful daughter. Many princes seek her hand in marriage, but none survive Antiochus's deadly riddle. Pericles, Prince of Tyre, arrives to try his fortune.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Gower	Chorus, narrator	To introduce the story and guide the audience through Pericles's epic journey.
Pericles	Noble, courageous, intelligent, virtuous Prince of Tyre	To seek a royal bride, to later survive Antiochus's wrath, and ultimately to find peace and family.
Antiochus	Tyrannical, cunning, incestuous King of Antioch	To conceal his incestuous relationship with his daughter and to eliminate any who discover it.
Antiochus's Daughter	Beautiful, but complicit in her father's incest	To remain with her father, or is perhaps trapped by him.

Pericles solves Antiochus's riddle, which subtly reveals the king's incestuous relationship with his daughter. Antiochus, enraged but unable to openly kill Pericles due to the agreement, gives him forty days to ponder the riddle, secretly planning his assassination. Pericles, understanding the danger, flees Antioch with his loyal lord Helicanus. He sends a message back to Antiochus pretending he has not solved the riddle, hoping to buy time.

Back in Tyre, Helicanus advises Pericles to travel for a year to avoid Antiochus's assassins and prevent Tyre from being attacked. Pericles agrees, leaving Helicanus to govern in his stead.

Section 2

Pericles sails to Tarsus, a city suffering from a severe famine. The governor, Cleon, and his wife, Dionyza, are despairing. Pericles, demonstrating his generosity, brings them a large supply of corn, saving their city. Cleon and Dionyza are immensely grateful. Pericles then sets sail again but is caught in a violent storm and shipwrecked near Pentapolis, the kingdom of Simonides.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Helicanus	Loyal, wise, honest Lord of Tyre	To protect Pericles and ensure the stability of Tyre.
Cleon	Governor of Tarsus, initially grateful	To save his city from famine, later to please his wife and cover up her misdeeds.
Dionyza	Wife of Cleon, initially grateful, later jealous and cruel	To see her daughter prosper, later to eliminate Marina, whom she perceives as a rival.
Simonides	Wise, jovial, honorable King of Pentapolis	To find a worthy husband for his daughter, Thaisa, and to rule justly.
Thaisa	Beautiful, virtuous, kind Princess of Pentapolis	To find a loving and honorable husband, later to serve Diana.

Washed ashore naked and penniless, Pericles is helped by a group of sympathetic fishermen. They tell him of a jousting tournament being held by King Simonides for the hand of his daughter, Thaisa. Pericles, with the help of the fishermen who provide him with old armor, decides to enter. Despite his rusty and battered armor, Pericles's skill and noble bearing win him the tournament, impressing both Simonides and Thaisa, who falls in love with him. Simonides, after testing Pericles's character, approves of the match. Pericles and Thaisa marry.

Section 3

Gower narrates Pericles's joyful marriage to Thaisa. News reaches Pericles that Antiochus and his daughter have died by divine intervention, and the throne of Tyre is vacant, with Helicanus requesting Pericles's return. Pericles decides to sail back to Tyre with Thaisa, who is now pregnant.

A violent storm erupts at sea. Thaisa goes into labor prematurely and gives birth to a daughter, Marina. Immediately after, she appears to die, and the superstitious sailors insist her body be thrown overboard to appease the tempest. Pericles, heartbroken, reluctantly agrees. He places Thaisa's body, along with jewels and a scroll identifying her, into a chest and casts it into the sea.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Cerimon	Noble, wise, skilled physician and lord of Ephesus	To use his medical knowledge to help others, particularly Thaisa, and to practice benevolence.
Lychorida	Nurse to Marina	To care for Marina.

The chest washes ashore near Ephesus. The benevolent and skilled physician Lord Cerimon finds the chest, discovers Thaisa's body, and miraculously revives her. Thaisa, believing Pericles dead, decides to become a priestess of Diana at Ephesus.

Pericles arrives in Tarsus with his infant daughter, Marina. Distraught, he entrusts Marina to the care of Cleon and Dionyza, providing them with gold for her upbringing, promising to return for her later. He vows not to cut his hair or speak until Marina is married.

Section 4

Gower again provides exposition, explaining that fourteen years have passed. Marina has grown into a beautiful, virtuous, and accomplished young woman, excelling in music, needlework, and learning, far surpassing Cleon and Dionyza's own daughter, Philoten. Dionyza's jealousy turns to hatred, and she decides Marina must die.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Leonine	Servant of Dionyza, assassin	To carry out Dionyza's orders.
Pirates	Lawless raiders	To kidnap and sell people for profit.
Pander	Brothel owner in Mytilene	To run his illicit business for profit.
Bawd	Brothel owner (wife of Pander)	To run her illicit business for profit.
Boult	Servant in the brothel	To serve his employers and carry out their commands, later to be swayed by Marina's virtue.
Lysimachus	Governor of Mytilene	To maintain justice, later to be impressed by Marina's virtue and marry her.

Dionyza orders her servant, Leonine, to murder Marina. As Leonine is about to kill Marina on a secluded beach, pirates suddenly appear, abduct Marina, and carry her off, leaving Leonine to report her death to Dionyza. Dionyza and Cleon then erect a false monument to Marina, claiming she died naturally, to deceive Pericles.

The pirates take Marina to Mytilene and sell her to a brothel. Despite being forced into this degrading environment, Marina miraculously maintains her chastity through her eloquence, wisdom, and moral purity. She speaks to her potential clients with such grace and virtue that she converts them, making them abandon their sinful intentions. Her purity frustrates the Pander, Bawd, and their servant, Boult, who cannot profit from her. Marina eventually persuades them to allow her to teach music and needlework to young noblewomen, earning honest money.

Lysimachus, the governor of Mytilene, visits the brothel (perhaps in disguise or for surveillance) and is also captivated and reformed by Marina's virtue.

Section 5

Pericles, still in deep mourning for Thaisa and now believing Marina also dead, sails to Mytilene. He is a silent, despairing figure, neglecting his appearance and refusing to speak for many years. Helicanus and other lords are deeply concerned.

Lysimachus, having heard of the mournful Prince on board, attempts to cheer Pericles, but to no avail. He then hears of the virtuous girl, Marina, who has reformed many, and suggests she try to speak with Pericles.

Marina is brought to Pericles's ship. She gently tries to coax him into conversation, sharing her own story of loss and misfortune. Pericles is initially unresponsive, but as Marina recounts her life – her birth at sea, her mother's apparent death, being left in Tarsus, and her subsequent abduction and plight – Pericles begins to stir. He notices her striking resemblance to Thaisa and the details of her story resonate with his own. He finally speaks, asking her name and confirming the details of her past. Realizing she is his long-lost daughter, he is overwhelmed with joy and emotion, embracing her. The reunion brings tears to his eyes and music to his ears, which he attributes to the gods.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Diana	Goddess of the hunt, moon, and chastity	To guide Pericles to his final reunion with Thaisa.

As Pericles rejoices, the goddess Diana appears to him in a vision, instructing him to go to her temple in Ephesus and recount his story. Pericles immediately sets sail for Ephesus with Marina.

At the temple of Diana, Thaisa, now a high priestess, overhears Pericles recounting his life story, including his marriage to her, her "death" at sea, and their daughter Marina. Thaisa recognizes Pericles and faints. Cerimon, also present, confirms her identity, and the couple are miraculously reunited after years of separation. Pericles introduces Marina to her mother, completing the family reunion.

The play ends with the virtuous receiving their just rewards. Pericles and Thaisa decide to rule Pentapolis, Simonides's kingdom, as he has died. Pericles arranges for Marina to marry Lysimachus, the noble governor of Mytilene, whom she had reformed. Cleon and Dionyza are condemned to death by their own subjects for their wickedness against Marina.

Literary Genre

Romance (or Tragicomedy)

Author Facts

• William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.
• He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon."
• His extant works consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses.
• His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
• Shakespeare wrote "Pericles, Prince of Tyre" around 1607–1608, during the latter part of his career, when he was also writing other "romance" plays like "Cymbeline," "The Winter's Tale," and "The Tempest."

Morale

The morale of "Pericles, Prince of Tyre" revolves around the themes of resilience, divine providence, the power of virtue, and the eventual triumph of good over evil. Despite immense suffering, loss, and separation, the virtuous characters like Pericles and Marina maintain their integrity and faith, ultimately leading to miraculous reunions and restoration. The play suggests that even in the face of overwhelming adversity and human wickedness, goodness can prevail, and that a higher power (represented by Diana) guides the destiny of the righteous. It emphasizes the importance of family, patience, and unwavering moral purity.

Curiosities

• Authorship Debate: "Pericles" is one of Shakespeare's plays where co-authorship is widely accepted. Most scholars believe that the first two acts were primarily written by George Wilkins, a contemporary playwright, and Shakespeare then took over for the final three acts. This explains some perceived differences in style and quality between the early and later parts of the play.
• Source Material: The play draws heavily from John Gower's "Confessio Amantis" (a 14th-century poem) and Laurence Twine's "The Pattern of Painful Adventures" (a 1576 prose romance), both based on the ancient Greek romance "Apollonius of Tyre." Gower himself appears as the Chorus in the play, directly addressing the audience and narrating events.
• Popularity in its Time: Despite its uncertain authorship and sometimes uneven poetic quality, "Pericles" was exceptionally popular in Shakespeare's lifetime. It was reportedly performed frequently and generated considerable interest.
• The Brothel Scene: Marina's prolonged stay in the brothel and her ability to maintain her chastity and even reform clients is a unique and morally complex subplot. It highlights her extraordinary virtue and resilience in the face of extreme degradation, a common trope in romance literature where purity is tested but remains unbroken.
• The "Lost Play" Aspect: "Pericles" was not included in the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623, suggesting it might have been considered a collaboration or somehow less "Shakespearean" by the compilers. It was later added to the Third Folio in 1664.