Cymbeline Summary
William Shakespeare

Biography Essay"He was not of an age, but for all time." So wrote Ben Jonson in his dedicatory verses to the memory of William Shakespeare in 1623, and so we continue to affirm today. No other writer,... Read more

Considered by critics, scholars, and the theater-going public the most important dramatist in the history of English literature, William Shakespeare occupies a unique position in the pantheon of great... Read more

William Shakespeare's reputation is based primarily on his plays. With the partial exception of the Sonnets (1609), quarried since the early nineteenth century for autobiographical secrets allegedly ... Read more

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 juxtap... Read more

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 understandin... Read more

In the following essay, Marx examines the structure of Cymbeline in terms of its juxtaposition of different genres. Dr. Johnson dismissed Cymbeline as "unresisting imbecility," and on... Read more

In the following excerpt, Hofling explores "the psychological relationship of Cymbeline to its author" and notes important similarities between Shakespeare 's personal relationshi... Read more

In the essay below, Bamford compares the plot and role of Imogen to the classical legend of Lucretia. In act 2, scene 2 of Cymbeline—for many viewers no doubt one of the most memorable momen... Read more

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 con... Read more

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 Rena... Read more

In the following essay, Swander claims that Cymbeline is, in one sense, a modern and revolutionary text since it questions conventional Renaissance morality. The first audience for Cymbeline would ... Read more

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 contempor... Read more

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 politi... Read more

In the following excerpt, Kermode calls Cymbeline one of Shakespeare's most oblique works but nonetheless finds it to be a “superb play.” Kermode also considers the play's ... Read more

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 aud... Read more

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. I Th... Read more

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 Augu... Read more

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 i... Read more

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 th... Read more

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 ... Read more

In the following essay, Wayne explores the commoditization and objectification of Imogen in Cymbeline. In his introduction to The Social Life of Things, Arjun Appadurai proposes that “econo... Read more

In the following review, Tucker praises Mike Alfreds's 2001 Globe Theatre production of Cymbeline as a “sprightly, well-paced production.” Cymbeline offers an acting company a ... Read more

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... Read more

In the following essay, Hunt suggests that Shakespeare's use of corporal metaphors implies that body politics is a core theme in Cymbeline. Certain verses in Shakespeare's Cymbeline s... Read more

In the following essay, Westlund studies the psychological changes precipitated by Posthumus's dream in Cymbeline. Near the end of Shakespeare's Cymbeline the play's central ch... Read more

In the following essay, Skura emphasizes the psychological importance of family in Shakespeare's Cymbeline. Shakespeare's Cymbeline is an extraordinarily complicated play, even for a ... Read more