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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

In the following essay, Wayne explores the commoditization and objectification of Imogen in Cymbeline.

In the following excerpt, Schwartz undertakes a Freudian psychoanalysis of the principal characters in Cymbeline.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In the following essay, Westlund studies the psychological changes precipitated by Posthumus's dream in Cymbeline.

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.

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."

In the following essay, Landry examines the thematic link between dreams and the historical unity of Cymbeline.

In the following essay, Skura examines the conflict between family inheritance and personal individuality via the character of Posthumus.

In the following essay, Skura emphasizes the psychological importance of family in Shakespeare's Cymbeline.

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.

In the following essay, Garber observes Shakespeare's use of classical mythology as a unifying force in Cymbeline.

In the following essay, Jones compares the character and foreign policy of James I with those of Cymbeline and his court.

In the essay below, Bamford compares the plot and role of Imogen to the classical legend of Lucretia.

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.

In the following essay, Carr maintains that Shakespeare sought to explore the effects of myth on the human pysche in Cymbeline through his allusions to stories of death and resurrection.

In the following essay, Swander claims that Cymbeline is, in one sense, a modern and revolutionary text since it questions conventional Renaissance morality.

In this essay; Thompson studies the character of Imogen, concentrating on her inner conflict between personal desires and royal duties.

In the following essay, Barish examines anachronisms in Shakespeare’s plays, particularly in Julius Caesar and Cymbeline, and argues that most of Shakespeare's anachronisms are unobtrusive, and that Shakespeare's original audiences were less likely than modern ones to notice them.

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.

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.

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 sources, language, plot, characterization, and themes.

In the following essay, Marx examines the structure of Cymbeline in terms of its juxtaposition of different genres.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.”

In the following review, Isherwood deems the Globe Theater production of Cymbeline directed by Mike Alfreds disappointing, as its minimalist approach placed too much emphasis on the weaknesses of the drama's verse.

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