Cymbeline – Notes

Contents

Precis

Act 1: Cymbeline turns against Imogen and Posthumous; as does Iachimo; Queen plots.

Cymbeline, angry that Imogen has wed Posthumos, banishes Posthumos and imprisons Imogen. Posthumos, in Rome, encounters Iachimo who sets out to to prove Imogen unfaithful. Queen requests a poison from her doctor, who gives her a fake one.

Act 2. Cloten and Posthumos both vow revenge on Imogen, for different reasons

Cloten is offended by Imogen and vows revenge; Iachimo deceives Imogen and steals her ring and learns details about her room and body, and uses them to convince Posthumos that she has betrayed him.

Act 3: War with Rome; Pisano warns Imogen as they travel; Imogen disguises herself as Fidelus

Caius Lucius arrives; Cymbeline, influence by Cloten and the Queen, refuses; war is declared. Posthumos orders Pisanio to murder Imogen, and sends her a false letter asking her to meet him at Milford Haven. Pisanio, however, decides not to do so and warned her, and advises the distraught Imogen to disguise herself as a boy and offer herself to Caius Lucius as a Page so that she can get out of Britain and be near Posthumos. Somehow Imogen, disguised as the boy, Fidelus, arrives at the cave in which Belarius and Guiderius and Aviragus are hiding.

Act 4: In cave: all love Fidelus; Cloten killed – Imogen believe’s he’s Posthumous, and Caius Lucius gets a page. Rome invades, and the brothers fight with Britons.

Guiderius and Aviragus meet Fidelus and feel great love for him. Fidelus is not feeling well and takes the portion, and appears to be dead. Aviragus goes out hunting; Cloten arrives in the cave, has words with Guiderius, and kills and beheads him. His body is laid next to Fidelus, who they believe is dead, and later, when Fidelus is awakened by the arrival of Caius Lucius, believes that the dead Cloten (who was wearing Posthumos’ clothes so as to be revenged on Imogen while raping her) is Posthumous; in despair, she agrees to become Caius Lucius‘ Page, as he is smitten with him.

Act 5: Britons triumph; Posthumos and Iachimo repent and confess; Imogen vindicated; Belarus & bros & Queen revealed. Caius Lucius et al. pardoned; Order restored.

Posthumos repents Imogen’s murder and decides to die in battle — there he defeats Iachimo and helps the brothers rescue Cymbeline; not having died, he reverts to his Roman guise, and is captured, imprisoned, and sentenced to death. The defeated Romans (actual and seeming) are brought before Cymbeline, and everything is gradually revealed, beginning with Fidelus‘ interrogation of Iachimo, who regrets his bad actions.

Detailed Notes

Act 1: King, Queen, Iachimo against Imogen/Posthumos

Cymbeline furious because Imogen married to someone other than his stepson. He had planned for her to marry Cloten, his stepson and son of new Queen, so that the kingdom had a clear succession. Cymbeline has ordered Imogen imprisioned, and has banished Posthumos from the city, though in this scene Imogen is not in prison and Posthumos only leaves at the very end of the scene. The Queen has professed sympathy for I and P.
Cloten talks with two Lords, giving an account of a sword fight with Posthumous. P avoided hurting C, but Lord’s flatter C….
Posthumos’ servant, Pisanio, tells Imogen of P’s departure to Rome, and she bewails his leaving.
Posthumos’ arrives in Rome, and is welcomed by his host Philario. Ichiago, a friend of Philario’s draws Posthumos into conversation, and convinces him to accept a bet that he (Iachimo) can seduce Imogen.
The Queen asks her physician and teacher for a poison. He gives it to her, but, not trusting her, gives her a potion that causes sleep rather than death. She gives the supposed poison to Pisanio, telling him that it is a cordial that has saved the King’s life five times; she hopes he will take it and die, leaving Imogen without supporters.
Iachimo arrives and meets Imogen, and tells her that Posthumos is betraying her in Rome with prostitutes. She is furious and does not believe her; he tells her he was only testing her and they make peace. He asks her to keep his trunk – which he says has a valuable gift for the emperor – in her bedchamber so it shall be safe.

Act 2: Iachimo tricks Imogen/Posthumos; Cloten vows revenge

2.1 Cloten, who has just lost at gambling, is informed of Iachimo’s arrival by the two lords, who insult him in asides; Cloten decides he will be introduced to Iachimo and recap his gambling loses. The Lords hope that Imogen will rule Britain…
2.2. As Imogen sleeps, Iachimo emerges from the trunk she has stored for him. He looks about, makes notes on the room’s appearance and furnishings, notices a mole on Imogen’s breast, and steals the bracelet the Posthomos gave her from her wrist.
2.3. Cloten serenades Imogen in an attempt to win her love, but she will have none of it. He presses, and she insults him by saying that she values him less that Posthumus’ meanest garment. He is furious and vows revenge. At this point Imogen also realizes her bracelet is lost
2.4. Iachimo returns to Rome with his ‘proofs’ of Imogen’s infidelity, including the bracelet. Posthumos is taken in and pays off the bet, and vows revenge on Imogene.

Act 3: Tribute refused; Pisanio confesses; Imogen➔ Fidelus

3.1 Caius Lucius, an ambassador from Caesar arrives and demands tribute. With the encouragement of the Queen and Clotus, Cymbeline refuses, and Caius Lucious pronounces a state of war between Rome and Britain.
3.2 Pisanio gets two letters from Posthumos: one commanding him to murder Imogen, which leaves him aghast. Another, to Imogen, uring her to come to Milford Haven.
3.3 We discover that Cymbeline’s sons – Guiderius and Aviragus – are alive, but raised by Belarius who stole them as babies from their father, in revenge for losing his lands due to purported collaboration with the Romans.
3.4 On the journey to Milford Haven Pisanio reveals to Imogen that he is supposed to kill her, and she is so distraught by Posthumos’ lack of trust that she asks him to stab her. He proposes, instead, that she disguise herself as a boy and offer herself to Caius Lucius (the ambassador from Rome) as a servant: this will allow her to be near Posthumos and keep her away from Cymbeline, the Queen, and Cloten. When she agrees, he gives her the potion that he believes is a restorative.
3.5 When Imogen’s absence is discovered, Cloten forces Pisiano to tell him where Imogen is: Pisano gives Cloten the letter summoning Imogen to Milford Haven, and Cloten decides to dress up as Posthumos, soas to kill Posthumos and rape Imogen.
3.6 Imogen, disguised as a boy, stumbles into the cave of Belarius, and is welcomed by Guiderius and Aviragus
3.7 A Roman senator announces that the Roman army attacking Britain will be under the command of Caius Lucius.

Act 4: Guiderius kills Cloten; All love Fidelus; Bros for Britain

4.1 Clotten, dressed in Posthumos’ clothes, delivers a soliliquoy in which he declares that he will behead Posthumos and rape Imogen, and that his mother will make the latter OK with King Cymbeline.
4.2 Imogen, in the cave with Guiderius and Aviragus and disguised as a boy, Fidelus, is not feeling well. She takes the potion, and tells the two brothers to leave her… but Guiderius (I think) refuses, and later says he feels love for the boy. At some point Aviragus leaves, and Cloten arrives and he and Guiderius have words: this leads to a fight, and Guiderius kills and beheads Cloten. After this, Fidelius is discovered rigid and insensible, apparently dead. Cloten’s headless body is placed next to Fidelius. Fidelius/Imogen awakens alone, and assumes that the body is that of Posthumos, because Clotten had dressed in his clothes. She is distraught, and when Caius Lucius arrives, she tells him that the corpse was her master, and laments his death. Caius Lucius asks him/her to become his page, and s/he accepts.
4.3 Cybeline is alone in the face of the Roman attack: Imogen and Cloten are missing, and the queen is very ill.
4.4 The brothers convince Belarius that they should join the war on the side of the Britons.

Act 5: Britons triumph; Posthumous and Iachimo confess; all is revealed and order is restored

5.1 Posthumos reprents Imogen’s murder and decides that he will seek death by joining the Britons, masquerading as an ordinary soldier.
5.2 In battle Posthumos encounters Iachimo and defeats and disarms him; Iachimo also regrets his behavior towards Imogen. In another battle, the Britons free; in a third skirmish, Belarius and Aviragu and Guiderius, with Posthumos, rescue King Cymbeline, who has been captured. In another part of the battle Caius Lucus urges Fidele to fly.
5.3 Posthumos reverts to his previous disguise as a Roman; the Britons capture him, and Cymbeline sends him to prison.
5.4 Posthumos falls asleep in chains, and his family appears to him and implores Jupiter to pay attention and to help him. Jupiter descends, and after saying “who I best love, I cross,” and “the more delayed, delighted,” announces that Posthumos will be OK and will be lord of Lady Imogen. Posthumos awakes, and finds a tablet with Jove’s prophecy, but is unable to interpret it. The jailer arrives and asks if Posthumos is ready for death; he says yes, he wishes it… the jailer is surprised.
5.5 Posthumos is brought before Cymbeline. Cymbeline knights Belarius and the two boys; he laments that the ‘ordinary soldier who aided them cannot be found and orders a search. The doctor enters and tells him that the queen has died, confessing that she hates Cymbeline and her plot of kill Imogen. Caius Lucius is captured and brought before Cybeline, who is told that he and his army will be killed. Caius Lucius asks that Fidelele be spared, and Cybeline agrees and also grants Fidele a wish. Fidele’s wish is to interrogate Iachimo… and Iachimo confesses all. Posthumos, hearing this, comes forward and confesses that he murdered Imogen. But then Imogen comes forwards, and they are reunited, and Cymbeline is overjoyed to have his daughter back. Next, Pisiano reveals that he encountered Clotten, and gave him a false letter that took him to Milford Haven, and then Guiderius announces that the killed Cloten. Cymbeline is going to send him to prision for killing a prince, but then Belarius comes forward and confesses that the two young men are King Cymbeline’s sons. Posthumos is revealed as the soldier who assisted Belarius and the two sons, and the one who defeated Iachimo, and goes on to pardon him. Cymbeline decides to pardon Caius Lucius, and the Roman army, and to pay the tribute to Caesar that there might be peace. The Roman soothsayer is brought forward, and interprets Jupiter’s prophecy, revealing that all that happened was his will.