The Classics Club: Cymbeline

For February's Let's Read Plays, I chose to read Cymbeline by Shakespeare.  I was intrigued by the reports I had read about this not being Shakespeare's finest works, of it actually being the work of someone else, or - worse - of it being pieced together and not in the smoothest way...

Well, in a nutshell, I have to agree.  I was almost frustrated when I finished reading it because I did not know what to make of it.  The mess in the plot, the unbelievable twists, the Deus ex-machina and the forced happily ever after - well, at least it made for an eventful reading...

In Cymbeline, we are introduced to the family crisis of Cymbeline, king of Britain and the horrible fate befallen on him after his daughter Imogen marries a commoner, Posthumus, rather that the Queen's son Cloten.  A diplomatic incident occurs, the Queen is  enraged and persuades the King to ostracise Posthumus to Italy...

In Italy, Posthumus meet Iachimo, who declares that all women have a wandering eye and to prove his point he gets into a bet that he'll seduce fair Imogen.  Already in the beginning, I felt the twist was too much - first to have a Queen so empowered as to convince a father to put his own daughter in misery and then have that daughter accused of unfaithfulness? It is an interesting twist, and catches my attention and makes me wonder what will comes out of this...

But we need to move on:  Iachimo gets into the castle, manages to hide in a chest that he sends to her room and steals one of Imogen's bracelet.  So people in those days were accustomed to receive large chests in their rooms?  no security checks, no special registration procedures first??? But, wait - Posthumus is convinced (!) that by proof of this bracelet he's lost his wife and orders his servant to kill her.  But, of course, the loyal servant believes in Imogen's innocence and persuades her to dress as a boy and flee.

My dear Shakespeare, could you please explain how all this can be possible?  A princess, even when she marries a commoner, is still a princess.  Would she really be afraid of a complot and would she ever agree to flee as a boy? I would have thought that her position in society would entitle her to some power which she could use to her advantage.  But what do I know...

From one fairy-tale twist to another, when Imogen drinks from the Queen's potion and is put to deep sleep that resembles death (does that remind you of any other story?).  In the meantime, she discovers her two brothers who were abducted some 20 years before (check!), her stepbrother is killed (check check!), and the best is saved for last:  in a bizzare battle scene, Posthumus manages to switch between British and Roman garb and ends up prisoner.  But fear not dear readers, for Jupiter (Jupiter?) has promised Posthumus' (dead) ancestors he'll look after him.  End result:  Cymbeline frees all prisoners, Imogen and Posthumus are reunited, the sons are restored and the Queen dies! All is well in the kingdom once again!

Now, this is slightly too forced for my taste.  I thought that it was the prerogative of ancient Greek plays to engage the Deus ex-machina to provide a solution where no other way was possible, but even they were more realistic... 

The play is characterised by many and incoherent sub-plays.  It is tiring trying to keep characters apart and remember the links between all the points of the plot.  A plot that is rather heavy, with battle scenes, sword fights, disguises (for both men and women), the villains... I almost believe I would have appreciated it more had it been a proper fairy tale from the beginning! Still, it was "engaging" to read and Shakespeare does come to his senses in the end, asking for forgiveness "pardon's the word to all" - I suppose I can pardon him this once...