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Summary
In Britain, Cymbeline, the Queen, and Cloten meet with Caius Lucius, the Roman ambassador, who demands the continuation of a tribute that was begun in Julius Caesar’s time. Britain pays this tribute in exchange for Rome’s promise not to invade. Supported by his wife and stepson, Cymbeline refuses to pay it, declaring that Britain is an independent isle and will remain so, which leads Lucius to say, regretfully, that a state of war must exist between Rome and Britain.
Meanwhile, Pisanio has received a letter from Posthumus that accuses Imogen of infidelity and asks his servant to lead her away from London and murder her. Pisanio is horrified and cannot believe what he is being asked to do. Nevertheless, he begins to carry out his master’s orders. He gives Imogen another letter, also from Posthumus, in which her husband asks her to meet him at Milford Haven, on the coast of Wales. Imogen is transported with joy at the thought of seeing him again, and she immediately prepares to slip away from her father’s palace.
The scene now shifts to the wilderness of Wales, where an old shepherd named Belarius instructs his two sons, Guiderius and Arviragus, in the wonders of nature. The young men are restless because they have never been allowed to leave their wilderness home and see the wilder world. Belarius insists, however, that there is nothing in the city but treachery and wickedness. He recounts how he was once a nobleman in Cymbeline’s court but was banished for crimes he did not commit. When his sons exit the stage, he tells the audience that the boys are actually Cymbeline’s sons. Belarius kidnapped them when they were very young to avenge his unjust exile. Belarius now calls himself Morgan, and he calls the princes Polydore and Cadwal. The boys remain ignorant of their true identities.
Meanwhile, Imogen and Pisanio arrive in Milford Haven, and the princess, seeing no sign of her husband, becomes perturbed. The unhappy servant then shows her Posthumus’s letter accusing her of infidelity. Imogen falls weeping, cursing her husband’s lack of trust in her. She then begs Pisanio to follow his master’s orders and kill her, since her life is no longer worth living. He refuses, however, and she asks why he bothered to bring her to Milford Haven if not to kill her. Pisanio replies that by maintaining the appearance of having followed through with the plan—that is, by faking Imogen’s death—they may instill guilt in Posthumus and restore his love for her. Pisanio therefore suggests that Imogen disguise herself as a boy with clothes that he has brought for this purpose. She should then enter the service of Caius Lucius, who will soon be leaving England from the Milford Haven port. In this way, she can travel to where Posthumus resides in Italy. She agrees to his plan, and she changes clothes. As a parting gift, he presents her with the potion the Queen gave him and tells her what he believes to be true: it is a soothing cordial that will help her if she becomes sick on the voyage.
Analysis
The discussion between Cymbeline and Caius Lucius poses an interpretive difficulty for modern audiences, since Shakespeare has his two villains, the Queen and Cloten, express what are nowadays considered noble sentiments. Both argue passionately for British independence from Rome, with a stirring patriotism that, in a different play, would make them sympathetic figures. One might argue that by allowing them these sentiments, Shakespeare is granting his villains a hint of three-dimensionality. On the other hand, later events in the play contradict this argument. When Cymbeline decides to resume paying tribute to Rome even after having defeated the Roman army, it becomes clear that his ignoble behavior toward Rome likely resulted from his wife’s malignant influence. The current scene, then, may actually be intended to subvert the notions of British patriotism that dominate historical plays like Henry V, by placing them in the mouths of the wicked Queen and her foolish son. Yet again, Cymbeline serves partially as a vehicle for Shakespeare to dabble in self-parody.
As the action shifts to the wilderness around Milford Haven, Imogen begins to dominate the play. And after the embarrassment of Posthumus’s ridiculous behavior, her sustained presence comes as a welcome relief. She is, as many critics have noted, the most attractive, appealing, and multifaceted character in the play. Indeed, she often seems out of place among the lesser men and women around her. She is eloquent and passionate, yet—unlike Juliet, for example—she does not allow her passion to obliterate her common sense. She is resourceful, too, as evidenced by her willingness to adopt Pisanio’s rather risky plan and her ability to give a convincing performance as a man. These noble characteristics have led numerous critics to celebrate Imogen as Shakespeare’s most idealized heroine. And though it is difficult to find a flaw in such an intelligent and steadfast character, Shakespeare avoids reducing her to a two-dimension portrait of chastity and temperance. As her scenes with Cloten have already shown, she has a sharp tongue when it’s warranted, and even a sly sense of humor. Even so, some viewers may find that she is drawn almost too perfectly to be believable.
In the third scene of act 3, the subplot involving Cymbeline’s missing sons, promised so early in the play, finally emerges with the appearance of Belarius and his adopted sons. They are introduced to us by Belarius’s extended speech on the corruption of city life, which many critics have seen as an expression of the aging Shakespeare’s dissatisfaction with years spent wading in the politics of London’s theatrical world. As Guiderius points out, however, it is easy for the world-weary Belarius to complain about the wickedness of the world, but for his young and energetic sons, country life represents “a cell of ignorance” (3.3.36). But whatever the playwright’s own feelings, Guiderius and Arviragus ultimately win the debate and set off for their day of hunting. That Belarius remains behind may be taken as foreshadowing the princes’ eventual escape from rural obscurity into the wider world, where they will discover their true identities and so regain their birthright.
