The Romance Cycle

PERICLES: A Romance
A Synopsis
By Celise Kalke

The setting of Pericles is a time even more distant than that of Cymbeline. Political intrigues are now only the stuff of legend. And instead of an aging King and his daughter, the story follows the adventures of the melancholy Greek Prince of Tyre and consists of a series of voyages around the Eastern and most exotic Coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The tale begins with Pericles’ courtship of the beautiful and dangerous princess of Antioch. This princess provokes desire in many princes, and so her father arranges a test for her suitors. Any prince who guesses a particularly challenging riddle wins the princess, any prince who fails loses his head.

Pericles realizes that the riddle tells a story of incest between father and daughter, and so wisely guesses the riddle without exposing the terrible secret. Antiochus realizes that Pericles knows the truth, and so pretends that Pericles guessed incorrectly. But then Antiochus gives Pericles a “reprieve” of a month to make a second “attempt.” Fearing for his life and wounded by the horror of a deeply forbidden love, Pericles returns to Tyre, his Kingdom. But the King of Antioch sets an assassin after the young Prince. Fearing an invasion, the young Prince sets out on his second journey.

After rescuing the island of Tarsus from a famine, Pericles heads out into the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. A terrible storm blows up, sending the ship off course. Although Pericles prays to the Gods, the ship sinks and all hands are lost. Only Pericles survives, washing up on the shore of Africa with his father’s armor. A group of comical fishermen discovers him, and sends him off as their representative to a tournament being held in honor of the local princess.

At the tournament, Pericles, clothed in rusty armor, wins. Thaisa, the princess, falls in love with this woe-begone knight, and chooses him for her husband. They marry and Thaisa quickly conceives a child. News from home interrupts this rare period of happiness: the Tyrean nobles threaten to rebel unless Pericles returns.

Pericles sets sail once again, and another storm blows up. Thaisa goes into labor during the storm and gives birth to a healthy daughter. Thaisa, however, appears dead. The sailors insist on throwing her body overboard, and Pericles submits to their superstitious demands. Once again in the grip of a terrible depression, Pericles decides to save his daughter from himself and gives the baby to the rulers of Tarsus, Cleon and Dionyza.

Fourteen years pass and Pericles continues to sail the seas. Marina, his daughter, grows into an accomplished and beautiful princess. Dionyza, however, succumbs to a horrible jealousy and comparing Marina with her own daughter, believes the two young princesses to be in competition with one another. Dionyza commands an assassin to kill Marina by the seaside.

The knife rests at Marina’s throat, when suddenly pirates from the sea throw off the assassin and kidnap Marina. Reaching the port city of Mytilene, the pirates sell Marina to a brothel. Only her powers of persuasion save her from losing her virginity in the vilest conditions. Marina successfully turns away customer after customer, including the town’s governor, until finally Marina convinces the owners of the brothel that it would be more profitable to let her run a music academy instead.

Meanwhile, Pericles mourns his daughter, thought to be dead, and continues his endless ocean trek as a living ghost. Eventually he arrives in Mytilene, where Marina teaches, and the governor sends her to restore Pericles’ peace of mind. A beautiful reunion of father and daughter takes place and then a miraculous and spiritual discovery reunites the entire family.

The play ends in a sublime restoration not only of father, wife and daughter, but also of the faith in humanity that Pericles had lost after guessing the horrible riddle in Antioch. The play journeys from darkness into light, from squalor to nobility. The many voyages and episodes of Pericles’ journey create a perfect Romance: an exotic journey towards an ideal unification.

PERICLES: A Romance A Synopsis By Celise Kalke The setting of Pericles is a time even more distant than that of Cymbeline. Political intrigues are now only the stuff of legend. And instead of an aging King and his daughter, the story follows the adventures of the melancholy Greek Prince of Tyre and consists of a series of voyages around the Eastern and most exotic Coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The tale begins with Pericles’ courtship of the beautiful and dangerous princess of Antioch. This princess provokes desire in many princes, and so her father arranges a test for her suitors. Any prince who guesses a particularly challenging riddle wins the princess, any prince who fails loses his head. Pericles realizes that the riddle tells a story of incest between father and daughter, and so wisely guesses the riddle without exposing the terrible secret. Antiochus realizes that Pericles knows the truth, and so pretends that Pericles guessed incorrectly. But then Antiochus gives Pericles a “reprieve” of a month to make a second “attempt.” Fearing for his life and wounded by the horror of a deeply forbidden love, Pericles returns to Tyre, his Kingdom. But the King of Antioch sets an assassin after the young Prince. Fearing an invasion, the young Prince sets out on his second journey. After rescuing the island of Tarsus from a famine, Pericles heads out into the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. A terrible storm blows up, sending the ship off course. Although Pericles prays to the Gods, the ship sinks and all hands are lost. Only Pericles survives, washing up on the shore of Africa with his father’s armor. A group of comical fishermen discovers him, and sends him off as their representative to a tournament being held in honor of the local princess. At the tournament, Pericles, clothed in rusty armor, wins. Thaisa, the princess, falls in love with this woe-begone knight, and chooses him for her husband. They marry and Thaisa quickly conceives a child. News from home interrupts this rare period of happiness: the Tyrean nobles threaten to rebel unless Pericles returns. Pericles sets sail once again, and another storm blows up. Thaisa goes into labor during the storm and gives birth to a healthy daughter. Thaisa, however, appears dead. The sailors insist on throwing her body overboard, and Pericles submits to their superstitious demands. Once again in the grip of a terrible depression, Pericles decides to save his daughter from himself and gives the baby to the rulers of Tarsus, Cleon and Dionyza. Fourteen years pass and Pericles continues to sail the seas. Marina, his daughter, grows into an accomplished and beautiful princess. Dionyza, however, succumbs to a horrible jealousy and comparing Marina with her own daughter, believes the two young princesses to be in competition with one another. Dionyza commands an assassin to kill Marina by the seaside. The knife rests at Marina’s throat, when suddenly pirates from the sea throw off the assassin and kidnap Marina. Reaching the port city of Mytilene, the pirates sell Marina to a brothel. Only her powers of persuasion save her from losing her virginity in the vilest conditions. Marina successfully turns away customer after customer, including the town’s governor, until finally Marina convinces the owners of the brothel that it would be more profitable to let her run a music academy instead. Meanwhile, Pericles mourns his daughter, thought to be dead, and continues his endless ocean trek as a living ghost. Eventually he arrives in Mytilene, where Marina teaches, and the governor sends her to restore Pericles’ peace of mind. A beautiful reunion of father and daughter takes place and then a miraculous and spiritual discovery reunites the entire family. The play ends in a sublime restoration not only of father, wife and daughter, but also of the faith in humanity that Pericles had lost after guessing the horrible riddle in Antioch. The play journeys from darkness into light, from squalor to nobility. The many voyages and episodes of Pericles’ journey create a perfect Romance: an exotic journey towards an ideal unification.
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