character6 - weeblyphoenixdrama.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/2/3/24232850/...1!! character6: imogen!...
TRANSCRIPT
-
1
Character 6:
Imogen
Synopsis Imogen, the daughter of the British king Cymbeline, goes against her father's wishes and marries a lowborn gentleman, Posthumus, instead of his oafish stepson, Cloten. Cloten is the son of Cymbeline's new Queen, a villainous woman who has made the king her puppet. Cymbeline sends Posthumus into exile in Italy, where he encounters a smooth-‐tongued Italian named Iachimo. Iachimo argues that all women are naturally unchaste, and he makes a wager with Posthumus that he will be able to seduce Imogen. He goes to the British court and, failing in his initial attempt to convince the princess to sleep with him, resorts to trickery: He hides in a large chest and has it sent to her room; that night he slips out, observes her sleeping, and steals a bracelet that Posthumus once gave to her.
Cloten, meanwhile, continues to pursue Imogen, but she rebuffs him harshly. He becomes furious and vows revenge, while she worries over the loss of her bracelet. In the meantime, Iachimo has returned to Italy, and, displaying the stolen bracelet and an intimate knowledge of the details of Imogen's bedchamber, convinces Posthumus that he won the bet. Posthumus, furious at being betrayed by his wife, sends a letter to Britain ordering his servant, Pisanio, to murder Imogen. But Pisanio believes in Imogen's innocence, and he convinces her to disguise herself as a boy and go search for her husband, while he reports to Posthumus that he has killed her.
Imogen, however, soon becomes lost in the wilds of Wales, and she comes upon a cave where Belarius, an unjustly banished nobleman, lives with his two sons, Guiderius and Arviragus. In fact, the two young men are not his sons but Cymbeline's; Belarius has kidnapped them to avenge his banishment, though they themselves are ignorant of their true parentage. They welcome Imogen, who is still dressed as a boy. Meanwhile, Cloten appears, having come in pursuit of Imogen; he fights a duel with Guiderius, who kills him. Imogen, feeling ill, drinks a potion the queen has given her. Although the queen told her it was medicinal, the queen herself believed it to be a poison. However, the draught merely induces a deep sleep that resembles death. Belarius and his adoptive sons come upon Imogen and, heart-‐broken, lay her body beside that of the slain Cloten. Awaking after they
Play: Cymbeline Author: William Shakespeare
Web Links: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsferFwh5Og http://videos.helenmirrenarchives.org/view/71/cymbeline-‐film-‐scene-‐02/ www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4033195545/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=PetIVcwSIoM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFfACZhp8o0
-
2
have left the scene, she mistakes the body of Cloten for that of Posthumus, and she sinks into despair. A Roman army has invaded Britain, seeking the restoration of a certain tribute Britain has ceased to pay. (A "tribute" here is a payment given to one nation by another in return for a promise of non-‐aggression.) The disguised Imogen hires herself out to them as a page.
Posthumus and Iachimo are traveling with the Roman army, but Posthumus switches to the garb of a British peasant and fights valiantly for Britain. Indeed, in his combat he actively seeks death: He believes his servant to have carried out his orders and killed Imogen, and he regrets his actions. The Romans are defeated, thanks to the intervention of Belarius, Guiderius, and Arviragus, and Posthumus, still trying to punish himself, switches back to Roman garb and allows himself to be taken prisoner. That night, the god Jupiter promises the spirits of Posthumus's dead ancestors that he will care for their descendant. The next day, Cymbeline calls the prisoners before him, and the confusion is sorted out. Posthumus and Imogen are reunited, and they forgive a contrite Iachimo, who confesses his deception. The identity of Guiderius and Arviragus is revealed, Belarius is forgiven, and the Queen dies, leaving the king free of her evil influence. As a final gesture, Cymbeline frees the Roman prisoners and even agrees to resume paying the tribute.
Source: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/cymbeline/summary.html
www.anoisewithin.org
-
3
The playwright
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-‐upon-‐Avon, allegedly on April 23, 1564. Church records from Holy Trinity Church indicate that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564. Young William was born of John Shakespeare, a glover and leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a landed local heiress. William, according to the church register, was the third of eight children in the Shakespeare household—three of whom died in childhood. John Shakespeare had a remarkable run of success as a merchant, alderman, and high bailiff of Stratford, during William's early childhood. His fortunes declined, however, in the late 1570s.
There is great conjecture about Shakespeare's childhood years, especially regarding his education. Scholars surmise that Shakespeare attended the grammar school in Stratford. While there are no records extant to prove this claim, Shakespeare's knowledge of Latin and Classical Greek would tend to support this theory. In addition, Shakespeare's first biographer, Nicholas Rowe, wrote that John Shakespeare had placed William "for some time in a free school." John Shakespeare, as a Stratford official, would have been granted a waiver of tuition for his son. As the records do not exist, we do not know how long William may have attended the school, but the literary quality of his works suggests a solid educational foundation. What is certain is that William Shakespeare never proceeded to university schooling, which has contributed to the debate about the authorship of his works.
The next documented event in Shakespeare's life is his marriage to Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582. William was 18 at the time, and Anne was 26—and pregnant. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. The couple later had twins, Hamnet and Judith, born February 2, 1585 and christened at Holy Trinity. Hamnet died in childhood at the age of 11, on August 11, 1596.
For the seven years following the birth of his twins, William Shakespeare disappears from all records, finally turning up again in London some time in 1592. This period, known as the "Lost Years," has sparked as much controversy about Shakespeare's life as any period. Rowe notes that young Shakespeare was quite fond of poaching, and may have had to flee Stratford after an incident with Sir Thomas Lucy, whose deer and rabbits he allegedly poached. There is also rumor of Shakespeare working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire for a time, though this is circumstantial at best.
It is estimated that Shakespeare arrived in London around 1588 and began to establish himself as an actor and playwright. Evidently Shakespeare garnered some envy early on, as related by the critical attack of Robert Greene, a London playwright, in 1592: "...an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-‐scene in a country."
Greene's bombast notwithstanding, Shakespeare must have shown considerable promise. By 1594, he was not only acting and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men (called the King's Men after the ascension of James I in 1603), but was a managing partner in the operation as well. With Will Kempe, a master comedian, and Richard Burbage, a leading tragic actor of the day, the Lord Chamberlain's Men became a favorite London troupe, patronized by royalty and made popular by the theatre-‐going public.
-
4
Shakespeare's accomplishments are apparent when studied against other playwrights of this age. His company was the most successful in London in his day. He had plays published and sold in octavo editions, or "penny-‐copies" to the more literate of his audiences. Never before had a playwright enjoyed sufficient acclaim to see his works published and sold as popular literature in the midst of his career. In addition, Shakespeare's ownership share in both the theatrical company and the Globe itself made him as much an entrepeneur as artist. While Shakespeare might not be accounted wealthy by London standards, his success allowed him to purchase New House and retire in comfort to Stratford in 1611.
William Shakespeare wrote his will in 1611, bequeathing his properties to his daughter Susanna (married in 1607 to Dr. John Hall). To his surviving daughter Judith, he left £300, and to his wife Anne left "my second best bed." William Shakespeare allegedly died on his birthday, April 23, 1616. This is probably more of a romantic myth than reality, but Shakespeare was interred at Holy Trinity in Stratford on April 25. In 1623, two working companions of Shakespeare from the Lord Chamberlain's Men, John Heminges and Henry Condell, printed the First Folio edition of his collected plays, of which half were previously unpublished.
William Shakespeare's legacy is a body of work that will never again be equaled in Western civilization. His words have endured for 400 years, and still reach across the centuries as powerfully as ever. Even in death, he leaves a final piece of verse as his epitaph:
Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbeare To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.
Source: http://www.bardweb.net/man.html
Source: www.anoisewithin.org
-
5
Character study Imogen, like Juliet, conveys to our mind the impression of extreme simplicity in the midst of the most wonderful complexity. To conceive her aright, we must take some peculiar tint from many characters, and so mingle them that, like the combination of hues in a sunbeam, the effect shall be as one to the eye. We must imagine something of the romantic enthusiasm of Juliet, of the truth and constancy of Helen, of the dignified purity of Isabel, of the tender sweetness of Viola, of the self-‐possession and intellect of Portia — combined together so equally and so harmoniously that we can scarcely say that one quality predominates over the other. But Imogen is less imaginative than Juliet, less spirited and intellectual than Portia, less serious than Helen and Isabel; her dignity is not so imposing as that of Hermione — it stands more on the defensive; her submission, though unbounded, is not so passive as that of Desdemona; and thus, while she resembles each of these characters individually, she stands wholly distinct from all.
It is true that the conjugal tenderness of Imogen is at once the chief subject of the drama and the pervading charm of her character; but it is not true, I think, that she is merely interesting from her tenderness and constancy to her husband. We are so completely let into the essence of Imogen's nature that we feel as if we had known and loved her before she was married to Posthumus, and that her conjugal virtues are a charm super-‐added, like the colour laid upon a beautiful groundwork. Neither does it appear to me that Posthumus is unworthy of Imogen, or only interesting on Imogen's account. His character, like those of all the other persons of the drama, is kept subordinate to hers; but this could not be otherwise, for she is the proper subject — the heroine of the poem. Everything is done to ennoble Posthumus and justify her love for him; and though we certainly approve him more for her sake than for his own, we are early prepared to view him with Imogen's eyes, and not only excuse, but sympathize in her admiration. . . .
One thing more must be particularly remarked, because it serves to individualize the character from the beginning to the end of the poem. We are constantly sensible that Imogen, besides being a tender and devoted woman, is a princess and a beauty, at the same time that she is ever superior to her position and her external charms. There is, for instance, a certain airy majesty of deportment — a spirit of accustomed command breaking out every now and then — the dignity, without the assumption, of rank and royal birth, which is apparent in the scene with Cloten and elsewhere; and we have not only a general impression that Imogen, like other heroines, is beautiful, but the peculiar style and character of her beauty are placed before us. We have an image of the most luxuriant loveliness, combined with exceeding delicacy, and even fragility of person; of the most refined elegance and the most exquisite modesty.
-
6
The Antecedents of Imogen.
As in Cleopatra and Cressida we had woman determined solely by her sex, so in Imogen we have an embodiment of the highest possible characteristics of womanhood — untainted health of soul, unshaken fortitude, constancy that withstands all trials, inexhaustible forbearance, unclouded intelligence, love that never wavers, and unquenchable radiance of spirit. She, like Marina, is cast into the snake-‐pit of the world. She is slandered, and not, like Desdemona, at second or third hand, but by the very man who boasts of her favours and supports his boast with seemingly incontrovertible proofs. Like Cordelia, she is misjudged; but whereas Cordelia is merely driven from her father's presence along with the man of her choice, Imogen is doomed to death by her cruelly-‐deceived husband, whom alone she adores; and through it all she preserves her love for him unweakened and unchanged.
Strange — very strange! In Imogen we find the fullest, deepest love that Shakespeare has ever placed in a woman's breast, and that although Cymbeline follows close upon plays which were filled to the brim with contempt for womankind. He believed, then, in such love, so impassioned, so immovable, so humble — believed in it now? He had, then, observed or encountered such a love — encountered it at this point of his life?
Even a poet has scant enough opportunities of observing love. Love is a rare thing, much rarer than the world pretends, and when it exists, it is apt to be sparing of words. Did he simply fall back on his own experiences, his own inward sensations, his knowledge of his own heart, and, transposing his feelings from the major to the minor key, place them on a woman's lips? Or did he love at this moment, and was he himself thus beloved at the end of the fifth decade of his life? The probability is, doubtless, that he wrote from some quite fresh experience, though it does not follow that the experience was actually his own. It is not often that women love men of his mental habit and stature with such intensity of passion. The rule will always be that a Moliere shall find himself cast aside for some Comte de Guiche, a Shakespeare for some Earl of Pembroke. Thus we cannot with any certainty conclude that he himself was the object of the passion which had revived his faith in a woman's power of complete and unconditional absorption in love for one man, and for him alone. In the first place, had the experience been his own, he would scarcely left London so soon. Yet the probability is that be must just about this time have gained some clear and personal insight into an ideal love. In the public sphere, too, it is not unlikely that Arabella Stuart's undaunted passion for Lord William Seymour, so cruelly punished by King James, may have afforded the model for Imogen's devotion to Posthumus in defiance of the will of King Cymbeline.
Source: http://www.shakespeare-‐online.com/plays/characters/imogenbio.html
-
7
Context Cymbeline is one of Shakespeare's final plays. Composed and performed around 1609-‐10, probably on the indoor Blackfriars stage rather than at the more famous Globe, it joins Pericles, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest in the list of genre-‐defying later plays that are usually referred to as romances or tragicomedies. The happy ending of each of these productions distinguishes them from earlier histories and tragedies, but each play emphasizes the danger and power of evil in the world, and death, while never victorious in the end, looms as an ever-‐present force in the stories. Indeed, the plot of Cymbeline bears a striking resemblance at various points to a number of the great tragedies: the Imogen-‐Cymbeline relationship suggests Lear and Cordelia in King Lear, while Iachimo plays a role similar to that of Iago in Othello, and the sleeping potion taken by Imogen reminds us of a similar device in Romeo and Juliet. In Cymbeline, however, disaster may threaten but it never strikes: Only the wicked characters die, and the end of the play treats us to a joyous reconciliation.
There is no obvious source for Cymbeline. The titular king and his sons Guiderius and Arviragus are quasi-‐historical figures; Cymbeline, according to a dubious source available during Shakespeare's time, ruled in Britain around the time of Christ. (The same source was used for the title character in King Lear, another play set in pre-‐Christian Britain.) The Iachimo plot, in which a seduction is attempted on a virtuous wife, may have its roots in the celebrated Decameron, a collection of stories by the Renaissance author Boccaccio. And the scenes in the Welsh wilderness, especially Imogen's death-‐like slumber, bear a striking resemblance to fairy tales like "Snow White." The bulk of the plot and most of the characters, however, can be attributed directly to Shakespeare's imagination; such pure originality was rare for the playwright, who adored lifting and reworking plots from other authors, writing in dialogue with older stories.
Source: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/cymbeline/context.html
-
8
Theatrical style Cymbeline is a difficult play to classify on any level. It is at once a tragedy, comedy, tragi-‐comedy, comi-‐tragedy, romance; a sort of mishmash of style, character, setting, story, and history that even the most noted of modern scholars hesitate to label. Cymbeline is generally thought of as a romance. What exactly is meant by the term romance, specifically in relation to Shakespeare? Stanley Wells provides a useful description: If the literary genre of romance can be defined – or described – it is not by formal characteristics. Rather perhaps is it a matter of certain recurrent motifs, and also of a recognizable attitude toward the subject matter. Romancers delight in the marvelous; quite often this involves the supernatural; generally the characters are larger than life size. All is unrealistic; the logic of cause and effect is ignored, and chance and fortune governs all … Shakespearean romance frequently includes the separation and disruption of families, followed by their eventual reunion and reconciliation; scenes of apparent resurrection; the love of a virtuous young hero and heroine; and the recovery of lost royal children.
Cymbeline certainly contains all of the elements needed to set it firmly within these sentiments. Many scholars, however, prefer to view the play as part of Shakespeare’s histories. He had already dramatized much of England’s recent past, stretching back to the 12th century with King John, and into pre-‐Roman legend with King Lear. With Cymbeline he again looked to Britain’s ancient past, connecting it with Julius Caesar’s Rome and solidifying Britain’s independence and prestige by staging their victory over the Roman army. Just as his previous histories had referenced Queen Elizabeth’s reign in ways that flattered or frightened her, Cymbeline’s setting can be seen as an allusion to King James, who liked to link himself both pictorially and ideologically with Rome and Roman emperors. The only certain label is that of ‘later’ play, as Cymbeline dates to roughly 1609—three years before Shakespeare’s retirement to Stratford and seven years before his death. Most scholars believe that Cymbeline was written before The Winter’s Tale, Pericles, and The Tempest.
In the Norton Shakespeare, Jean E. Howard identifies a common, elemental thread—beyond canonical proximity—which links the four plays together: an emphasis on “the miraculous transformation of suffering to joy.” She continues: Verging on tragedy, they all nonetheless win through to bittersweet conclusions in which shattered families are reconstituted and plot complexities untangled—but always at a cost. Mistakes have consequences in these plays. Sons die; years are lost in exile and wandering; women suffer from unjust slander. If, in the end, good fortune returns to the sufferers, it does not cancel their former pain but provides a miraculous contrast to it. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance.
Harold Bloom disagrees. He writes, “Though we classify Cymbeline with the other ‘late romances,’ it does not share much with The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest, let alone with Pericles.” But Bloom also asserts that “mature Shakespeare almost always is beyond genre.”3 Whether it is a romance, a history, a tragedy, or even “beyond genre,” Cymbeline is ultimately an adventurous, imaginative, fantastical tale of love, betrayal, jealousy, idealism, death and rebirth, family separated and reunited. It is also, as the directors of Fiasco Theater’s Cymbeline have written, “a restless plot [that] keeps us wanting to know what happens next.
Source: www.tfana.org/wp-‐content/uploads/.../Cymbeline-‐360-‐Viewfinder1.pdf
-
9
Though once held in very high regard, Cymbeline lost favour with critics in the 18th century. The most famous comments were made by Samuel Johnson:
This play has many just sentiments, some natural dialogues, and some pleasing scenes, but they are obtained at the expense of much incongruity. To remark the folly of the fiction, the absurdity of the conduct, the confusion of the names and manners of different times, and the impossibility of the events in any system of life, were to waste criticism upon unresisting imbecility, upon faults too evident for detection, and too gross for aggravation.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbeline
Source: https://twitter.com/bbciplayerglbl/status/456717517151432706
-
10
Interpretations of the character
The Bard on the Beach production of Cymbeline is an odd and convoluted tale told with style and panache.
Although Cymbeline is a strange tale filled with beheadings and creepy scenes, it is always engagingly staged and completely compelling.One of his last plays, Cymbeline is considered one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem’ plays because it defies being labeled a comedy, a tragedy or a history. The plot is rather complicated as many of its twists are based on coincidence or withheld information, but even with its complications there are some brilliant moments of comedy and equally moving moments of drama.
In Cymbeline, the titular King has banished Postumus, the husband of his daughter Imogen, for no apparent reason. We also discover that Imogen has two brothers who disappeared when they were babies, and the King’s new wife has been dabbling in poisons and politics in the hopes of making her selfish and arrogant son Cloten the new King. Meanwhile, soldiers from Rome are contemplating an attack on England and in another subplot that really kicks things into high-‐gear, an Italian nobleman makes a bet that he can prove to Postumus that his wife is not as pure as he thinks.
Director Anita Rochon has come up with a fun and stylish concept. Using just seven actors, she employs story theatre elements that include fast wardrobe changes to allow them each play up to three characters, and then adds a sexy and sleek vibe to it all.
Rochon successfully pulls straightforward and honest comedic performances from her cast, allowing the simple line readings to burst with comic potential. That same straightforward and honest approach is also used in the more dramatic moments, with beautifully moving results.
The entire cast meets Rochon’s vision, giving their making their characters heartfelt, high-‐stakes, and a playful sense of comedy.
Rachel Cairns embodies such a resourceful princess with a strong will and a big heart. Whether she is spurning the dullard Cloten or crumpling under the weight of grief, she was always very real and genuine.
Anton Lipovetsky is simply astonishing. While he has proven himself a great actor in past roles, here his subtle vocal and physical shifts from character to character are daring, but ultimately successful choices. Although at first it is difficult to identify each of his characters, as the play goes on you begin to notice the changes in facial tension between characters.
Rounding out this brilliant and talented ensemble in this touching tale about reuniting with family and with love are Anousha Alamian, Shawn Macdonald, Gerry Mackay, Benjamin Elliot and Bob Fraser.
-
11
Mara Gottler’s costumes are gorgeous, with variations on fencing outfits that include small flourishes of emerald coloured vests and skirts for the King and Queen, leather vests for the Noblemen and red sashes for the soldiers.
Although Cymbeline is a strange tale filled with beheadings and creepy scenes, it is always engagingly staged and completely compelling. And while the last 20 minutes filled with crazy revelations and denouncements, it is so wild and so weird that it still very entertaining, despite their improbabilities.
Entertaining and slick, Cymbeline is a great opportunity to round out your Shakespeare experience this year at Bard on the Beach. You will not only see a brilliant fun and moving play, you’ll also appreciate why it is not performed more often.
Source: http://vancouverpresents.com/theatre/theatre-‐review-‐cymbeline-‐thoroughly-‐enjoyable-‐romp/
Alfreds's approach imposes visual unity on a play that Dr Johnson accused of "unresisting imbecility" -‐ a play that yokes together Britain and Rome, Holinshed and Boccaccio, classical antiquity and the Renaissance. But his method also allows for lightning transitions: when the scene shifts from Cymbeline's British court, a gong is struck, an actor announces "Rome", and we're there in two seconds. When Shakespeare demands that "Jupiter descends in thunder and lightning", an actor simply advances downstage, flings his arms skywards, and we accept his godliness.
This method unifies a kaleidoscopically restless play. The only problem is that, in a company where all actors are supposedly equal, some are more equal than others. Mark Rylance -‐ playing Cloten, Posthumus and a physician -‐ demonstrates a transformative energy that dominates proceedings in a way we've scarcely seen since the heyday of Donald Wolfit. His Cloten, with gaping mouth and prognathous jaw, is a masterly study of vengeful idiocy. His Posthumus turns into a crazed Leontes. Even his doctor, by the simple device of turning to the audience to say of Cymbeline's wicked queen, "I do not like her", brings the house down. Wonderful to watch, but Rylance might usefully curb his exuberant inventiveness -‐ symbolised by Cloten scratching his genetalia when referring to his stepfather's "testiness" -‐ in the interests of company style.
At its best, the production achieves a resonant clarity. John Ramm's Iachimo, indecently straddling the sleeping Imogen, makes us believe in the trunk through which he has entered her bedroom. Sprightly, cartwheeling Jane Arnfield only has to say "Enter Imogen, dressed as a man" for us to accept it. And if the multiple revelations of the final act lead to escalating hysteria, it's more a comment on the Globe's self-‐consciously jolly audience than on the production -‐ although I question the robust humour of spectators who roar when Posthumus sends the disguised Imogen skidding violently across the stage. But at least Alfreds shows us that the Globe can work if you treat it as an empty space in which to tell an intriguing story.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2001/jul/12/theatre.artsfeatures2
-
12
Images of Imogen
showcase.arts.uci.edu
www.amyhutchins.net
www.theatermania.com
www.shakespeareteacher.com