King Cymbeline Research Paper
Furthermore, it this unclearly structured plot line, littered with minor genre specific elements that facilitate both comedy and revenge tragedy characteristics and that make the overall genre of Cymbeline troublesome to identify. Some examples of these minor genre specific elements are revenge, murder and dead bodies, and disguises. First, the component of revenge is notably inactive to the point of near obscurity within this alleged revenge tragedy. The development of King Cymbeline sending Belarius into exile, for which Belarius seeks his vengeance through the abduction of the King’s two infant sons, Guiderius and Arviragus, is the play’s truest form of revenge. This display of revenge, however, seems to occur entirely before the play’s storyline actually begins. The audience is not present for this act of revenge. As well, towards the end of the play, the position surrounding Belarius’ act of revenge is strikingly easily absolved. It is, for these reasons, completely passive and seemingly not as trifling as the other plotlines within the play, which suppresses the appearance of Shakespeare’s use of revenge altogether.
Another perplexing element that muddles the audience’s perspective …show more content…
towards the genre of the play is Shakespeare’s employment of merited murders and the presence of dead bodies to Cymbeline, or lack thereof. Most revenge tragedies include numerous murders and present dead bodies to convey brutality. In fact, John Webster’s traditional revenge tragedy The White Devil concludes with nearly all of the play’s characters perishing and leaving nothing to show for their experiences but scene littered with corpses and a cautionary tale concerning ignorance, selfishness, greed, hypocrisy and trivial vengeance. Cymbeline, however, executes murder on those characters who undoubtedly deserve it most and, also depicts the presence of dead bodies, Cloten’s to be specific, in an absurd and nonsensical fashion. To exemplify this, there are the drama’s only two deaths, those of Cloten and the Queen. Both of these deaths were dispassionate and seemed to occur somewhat haphazardly considering as Cloten is quickly slain by Guiderius with a swift beheading upon their first encounter while the Queen is passively consumed by an impairing fever. It seems as though the two central villains of the play are written out so carelessly and that their deaths were never meant to carry much tragic significance in the first place. The main functions of their characters were to cause trouble for the other characters and the plot line, not to be the plot line. Cloten and the Queen’s deaths arrived to each of them in the same manner as they had each created their own trouble; The Queen generated evil clandestinely and over time, as her fever similarly infected her over time while Cloten demonstrated relentless arrogance, was profusely ignorant, inept, and irritable, and his clumsy ego found himself entering and losing a fatal swordfight. It is rather ironic in fact, that the manners in which the Queen and Cloten lived their lives were somewhat how their met their demise. This irony can also be used to further argue Cymbeline’s mysterious genre as comedic. In addition, Cloten’s dead, headless body being tossed around and positioned in the woods makes his character seem to live on even after his death, which is ludicrous, silly and is also how comedy factors in to and assumes control of this particular plot element.
Finally, numerous revenge tragedies include the plot element wherein a character disguises themselves. The use of the feature of disguise is used to convey deceit, to further a character’s evil scheme of revenge, and to preserve dramatic tension. In Cymbeline, the plot element of disguise is performed through the character of Imogen. Imogen dresses in male clothing after having run away from home, with the intent to risk her life by becoming a servant for Caius Lucius, all in order to meet with Posthumus in Italy and to prove to him her faithfulness. This element of disguise, while usually applied in tragedies to convey deceit and scheming, is here conveying Imogen’s strength of character, her resourcefulness, her rationality and her devotion to her husband. She commits to this outrageous plan, wherein she wears male clothing, in order to impersonate a man and also to convince her husband that she has not been adulterine; two characterizations to which she is most certainly not fitting as she is both female and faithful. Irony is exercised again, but within this plot element of disguise. Imogen disguising herself as a man and going through all of the hardship to prove to her husband he has been manipulated by Iachimo is not motivated by revenge, nor by anger or resentment but by love. Imogen’s love for Posthumus is so strong that she negates his accusations, hides her femininity behind male garbs, and aspires to show him the truth. A true revenge tragedy would have turned Imogen into a tortured, maddened heroine upon the news of Posthumus’ orders to kill her. Cymbeline, however observes irony in Imogen’s male disguise and exhibits how this plot element accesses love, wisdom and patience within the play. As soon as she has heard all of Pisanio’s plan, Imogen states,
There is more to be considered, but we’ll even
All that good time will give us. This attempt
I am soldier to, and I will abide it with
A prince’s courage. (iii.v.181-185)
It is as though, in Cymbeline, the purpose of the element of disguise is not to preserve dramatic tension, as mentioned before, but to take the dramatic tension that has already been built up through the detachment of family and lovers, dishonesties, and dramatic irony and release it through a new perspective, namely Fidele’s.
Imogen does not fixate on Posthumus’ distrust and false accusations for she has chosen to seemingly change personas in order to prove her love for her husband which helps to constructs a less tragic storyline. Perhaps some of Imogen’s anger and resentment gets lost in the adaptation from character to character and what holds true all along is her perseverance and devotion to her husband, which, in contrast, makes for a more comedic and romantic plot
line.
Another perplexing element that muddles the audience’s perspective …show more content…
towards the genre of the play is Shakespeare’s employment of merited murders and the presence of dead bodies to Cymbeline, or lack thereof. Most revenge tragedies include numerous murders and present dead bodies to convey brutality. In fact, John Webster’s traditional revenge tragedy The White Devil concludes with nearly all of the play’s characters perishing and leaving nothing to show for their experiences but scene littered with corpses and a cautionary tale concerning ignorance, selfishness, greed, hypocrisy and trivial vengeance. Cymbeline, however, executes murder on those characters who undoubtedly deserve it most and, also depicts the presence of dead bodies, Cloten’s to be specific, in an absurd and nonsensical fashion. To exemplify this, there are the drama’s only two deaths, those of Cloten and the Queen. Both of these deaths were dispassionate and seemed to occur somewhat haphazardly considering as Cloten is quickly slain by Guiderius with a swift beheading upon their first encounter while the Queen is passively consumed by an impairing fever. It seems as though the two central villains of the play are written out so carelessly and that their deaths were never meant to carry much tragic significance in the first place. The main functions of their characters were to cause trouble for the other characters and the plot line, not to be the plot line. Cloten and the Queen’s deaths arrived to each of them in the same manner as they had each created their own trouble; The Queen generated evil clandestinely and over time, as her fever similarly infected her over time while Cloten demonstrated relentless arrogance, was profusely ignorant, inept, and irritable, and his clumsy ego found himself entering and losing a fatal swordfight. It is rather ironic in fact, that the manners in which the Queen and Cloten lived their lives were somewhat how their met their demise. This irony can also be used to further argue Cymbeline’s mysterious genre as comedic. In addition, Cloten’s dead, headless body being tossed around and positioned in the woods makes his character seem to live on even after his death, which is ludicrous, silly and is also how comedy factors in to and assumes control of this particular plot element.
Finally, numerous revenge tragedies include the plot element wherein a character disguises themselves. The use of the feature of disguise is used to convey deceit, to further a character’s evil scheme of revenge, and to preserve dramatic tension. In Cymbeline, the plot element of disguise is performed through the character of Imogen. Imogen dresses in male clothing after having run away from home, with the intent to risk her life by becoming a servant for Caius Lucius, all in order to meet with Posthumus in Italy and to prove to him her faithfulness. This element of disguise, while usually applied in tragedies to convey deceit and scheming, is here conveying Imogen’s strength of character, her resourcefulness, her rationality and her devotion to her husband. She commits to this outrageous plan, wherein she wears male clothing, in order to impersonate a man and also to convince her husband that she has not been adulterine; two characterizations to which she is most certainly not fitting as she is both female and faithful. Irony is exercised again, but within this plot element of disguise. Imogen disguising herself as a man and going through all of the hardship to prove to her husband he has been manipulated by Iachimo is not motivated by revenge, nor by anger or resentment but by love. Imogen’s love for Posthumus is so strong that she negates his accusations, hides her femininity behind male garbs, and aspires to show him the truth. A true revenge tragedy would have turned Imogen into a tortured, maddened heroine upon the news of Posthumus’ orders to kill her. Cymbeline, however observes irony in Imogen’s male disguise and exhibits how this plot element accesses love, wisdom and patience within the play. As soon as she has heard all of Pisanio’s plan, Imogen states,
There is more to be considered, but we’ll even
All that good time will give us. This attempt
I am soldier to, and I will abide it with
A prince’s courage. (iii.v.181-185)
It is as though, in Cymbeline, the purpose of the element of disguise is not to preserve dramatic tension, as mentioned before, but to take the dramatic tension that has already been built up through the detachment of family and lovers, dishonesties, and dramatic irony and release it through a new perspective, namely Fidele’s.
Imogen does not fixate on Posthumus’ distrust and false accusations for she has chosen to seemingly change personas in order to prove her love for her husband which helps to constructs a less tragic storyline. Perhaps some of Imogen’s anger and resentment gets lost in the adaptation from character to character and what holds true all along is her perseverance and devotion to her husband, which, in contrast, makes for a more comedic and romantic plot
line.