The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-01
CYMBELINE: A STUDY OF THE PLAY.
THE CIRCLE

years before cymbeline had banished from
his kingdom. without warrant OF justice.
a powerful noble Refarius. In his flight
10 the wilderness this noble had carried
with him the kings sons. then mere chill
dren. Among the mountains OF Wales
p rro ~ ny III their Simplicity bravery and
Independence the superiority OF 4 natural
over artificial culture. The wilder
n ne Il rsia s s csr ss sens csp
tons FOR development. The hoys are
restless in their isolation and long for
contact with the larger world, II Is APP
parent that with return OF harmony to
the Kingdom the idyilic society will dis
solve nom its own tmrcrfccticns. Tho
problem 81 reconciliation now involves he
return Of Beiarius 90 his estate and OF
the boys to their father. But before their
departure two important events occur.
imogen In her flight from the court nnds
refuge In their cave and IL adopted. etll
in male disguise. into the primitive FAM
ilye And Cioten. pursuing the princess
with evil intent. enters the wood and ~
serves the function OF mediation, both
here and later. when Lucius comes with
IN Its bounds 10 ind page In Tmokcn.
the death Of cioten Mt tho beginning Of
the fourth act the movement toward rec
onciliation - started The queen. fret
ting At clsten,s absence, lies ~ at The
nfth act, AFFORDS the means OF reconciling
all the warning factors The hunters
world Is at once absorbed when Befarius
and the boys Join the British forces IN tho
battle. Poison, self-administered. destroys
the queen. Poethumus repents Of his
hasty action In requiring the murder OF
hts wife IN the guise OF L.ucius' page.
Through the death OF the evii-mindcd ard
the repentance OF those who have COM
mitted erros, the kingdom IL again estAb-
lished upon ethical grounds md the play
concludes In peace-conriudes IN the con-
dttion as with the word OF peace" The
cllmM ana a. turning s, point 90, e the action
A diagram win illustrate the movement
OF the separate characters.
The kIns suffers decline. owing 10 his
wsfe's supremacy. up to the middle OF tho
fourth act when the queen is taken III.
Imogcn nnds her FIRST succor with Bciari-
ue IN the third act. She Il mourned for
from her swocn rises IN company Of Lu-
cius. One lire IN may represent the ac-
ton OF Belarius and the two princes. for
begins TO fail when rejected by ImnEen IN
the second act There II suspense IN the
action OF all during tho nth act. waiting
se sss ~ 'ha sa line. an s s san
cius and Cornelius are omitted from tha
diagram to avoid confusion. their out
Sn es r. au % me pss n'asn
plain the movement OF the nth act
Comments.
I. "cymhelne' IL clsssed among the
tragedies. bat in view OF the absence OF Z
genuine heroic character and from tho
end OF the play. II Is more properly termed
a comedy. The suffering Of thu charnc-
tiers leads not % death. but 20 repentance
? The play lie highly composite. and
its threads OF interest are many and In
trfcate. The prctsem Of the play was
the Roman and the Italian "a French
man. 4 Dutchuan and Spaniard slso
nsss Pia,ce,, e b s ,oss.nsr AZ sncssnt
fiict between Caesar and cymheiineb ana
a modern romantic incident from Hoe
caccic tthe wager between Ischimo and
Posthnfnus). then 10 invent tha esort of
the stolen princes and their night to
wilderness probably an adaptation from
ieIkiore,. and further 90 provide for unity
through the mediation OF single char
acser umoeenl II can hardly be aaid
that Shakespeare was entirely rucressfui
n econonixins his plot or ,.lsiifyins hts
conTruities and impossible situations, and
50 intricate are the weavinGs Of tho
stories. ~ heavy 4 the burden q recon-
SION OF hesyinsss and confusion Is left
The mcsi defective part Of the play
whole scene IL spectacular. and not nW-
sentiai "a the development Of the action.
the saosts mumsIs Az inferior doFssrsl
revelation. The Introduction at .
prophecy that only ronfnsex and fefnrds
he movement = un,a. 40 e thai
between rosihumu2 and the fatlets IL
Irrelevant The words NJ Jupiter. hnw~
ss ns sre ~ sns ss Wan. nnva sy gs ana
phAsixe the acceptance BY deity Of the
act OF repentance. The scene seems IN
~ 1oihsa 700 s'esas{ wI,s III othcr
I IRE Importance q lmossn IN ihs play
sra i made i u 'f hs9 eonfslrts ana media
tlens father denies hef the rtKbt ~
choice IN the supreme personal incident
every point ana makes a. sssanpt ,'r,en
her Bfe. A clownish nohle pufsu@s her
with ssnHEsi Intention An Italian. ekfilfui
n love inifiKues, snnpss her VIRTUE. a
husband comes 10 doubt and curse her
and 10 demand her life in revenge. Hhs
~ sspt certain of the good faith ~ PISA
Mo. Che T. forced % live ~ disx9lse with
strangers and - become a servant ~ an
allen soldier. Through all these conflicts
she maintains bar infeafitr and thus boz
eerpes the central figure ~ The spiritual
Ter prneeea ms lines ~ repruganfe sna
restoration % al fhe inemesrs ~ The
kingdom u y trye thai shs play ceupre-
nnesiatigas. nevertheless essw II practically
the eufn ~ he contradictions ana khe sin.
Ris agent ~ resolution
s flHan3o. ~ a nifdiat0fiz, aserf. ~
sscond oniy - Ifsnxsn. II - vol gisea -
him 80 hnse fate,esfatsm ~ Hisaka&sseare
are reserved Tor Ihe noAis hefns~hslt fe
IA ~ reality thn esfs perfect character ffs
the FiaY. mlwsy4 sssFs IN his judgements
and fass n hsn actions when s-erfANxesf
NJ appeals 20 ihe ''seayeFss" Ana hse fsisb
u never frEdefed vaaa ~ > servant Sc
cofuhs into The sefxfch ~ All fse mats
rharacffw - ihe PLAY sn1 nse8sasee snnsns
ihsus Yet IN fb~ sasakeat~NrnaD prsey ~
IL WuYtNf ~ neither femtyHe mar pantsb.
rserfs II rtggifcf AaNiNss sac ~ dis
cover ira s3ise ~ fsfss ssos