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| Character | Cleon?Dionyza??? | |
|---|---|---|
| Scene type / Who are | Married, Scheming | |
| Type | Dramatic | |
| Period | Renaissance | |
| Genre | Romance, Tragedy, Comedy | |
| Description | Cleon and his wife Dionyza discuss Marina's murder | |
| Location | ACT IV, Scene 3 | |
Summary
In the city of Antiochus, in Syria, King Antiochus rules the city. We learn in the prologue that he is committing incest with his beautiful daughter and is keeping all her suitors away by forcing them to answer a riddle or die. One of the suitors is Pericles who in the first scene of the play is in King's Antiochus court, determined to try and answer his riddle. When he reads the riddle he realizes that it is about the incest going on with his daughter. He then refuses to answer it saying that he knows the truth but rather not tell it. The king, who realizes Pericles knows about the incest, tells him he will be executed in 40 days. Pericles decides to flee and goes back to Tyre.
Back in Tyre one of his councilors, Helicanus, for fear that Antioch might invade Tyre to kill Pericles, advices him to flee to Tarsus, a neighboring city ruled by King Cleon and his wife Dionyza. When he is called back to Tyre Pericles is shipwrecked in a place called Pentapolis. There he learns of a king, King Simonides, who is giving his daughter's hand (Thaisa) to whoever wins a jousting tournament the following day. Pericles decides to enter the tournament and wins.
On the way back to Tyre, however, Thaisa dies giving birth to their child Marina. Considering the trip to Tyre too dangerous for his daughter, Pericles lands in Tarsus and gives his child to Cleon and Dionyza. When Marina grows up, however, Dionyza gets jealous of her and decides to hire a murderer to kill her. She hires an assassin, Leonine, who she later poisons in order to keep her plot secret.
In this monologue Cleon and Dionyza discuss Marina's murder and Cleon wonders what they will tell Pericles when he comes back. Dioniza argues nobody will ever find out about their plot, they will tell him she died "by foul play" and that they will erect a monument for her. She then confesses that she had Marina killed because she out shined their daughter and Dioniza felt jealous of her.
Back in Tyre one of his councilors, Helicanus, for fear that Antioch might invade Tyre to kill Pericles, advices him to flee to Tarsus, a neighboring city ruled by King Cleon and his wife Dionyza. When he is called back to Tyre Pericles is shipwrecked in a place called Pentapolis. There he learns of a king, King Simonides, who is giving his daughter's hand (Thaisa) to whoever wins a jousting tournament the following day. Pericles decides to enter the tournament and wins.
On the way back to Tyre, however, Thaisa dies giving birth to their child Marina. Considering the trip to Tyre too dangerous for his daughter, Pericles lands in Tarsus and gives his child to Cleon and Dionyza. When Marina grows up, however, Dionyza gets jealous of her and decides to hire a murderer to kill her. She hires an assassin, Leonine, who she later poisons in order to keep her plot secret.
In this monologue Cleon and Dionyza discuss Marina's murder and Cleon wonders what they will tell Pericles when he comes back. Dioniza argues nobody will ever find out about their plot, they will tell him she died "by foul play" and that they will erect a monument for her. She then confesses that she had Marina killed because she out shined their daughter and Dioniza felt jealous of her.
Written by Administrator
| Excerpt |
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| [Tarsus. A room in CLEON's house.] [Enter CLEON and DIONYZA] DIONYZA Why, are you foolish? Can it be undone? CLEON O Dionyza, such a piece of slaughter The sun and moon ne'er look'd upon! DIONYZA I think You'll turn a child again. CLEON Were I chief lord of all this spacious world, I'ld give it to undo the deed. O lady, Much less in blood than virtue, yet a princess To equal any single crown o' the earth I' the justice of compare! O villain Leonine! Whom thou hast poison'd too: If thou hadst drunk to him, 't had been a kindness Becoming well thy fact: what canst thou say When noble Pericles shall demand his child? DIONYZA That she is dead. Nurses are not the fates, To foster it, nor ever to preserve. She died at night; I'll say so. Who can cross it? Unless you play the pious innocent, And for an honest attribute cry out 'She died by foul play.' CLEON O, go to. Well, well, Of all the faults beneath the heavens, the gods Do like this worst. DIONYZA Be one of those that think The petty wrens of Tarsus will fly hence, And open this to Pericles. I do shame To think of what a noble strain you are, And of how coward a spirit. CLEON To such proceeding Who ever but his approbation added, Though not his prime consent, he did not flow From honourable sources. DIONYZA Be it so, then: Yet none does know, but you, how she came dead, Nor none can know, Leonine being gone. She did disdain my child, and stood between Her and her fortunes: none would look on her, But cast their gazes on Marina's face; Whilst ours was blurted at and held a malkin Not worth the time of day. It pierced me through; And though you call my course unnatural, You not your child well loving, yet I find It greets me as an enterprise of kindness Perform'd to your sole daughter. CLEON Heavens forgive it! DIONYZA And as for Pericles, What should he say? We wept after her hearse, And yet we mourn: her monument Is almost finish'd, and her epitaphs In glittering golden characters express A general praise to her, and care in us At whose expense 'tis done. CLEON Thou art like the harpy, Which, to betray, dost, with thine angel's face, Seize with thine eagle's talons. DIONYZA You are like one that superstitiously Doth swear to the gods that winter kills the flies: But yet I know you'll do as I advise. [Exeunt] |
