Cymbeline Part 2 - The Characters

Part 2 begins with a discussion of the sexual violence and jealousy depicted in the play. It goes on to examine how the play’s sprawling romance plot represents, in symbolic but recognizable form, origin stories for some significant historical phenomena: Britain’s own monarchy, the Renaissance culture of Europe, and what would have been for Shakespeare’s audience the central event of world history: the birth of Christ. It concludes by discussing how these historical forces shape the unexpected moments of spiritual vision, repentance, and peace that conclude the play, and why the play’s particular vision of communities coexisting might be its most powerful legacy for the 21st century.