 |
| Neb English Support Class 12 |
Pericles, Prince of Tyre by William Shakespeare
SHORT STORYLINE
Pericles, Prince of Tyre by William Shakespeare
Pericles is shipwrecked and finds his wife; he is shipwrecked once again and loses both his wife and daughter; they all find each other once again.
SHORT SUMMARY
Pericles, Prince of Tyre by William Shakespeare
Pericles, Prince of Tyre, leaves the house to win a jousting contest and escape death, only to marry a princess. While returning home, his family sails along with him, but a storm separates all of them, so Pericles returns home alone. Years later, Pericles finds his daughter and reunites with his wife, whom he had thought was dead.
DETAILED SUMMARY
Pericles, Prince of Tyre by William Shakespeare
Act I
A poet named Gower presents the story, a tale that starts with King Antiochus. The King is protecting an incestuous relationship with his daughter by promising marriage to her for any person who can find the answer to a seemingly impossible riddle. If the riddle is guessed incorrectly by the suitor, he will have to die. After the failure of many men, the young Prince Pericles of Tyre guesses the true answer to the riddle. He reveals the inappropriate relationship and flees for his life. King Antiochus orders his servant, Thaliart, to murder Pericles. Thaliart keeps on chasing him back to Tyre.
Pericles returns home and makes his revelation to his friend, Lord Helicanus. His friend advises the prince to travel abroad to flee before someone comes to kill him. Meanwhile, the governor of Tarsus, Cleon, and his wife, Dionyza, are lamenting the state of starvation. After fleeing to Tyre, Pericles hears about their troubles and brings them food to provide them with some relief.
Act II
Helicanus sends the news to Pericles, warning him of Thaliart, so the prince sets sail once again. However, his ship is wrecked at sea during a storm. Pericles is thrown ashore, recovering to find a group of fishermen. From them, he learns about an upcoming festival to celebrate the birthday of Thaisa, the daughter of King Simonides. During this conversation, he also gets told about a jousting or horse racing competition. The champion would win Thaisa's hand (giving away one's daughter during a contest must have been very fashionable at the time). The fishermen bring up their fishing nets to find a rusted suit of armour, which Pericles takes to fight for the Princess.
During the contest, Pericles becomes the champion, defeating five knights. He is offered a feast by Simonides and wins Thaisa's affection. Pericles remained at the court for several months after his marriage. Later, he hears the news from his friend Helicanus that Antiochus and his daughter are dead, so he can return home safely. In Tyre, the lords have eagerly waited for the return of their prince. Pericles returns to Tire to reclaim his throne, accompanied by Thaisa, who is now pregnant with his child.
Act III
During a storm at sea, Thaisa seemingly dies, giving birth to a daughter. Under pressure from the crew, Pericles allows Thesea's sealed coffin to be thrown overboard. Pericles detours to land in Tarsus. He leaves the newborn child, named Marina, with her nurse, Lychorida, in the care of his friends, Cleon and Dionyza, before coming back to Tyre.
The next morning, the people found a sealed box near the beach of Ephesus. They summon a doctor, who finds Thessa's sleeping body with jewels and a letter from Pericles. After some work, the princess regained consciousness. She is convinced that her husband and child have drowned in the sea. Without hope of finding them, Thaisa goes to live in the temple of the goddess Diana nearby.
Act IV
The poet Gower tells how fifteen years pass when Marina, Cleon's daughter, grows up with Philoten. Soon, however, Dionyza becomes envious of Philoten's favour for Marina's beauty and plans to murder her. Just as Marina is about to be executed, the pirates capture the girl and take her to Mytilene to be sold as a prostitute. Marina's perceived beauty attracts many men. But she keeps on persuading everyone not to violate her virginity. In fact, many men walk away resolved to improve their lives. Eventually, the brothel owner allows her to become a waiting maid, developing and using skills in singing, sewing, and dancing.
Meanwhile, both Pericles and Helicanus return to Tarsus to see Marina. Instead, they are shown the false tomb of Marina. Distraught by the perceived loss of his daughter, Pericles resolves never to enjoy life again and ends up sailing the seas at random. When his ship finally arrives at Mytilene, he is greeted by Governor Lysimachus. Lysimachus hears of the depression of the prince's retreat and sends for Marina. He has heard of her virtuous as well as inspirational reputation.
Act V
At first, Pericles rejects Marina, but when she tells him her name and the story of her birth at sea, Pericles comes to know that she is his lost daughter. He is overwhelmed with happiness. That night, as he sleeps, he dreams of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus. He resolves to give thanks at the temple and leaves with Marina. Meanwhile, she has become betrothed to Lysimachus. In Ephesus, Pericles tells his story to the priestess, only to find out that she is his wife, Thaisa. Everyone is happily reunited, and they return to Tyre. Gower ends the story with the news that Cleon and Dionyza have been killed by a mutiny because of their treatment of Marina.
CLICK HERE 👇 TO READ
RICHARD II BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE SUMMARY
Thanks for Visiting my Website: Suraj Bhatt
Post a Comment