Cymbeline
1611
One of Shakespeare's most audacious late plays, Cymbeline swerves from murderous jealousy to triumphant reunion in ways that still feel revolutionary. A princess marries in secret. Her father, the King of Britain, banishes her husband. A wicked queen meddles. A scheming servant plants the seeds of deadly误会. What follows is a tale of false accusations, presumed death, and impossible reunions that would feel at home in a fairytale, if fairytales were this dark. Imogen stands as one of Shakespeare's most resilient heroines: wronged, abandoned, and yet unbroken. The play refuses to stay in any single genre, sliding between tragedy, romance, and comedy with breathtaking confidence. Its final act delivers one of Shakespeare's most satisfying double weddings, a conclusion so joyous it redefines everything that came before. For readers who crave Shakespeare's later romances, stories of enduring love against impossible odds, and plays that defy easy categorization.
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“Fear no more the heat o' the sun,Nor the furious winter's rages;Thou thy worldly task hast done,Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;Golden lads and girls all must,As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.Fear no more the frown o' the great;Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:Care no more to clothe and eat;To thee the reed is as the oak:The sceptre, learning, physic, mustAll follow this, and come to dust.Fear no more the lightning-flash,Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;Fear not slander, censure rash;Thou hast finished joy and moan;All lovers young, all lovers mustConsign to thee, and come to dust. No exorciser harm thee! Nor no witchcraft charm thee! Ghost unlaid forbear thee! Nothing ill come near thee! Quiet consummation have; And renownéd be thy grave!””
— William Shakespeare
“Hang there like a fruit, my soul, Till the tree die!””
— William Shakespeare
“Golden lads and girls all must as chimney sweepers come to dust.””
— William Shakespeare
“Kneel not to me.The pow'r that I have on you is to spare you;The malice towards you to forgive you. Live,And deal with others better.””
— William Shakespeare
“I am glad I was up so late, for that's the reason I was up so early.””
— William Shakespeare
“The pow'r I have on you is to spare you / The malice towards you, to forgive you. Posthumus””
— William Shakespeare
“Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered.””
— William Shakespeare
“our cageWe make a quire, as doth the prison'd bird,And sing our bondage freely.””
— William Shakespeare
“Pardon's the word to all.””
— William Shakespeare
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Shakespeare, William. Cymbeline. Lex, lex-books.com/book/cymbeline-5ec27b80-4dac-48f9-9300-1f9d0106fceb.Shakespeare, W. (1611). Cymbeline. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/cymbeline-5ec27b80-4dac-48f9-9300-1f9d0106fcebShakespeare, William. Cymbeline. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/cymbeline-5ec27b80-4dac-48f9-9300-1f9d0106fceb.


































