Cymbeline

Posthumus is a protagonist who is presented as fundamentally noble in spirit, but is tricked into believing that Imogen has betrayed him by a villain who exploits his weaknesses.

He is a complex character who undergoes a large character arc, moving between extremes of emotions. Initially a loyal and loving husband, Iachimo’s manipulations drive him to a violent jealous rage, in which he orders his wife’s death, but he then moves swiftly into bitter regret. He has a parallel journey to Othello, but his rage is thwarted by distance and by his loyal servant, creating the potential for a happy ending. He proactively channels his regret into martial honor, expressing his return to loyalty by fighting fiercely for Britain, equating the country with Imogen herself. This service enables him to atone for his dishonor in love with honor in war, earning a resolution of redemption and reconciliation.

Posthumus is important in the play’s consideration of The Influence of Nature Versus Nurture on Character. He has had a courtly upbringing as he was taken in by Cymbeline, but is not a prince by blood, making him unworthy of Imogen in Cymbeline’s eyes. However, his family name, Leonatus, symbolizes his fierceness and martial prowess, and shows that both traits are inherited from his family, who were all brave warriors.

Iachimo is one of the play’s antagonists. His name emphasizes his similarities with Iago in Othello: He manipulates a primarily noble man into jealous rage over his wife’s apparent infidelity. He is clever and immoral. His duplicitous nature is apparent in his interaction with Imogen, in which he deploys various different tactics towards winning his wager. The wager is dishonorable in the first place, but he does not care if he wins it honestly or through deceit.

Nevertheless, Iachimo differs from Iago in that he engages with the consequences of his actions and makes admissions of moral responsibility, not just technical culpability. This repentance makes him a more complex villain than the Queen or Cloten, as he ends the play with an element of ambiguity. On the battlefield, he feels that the spirit of Britain is punishing him for his treatment of Imogen, acknowledging guilt. In the final scene, he expresses admiration for Imogen and Posthumus and deep remorse for his actions, asking Posthumus to kill him in punishment. Shakespeare keeps a degree of ambiguity over this request: He may be motivated by fear for his life or immortal soul, rather than genuine repentance. He makes an excuse for some of his actions that the English climate confused his Italian brain, which is comically absurd, especially given that he was in Italy when he made the wager, and deceived Posthumus about winning. 

His survival maintains the play’s focus on redemption, as the only deaths happen offstage and are in combat or due to illness, not as punishment. However, it also signifies a loose end that is not completely tied up, creating a hint of complexity and realism beneath the spirit of reunion and forgiveness that otherwise dominates the final scene.

Cymbeline is the titular character of the play, but he is not the most heroic protagonist or the primary focus of the plot, which spreads its attention across an ensemble. Naming the play after him as the king of the Britons reflects the thematic focus on The Nature of British Identity, and also directs attention toward the ways his character fits the mold of the tragic protagonist. He is presented as inherently noble, as evidenced by Lucius’s esteem for him and the inherited qualities of his children, but he has been led astray by the corrupting influence of the Queen. As with Posthumus, he offers a lesson in the consequences of trusting the wrong people, but for him, this is a general character flaw. 

As well as trusting the Queen, he allows Cloten to have political influence and status in his court, distrusts Pisanio and threatens to torture him, and betrayed Belarius many years ago because of the manipulations of two duplicitous courtiers. He stresses that he was utterly convinced by the Queen, who was skilled in her pretenses, but others, such as Cornelius, were able to judge her character better. However, at the end of the play Cymbeline shakes off her influence rapidly, believing the testimony of her ladies and Cornelius. He again makes honorable choices, forgiving and reuniting with Belarius and Posthumus, sparing the Roman prisoners, and choosing to pay the tribute he owes. He in turn is reunited with his lost family, giving him personal fulfilment and securing the realm. His character highlights a reciprocal bent to the idea of redemption and unity.

The Queen is an antagonist who corrupts Cymbeline into making poor choices. She is completely duplicitous, pretending to support Imogen when speaking to Imogen and Cymbeline, while plotting her death if she refuses to marry Cloten. She is cleverer than Cloten: She comes up with schemes to get hold of poison and argues eloquently against the paying of tribute using a number of rhetorical devices. She is convincing at putting on a front to Cymbeline, though no one else in court is fooled by her, including Imogen and Cornelius. 

Her deathbed confessions place her completely into the archetype of the flat villain by removing any humanity from her, as she admits she never loved Cymbeline and was only motivated by power. Her lack of a personal name also helps to dehumanize her character, ensuring she remains flat and unsympathetic. She is named after her title, reflecting that she is only interested in that title, and not personal relationships.

Cloten is an antagonist, and is an archetypal flat villain like his mother. His character is built around a litany of different sins: He is shown gambling, getting into fights, and sexually harassing Imogen; he displays wrath, pride, envy, sloth, greed, lust, and even covetousness, planning to rape Imogen to get revenge for her choosing Posthumus. However, unlike his mother, Cloten is presented as stupid and unsophisticated. He uses prose rather than courtly verse, and his name sounds like the word “clot,” suggesting crudeness and stupidity, as well as physical unattractiveness. It is implied that his appearance reflects his persona; in the theme of The Relationship Between Appearance and Reality, he is the narrative foil to Posthumus, whose noble looks reflect his spirit.

Pisanio is Posthumus’s servant, who has a narrative function of facilitating many events of the plot. He provides communication between Posthumus and Imogen, gets the Queen’s poison to Imogen unawares, and facilitates Imogen’s escape, disguise, and joining with Lucius. 

However, Pisanio is not a flat character: His internal life is explored through monologues, showing his responses to events and revealing his sympathetic and loyal character. His monologues and asides also explore his moral dilemmas: As a servant, his choices do not in theory bear the weight of a country, but Shakespeare shows that they are still of importance both to Pisanio himself and to the wider world, impacting Imogen and other important figures around him.

Lucius is a Roman general and ambassador to Britain. He represents the imperial cause and serves the empire loyally; he embodies Roman nobility. Even once he and Cymbeline have technically become enemies, they maintain their mutual respect and share codes of honor.

Guiderius and Arviragus are Cymbeline’s lost sons, stolen as babies. They are Imogen’s older brothers, and are the rightful heirs to the kingdom. For most of the play, they are unaware of their true identities, as they have been raised by Belarius with the names Polydore and Cadwal, living in a cave. They are central in the play’s consideration of nature versus nurture, as they are presented as inherently noble and brave. Belarius cannot suppress their natural instincts: They enact stories he tells them of martial valor, and despite his dissuasion, they are resolved to fight for Briton and prove themselves. They naturally bond with Imogen immediately, instinctively treating her as a sibling despite their ignorance of the real blood tie between them.

Their fierceness and bravery also translate into a headstrong stubbornness, as in their vehement defiance of the man they believe is their father, and in Guiderius’s response to Cloten. Guiderius meets Cloten’s belligerence with his own, determined to teach him a lesson through combat despite his status at court, which contrasts with the reports of Posthumus who chose to simply hold him off. Guiderius’s actions are painted as reckless for an ordinary person, but fitting for a prince: He faces execution until his true identity is revealed. Their restoration as Cymbeline’s heirs is framed as natural and divinely ordained, befitting their character.

Belarius is a brave British warrior. He was previously trusted and favored by Cymbeline, but claims that Cymbeline wronged him. Cymbeline listened to two people in court who said Belarius betrayed him to the Romans, and took their word over his despite their shared history. In revenge, Belarius took Cymbeline’s two baby sons when he fled from court and raised them in the mountains as his own children, living in a cave.

Belarius is a complex character. He has good qualities, raising Guiderius and Arviragus well and caring for their well-being. He also fights bravely. However he also has flaws, making the immoral choice to steal Cymbeline’s children, and doing everything to avoid detection. He and Cymbeline must both repent of their mistakes to secure their reconciliation at the end of the play.