Inside Shakespeare’s mind:

Imogen, the soul of beauty and honour

The contrasting effects of his plays which colour the whole series, dotted with all seasons, revealing out the various temperaments such as thunderstorms and splendour spontaneously blending not only the intermittent flashes but a mixed degree in identity. Shakespeare was careful never to repeat character-identification or the evolution of time factor.

He has the capacity to select such characters that make few appearances and speak only as much as ten to twenty lines but make them unforgettable.

Shakespeare wrote his plays to be acted. We all know that no dramatist in the history of this world have been performed more often and continue to did so, and in more languages. All his plays differed from each other and categorised as being historical, tragical and of course comedies. They were dotted with characters of his time and from the pages of history and in the process, certain ones like Romeo, Juliet, Cleopatra, Ophelia, Hamlet etc. were immortalised and held in great spirit to date, and the lesser known ones too cling on, such as Imogen from Cymbeline.

Imogen, the beautiful innocent wife to Postumus from Cymbelene.

Imogene is the beautiful daughter of the King of Britain, Cymbeline with no mention about her mother in the play. Her stepmother is keen that she weds her son by a previous marriage much to the displeasure of the king. When she secretly marries Posthumus Leonatus against her father's wishes, the king banishes him. Before leaving, Posthumus gives a bracelet to Imogen. While in Rome Iachimo boasts to the angry Postumus that Imogen is unfaithful and corruptible. Back in Britain, Iachimo arranges to be secretly smuggled into Imogen's chamber, in a trunk to steal the bracelet which he does.

Imogen – (with her lady-in-attendance) I pr'ythee, call me. Sleep hath seized me wholly. To your protection, I commend me, gods. From fairies and the tempters of the night. Guard me, beseech ye. (sleeps and Iachimo enters).

Iachimo – O sleep thou ape of death, lie dull upon her and be her sense but as a monument. Thus is a chapel lying. Come off, come off (takes off the bracelet) As slippery as the Gordian knot was hard.

This mine and this will witness outwardly.....

Act.11, Sce.1

Thus Iachimo persuades Postumus to take revenge upon Imogen. He moves swiftly by writing to her with request to meet him at Molford Haven. He orders his servant, Pisano to kell her on her journey. In the meantime, Rome demands from Britain tributes the king refuses.

Pisanio who is very faithful and loving to the innocent Imogen, persuades her to disguise herself as a boy and join the Roman General. She agrees but losing herself in Wales, she is sheltered under the name of Fidel by long-banished lord, Bealrius who calls himself Morgan, Along with two boys who are really the sons to the king and brothers to Imogen, stolen in infancy and reared in the mountain caves. She falls sick and takes a sleeping drug that gives her the appearance of death. Cloten, her rejected suitor, in the attire of Posthumus, follows her with evil intent but one of the boys, apprehend and kills him. The two boys and Belarius enter bearing the body of Cloten, headless.

Guidearius – We have done our obsequies. Come lay him down.

Belarius – Here's a few flowers; but ‘bout midnight more the herbs that have on them cold dew o’ the night.... (they exit and Imogen wakes up)

Imogen – Yes Sir, to Milford Haven which is the way?.....

(Finds Cloten body; mistakes it for Postumus) Give colour to my pale cheeks with the blood; that we the horrider may seem to those which chances to find us. O’, my lord, my lord. (falls on the body and weep)

Act. IV. Sce.1

In desperation, Imogen and grieved, Imogen joins the Roman general whose forces are ready to attack Cymbelene. The courage, determination in the two boys and their ‘father’ Belarius help Britain and Rome are united. There is happiness all over in each one's heart except the dead queen. The over-joyed Cymbeline magnanimously submits to Rome and even pardon Iachimo who has fought with the Romans. Imogen and Postusmus are united.

In performance

A much sought after role by young actresses both for film and the theatre. It needs varying moods under trying conditions. This plot coils around The Decameron, Holsinshed and Show White. The Bard has derived all the essences of youth and innocence to create Imogen. The play flowering into the loveliest of Shakespeare's late verse has, however, suffered from the convolution of a narrative, Imogen is the princess who is the nonpareil of Shakespeare's women. Cloten is too blown up for the theatre. This was a romance that suited the audience of the day in the candle-lit Blarckfriars Theatre which Shakespeare's company known as the King's Men used from 1608.

The inevitable also happened during this era. A supplanting play during the Restoration called the Injured Princess revived as late as 1738, was written by Thomas D Urfey used some of Shakespeare's text. Covent Garden and Drury Lane had their versions in 1761. John Philip Kemble played Postumus with his older sister Sarah Siddons as the celebrated Imogen. Thereafter, there was no stop for the play being mounted with celebrities doing justice to the characters and the Royal Shakespeare Company staging it once too often with a spectacular version in 1988 with Lawrence Olivier as Posthumus.