Pericles, Prince of Tyre Monologues & Audition Scenes

Characters: Pericles

Pericles reads a riddle presented by King Antiochus, realizing it describes an incestuous relationship between the King and his daughter. He reflects on the danger of this knowledge and his immediate loss of affection for the princess.

Characters: SIMONIDES, PERICLES

King Simonides tests Pericles' character and courage by feigning anger and accusing him of being a traitor after discovering his daughter's love for the knight.

Characters: Pericles, Marina

Pericles, consumed by grief and silence, is visited by Marina, the daughter he believes is dead. As they speak, he begins to recognize her resemblance to his lost wife and questions her noble origins.

Characters: PERICLES, ANTIOCHUS

Pericles arrives at the court of Antiochus to claim the hand of the King's daughter. Antiochus warns him of the deadly stakes involved in the riddle he must solve, pointing to the remains of previous suitors who failed.

Characters: Simonides, Thaisa

King Simonides and his daughter Thaisa observe a procession of knights competing in a tournament. Thaisa describes the heraldic devices and Latin mottos on each knight's shield, culminating in the arrival of the humble, shipwrecked Pericles.

Characters: MARINA, LEONINE

Marina is led to a deserted shore by Leonine, who has been hired by the jealous Queen Dionyza to murder her. Marina attempts to plead for her life by appealing to Leonine's humanity and recounting the story of her birth at sea.

Characters: Pericles

Pericles explains to Helicanus his reasons for fleeing Antioch. He reveals the dark secret of King Antiochus's incestuous relationship with his daughter and expresses his fear that the tyrant will wage war on Tyre to keep the secret hidden.

Characters: Pericles, Helicanus

Pericles confides in his loyal advisor Helicanus about the dangerous secret he discovered in Antioch regarding King Antiochus. He expresses his fear that the tyrant will invade Tyre to silence him, putting his entire kingdom at risk.

Characters: Boult, Gower

Boult agrees to help Marina escape her life in the brothel by speaking to his masters. The Chorus (Gower) then narrates Marina's subsequent success as a teacher and artist, while transitioning the story back to her father, Pericles, who is arriving at the same coast.

Characters: Thaisa

Thaisa (acting as Gower/Narrator) provides a bridge in the narrative, explaining Marina's upbringing in Tarsus and the growing, murderous envy of Dionyza as Marina outshines Dionyza's own daughter.

Characters: LYSIMACHUS, MARINA

Lysimachus, the governor, visits a brothel intending to use the services of Marina, but is moved by her eloquent defense of her virtue and her plea for a life of honor. He ultimately repents his intentions and offers her gold to help her maintain her purity.

Characters: Bawd, Boult, Marina

In a Mytilene brothel, the Bawd and her servant Boult discuss the marketing of their new captive, Marina, to the local townsfolk. The scene highlights the cynical commercialization of sex and the Bawd's manipulative advice to Marina on how to attract customers.