WS ABC: Imogen in 'Cymbeline'

"...THE HEART IS SORELY CHARGED"... Shakespeare as usual got it right. I spent the 401st anniversary of his (possible) birthday and of his definite deathday by lying on the operating table in Shaarei Zedeq (Gates of Righteousness) hospital in Jerusalem having a fantastic medical team probe around inside my heart and inserting two stents to clear two blocked arteries. That is my excuse for not having continued writing (despite previous promises) about the Bard and this ongoing WS ABC. So now, with no further ado, the letter 'I' and Imogen from Cymbeline.

Imogen, "a lady so tender of rebukes that words are strokes and strokes death to her" is the heroine in Cymbeline, one of Shakespeare's last plays, written c.1609-10. She is the daughter of Cymbeine, the King of Britain during the time of the Roman invasion some two thousand years ago. She is the beautiful and noble wife of the exiled 'poor but worthy gentleman' Post-humus Leonatus.

  Leaving Imogen behind in Britain, Posthumus goes to see friends in Rome where he makes a bet with an Italian called Iachimo that she will remain faithful to him during his enforced absence. Hoping to make a quick buck, Iachimo sails off to Britain where he discovers that Imogen has indeed been faithful. 

Nevertheless, he hides in her bedchamber and when she is asleep, sips her bracelet off her arm. He also notices a mole under her left breast.

 Iachimo returns to Rome with the bracelet and showing it to  Posthumus he tells him that his wife has been unfaithful. The distraught Posthumus then sends a servant to Britain to kill his allegedly unfaithful wife. She learns of this plot and runs away to hide in the Welsh hills. However, all's well that ends well and this evil plot is discovered. Posthumus disarms Iachimo in a battle between the Britains and the Romans and the latter confesses his guilt to Posthumus. Posthumus, being a noble and generous fella, forgives him, especially as he has shown remorse for his dastardly deed and tells Iachimo to "live and deal better with others." In the end, they all live happily ever after: Cymbeline is reconciled with his daughter and accepts her marriage and his two lost sons.

Two more images of Imogen (top one by Gustav Schmaltz)

Incidentally, according to the Oxford Edition (1986) of WS plays, Imogen's name should really be 'Innogen. They say that 'Imogen' is a typo dating from the time when the original scripts were first set in type. The Oxford Edition mentions the fact that Innogen is mentioned in the early editions of Much Ado About Nothing when she is paired with another character called Leonatus.

In Who's Who and What's What in Shakespeare, Evangeline Maria O'Connor has this to say about Imogen. (Paraphrase) She has the romantic enthusiasm of Juliet; the truth and constancy of Helen; the dignified purity of Helen and the tender sweetness of Isobel. She also has the self-possession and intellectuality of Portia but is not so passive as Desdemona. In conclusion, Imogen "while she resembles each of these characters individually, she stands wholly distinct from [them] all."

Next time: Isabella from "Measure for Measure."

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