Literary Devices in Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
It's too bad they didn't have
frequent-flyer (or maybe frequent-sailor) memberships back in ancient times,
because Pericles would have racked up some serious mileage. In this play, Pericles
sai...
Genre
This is a pretty big deal, ladies and gents. Pericles is
Shakespeare's first crack at the genre of "romance." No, not
the hot and heavy, handcuffs and roses, 50
Shades of Grey-style of romance th...
Tone
We know what you're probably
thinking. How can a play that features an incestuous father, a murderous king,
a treacherous foster mother, devastating famine, and terrible storms that rip
familie...
Writing Style
We've said it before and we'll say
it again, folks. Shakespeare's plays tend to be written mostly in iambic pentameter. You
know the drill: that's five feet of two syllables with the accent on...
What's Up With the Title?
So, there's this dude named
Pericles, and we follow his adventures throughout the play. Also, he's the
ruler of Tyre, which is a pretty big deal. Technically, Pericles is a king, but
characters in...
What's Up With the Ending?
What's up with the ending? Check
out what Pericles has to say:
We'll celebrate their nuptials, and ourselves
Will in that kingdom spend our following days:
Our son and daughter shall in Tyrus re...
Tough-o-Meter
If you're willing to suspend your
disbelief, this play is a piece of cake to read (compared to some other
Shakespeare), and it's a ton of fun to watch on stage. If you're not willing to
suspend y...
Plot Analysis
The exposition is the part where
Shakespeare gives us the 411 on the story. Pericles is a young monarch who
doesn't want to rule Tyre alone—he wants a wife and a family (and maybe a
little ad...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
"The Call" is Pericles's
desire to snag a princess and get hitched so he can start a family back in his
kingdom of Tyre. When we meet him, Pericles has already arrived in Antioch to
take a cr...
Three-Act Plot Analysis
Pericles runs for his life from another king who wants to mount his head on a wall.
Pericles gets hitched and has a baby... and then promptly loses his entire family.
After a long, wand...
Trivia
T.S. Eliot's poem "Marina" is inspired by Pericles (source).Shakespeare's daughter Susanna gave birth to a baby girl
around February 1608, right around the time Pericles was written. Some scholars...
Steaminess Rating
The play opens with Gower telling
us about an incestuous affair between King Antiochus and his daughter.
Fortunately, he doesn't give us explicit details. Later in the play, Marina is
kidnapped...
Allusions
Major Literary
Sources
The Tale of Apollonious of Tyre (c. 5th century)John Gower's Confessio Amantis (1393)Lawrence Twine's The Pattern of Painful Adventures (c.1594)
1607 Corn Riots of th...