#imogen cymbeline

[pumpkinz-art]

have i shared this yet

[illustratus]

Imogen in Cymbeline - (The Tragedy of Cymbeline, King of Britain) by Henry Courtney Selous

[artemlegere]

Imogen Found in the Cave of Belarius

Artist: George Dawe (English, 1781-1829)

Date: Exhibited in 1809

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: TATE Britain

Description

George Dawe depicts a scene from Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline. Imogen – the heroine and daughter of Cymbeline, the ancient king of Britain – escapes court and disguises herself as a young man. Here, Dawe shows the moment when the character Belarius (left) and Imogen’s two long-lost brothers (right) discover her in a cave. They believe she is dead, but she has actually just drunk a sleeping potion. Dawe mainly painted portraits, but here ventures into ‘history painting’ (images of biblical, mythological, literary or historical subjects). This was regarded as the highest genre of painting at the time and indicates Dawe’s ambitions as an artist. With its high-minded literary theme and dramatic lighting, this painting was meant to stand out when it was first exhibited at the British Institution in 1809.

[britneyshakespeare]

Shakespeare at the end of one of his romances: And the lost princess... is returned Me, every single time: [gasps] Oh my God the lost princess is returned

[withasideofshakespeare]

Follow up:

[caedmonofwhitby]

Imogen Found in the Cave of Belarius, 1809

George Dawe (1781–1829)

Oil on canvas

Tate

[mysterious-secret-garden]

N.M. Price - Imogen sleeping (from Shakespeare's 'Cymbeline').

[creatediana]

I ponder what she'd want from me— I know one part is wit, which I possess, debatably; I stole her store of it. But what else of my character? To be an Imogen the men would have me—artless, pure, beneath a father's pen. I don't think I'd be so unwise to be cast in her play, to move before that woman's eyes as I do anyway— But they are drooped. She is long-dead and so are many more. I pluck hairs from her resting bed and other corpses for my wicked, hoary majesties, my poems, mortal, light— look all around these lines. The breeze breathes dust through storied sight. Look for romantic ingenues, and you may painted find their flesh embalmed, with added hues that never crossed a mind. My eyes come not from Cymbeline— the eagle plucked them out. I found some pearls, incarnadine dyed in my husband's doubt. I ponder—do I do enough for women with my arts? Stroll through their graves, unpack their stuff, dissect their carrion hearts, decayed and crumbling in my palms— do I do right by them? Past undegrading them with balms, I paste on pomp and gem.

—"Do It for Her (Self-Aggrandizing Self-Portrait as Imogen)" - a poem written 2/16/2024

[loonfromq]

i love all these new shakespeare productions that just make everything gay. coolest thing ever

[shipcestuous-two]

has Cymbeline (the Shakespeare play) come up before? Princess Imogen secretly marries her love Posthumus Leonatus, an orphan who was adopted and raised within the king's family. meanwhile, her stepmother plots to marry her to the mom's shitty son from a prev relationship, Cloten (I's stepbrother). lots of stuff happens, including Cloten trying to kill Posthumus so he can abduct/marry Imogen (he dies--good). ask 1/2 bc there's more deets

Cymbeline 2/2: Cloten was killed by one of 2 friends Imogen made along the way, Guiderius and Arviragus. Well, it turns out they're long-lost sons of the king, making them Imogen's biological brothers! This is great for Imogen, bc since she isn't the only bio successor to her dad, she's free to be with her true love (and adoptive brother) Posthumus. And her cruel stepmother is outed for being, well, cruel. all's well that ends well? (3/3 bc i'm an idiot) I neglected to mention that there's an undertone with Guiderius and Arviragus's relationship with their sister when they meet her, not knowing they're siblings. Imogen is disguised as a boy named Fidele (bc this is Shakespeare and we can't have Shakespeare without gender fuckery and queer undertones) and her brothers are so intrigued by "him" in a way that's easily read as homoerotic. I lowkey ship them and Posthumus in a weird messy polycule, even if it doesn't make sense

I'm not familiar with Cymbeline. It's really keeping it in the family, isn't?

Thanks for the deets, Anon!

[the-noisiest-pumpkin]

cmon tumblr please tell me at least ONE of you has also had posthumus/iachimo thoughts

[posthumus]

one sand another / not more resembles that sweet rosy lad / who died, and was fidele.

imogen sketches!!! she has bewitched me body and soul.....

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

part one:

-once again rsc ALWAYS pops off with the music

-also i want that white tutu thing

-the exposition characters!

-also i guess there’s some gender swapping going on!

-tragic backstory: unlocked

-imogen (i think) is so pretty omg

-BABYNAPPING

-foreshadowing is a literary device wherein—

-“you’re my prisoner” and that’s supposed to make her feel better?

-awwwwwwwwww

-yeah i don’t trust you man

-cockblocked by mom

-“moooooooooom STOOOOOOOOP”

-ma’am you want her to marry her STEPBROTHER???

-pisanio cool

-second lord is just here to shit talk and i respect him

-i love imogen and pisanio

-party time!!!

-omg this line dance

-multilingual shakespeare!

-philario is just here

-i need the director’s cut that’s just “posthumus does shenanigans across western europe” before this scene

-iachimo you little shit

-this just turned into così fan tutte

-ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME POSTHUMUS

-FUCKIN CALLED IT I KNEW HE WAS SKETCHY

-round of applause for this random servant saving the day! (also love the freeze frame)

-imogen deserves better

-we love a good duologue

-this is like scarpia and tosca in that one scene in act 1 of tosca

-TELL! HIM! OFF!

-IACHIMO LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE

-somehow he managed to “save” it

-ooh just noticed the graffiti

-second lord continues to talk shit. iconic minor character

-cloten is just. there and stupid and angry

-SECOND LORD MONOLOGUE FUCK YEAH

-she’s a bookworm!

-and she dog ears her books, which…not my thing unless in a pinch but i respect it

-BITCH WHAT

-YOU’RE FUCKING CHEATING

-shut UP about tarquin shut UP about tarquin

-THIS IS SO FUCKING CREEPY WHAT THE FUCK

-“hold on i gotta take NOTES”

-not the bracelet 😭

-iachimo you are SO GROSSSSSSSSS

-GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER

-✨symbolic reading✨

-this suddenly turned into mackers

-is cloten basically gaston

-oh my LORD

-this is SO FUNNY I’M DYING

-you are HOPELESS

-IMOGEN PULLED THE COVERS OVER HER HEAD TO BLOCK THEM OUT LMAOOOOOOOO

-okay but cloten genuinely is a good singer

-doesn’t make him any less of an asshole but

-AND SHE PUT THE PILLOW OVER HER HEAD TOO

-the “getting the stepsiblings to hook up” thing is still…what

-once again: imogen is telling ALL THE DUDES OFF AND I FUCKIN LOVE HER FOR IT

-so about that imogen

-oh great douchecanoe is back

-shut the FUCK up you did NOT proceed by imogen’s will

-iachimo channel your energy into being an interior designer challenge

-posthumus WHY are you trusting this man

-thank you philario

-and we oop

-PLEASE KILL HIM

-“i now believe that all women suck”

-posthumus you fucking tenor (derogatory)

-LATIN SHAKESPEARE!!!

-“britain’s a world unto itself”—everyone who voted for brexit (joke)

-“Why tribute? Why should we pay tribute? If Caesar can hide the sun from us with a blanket or put the moon in his pocket, we will pay him tribute for light; else, sir, no more tribute, pray you now.” does…cloten actually have good political opinions/commentary?

-oh this map is really cool

-this is so not even cymbeline’s play

-YEAH PISANIO

-you’re gonna make this adorable butch cinnamon roll murder her bestie? 🥺

-SHE’S SO PRECIOUS

-new characters have entered the chat

-they’re like little trolls <3

-foreshadowing is a literary device wherein— (because the foreshadowing is now happening)

-dude you did babynapping even if you ARE a seemingly fun dad

-backpackers!

-oh NOOOOOOOOOOO

-poor both of them

-IMOGEN 😭

-ah yes, faking one’s death, the most common of convoluted shakespearean solutions

-AND DRESSING UP AS A MAN!!!!!!!! ANOTHER CLASSIC OF CONVOLUTED SHAKESPEAREAN SOLUTIONS

-THE POTION FROM ACT ONE

-bye bye besties

and that’s intermission! i’m having a lot of fun so far—rest later :)

alright nerds let’s watch cymbeline

[britneyshakespeare]

i know on a lot of levels cymbeline is not shakespeare's best play but i literally cannot get over it. cannot get over the magic of the plot and the characters. cannot get over imogen, the most central character of the play by far. the true heroine. there is no obvious second most significant character in the play to me. there's posthumus and iachamo and cloten and her brothers who are by far more significant than the titular king even is. it's about imogen baby it's always about imogen

[high-qualitymoron]

i’m posting my what immy did theory. i’ve been calling it posthumus theory. i originally planned to have a full post with sources and such but it’s finale day and i never made that post so. eeeeeh

in the play that the name imogen originated from, Cymbeline, imogen has a bracelet given to her by her secret lover, posthumus. it gets stolen and it has symbolism and such, but the main thing is that she got it from someone else

In Deep space discounts, the bracelets are sorta a symbol of their imprisonment. It keeps track of how long they have left and such. so the idea of getting this bracelet from someone else makes me this she’s been framed for something? or purposefully taking the blame after someone they love did something wrong. idk that’s just my thoughts

[whileiamdying]

Judi Dench gets chatty and cheeky about Shakespeare

Part intimate memoir, part insightful commentary, Dench’s book, written with Brendan O’Hea, shows how the Dame and the Bard make a winning combination

April 11, 2024

Review by Malcolm Forbes

At one stage in her long and glittering career, Judi Dench might have agreed with half of the old show business dictum to never work with children or animals. In 1987, she was playing the title heroine in a production of Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” at the National Theatre in London. Three harmless snakes were playing the deadly asps; one of them escaped. After receiving the fatal venomous bite and departing “this vile world,” Dench’s Egyptian queen was carried off the stage to what sounded to her like hissing from the audience. When Dench came back on to take her bow, she saw the missing serpent slithering out the side of her wig. “Old snakey, he wanted to be there for the curtain call,” she recalls. Not that she reacted so lightly at the time: “I lost my voice for two days, I was so traumatized.”

Judi Dench as Ophelia at a dress rehearsal of "Hamlet" at the Old Vic Theatre in 1957. The role was her London debut. (Bob Haswell/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

This is only one of many colorful anecdotes to be found in a new book in which the much-loved and critically lauded actress celebrates Shakespeare’s art and comments on her craft. It is a craft Dench has honed to perfection over a career spanning seven decades, from the role of Ophelia in “Hamlet” in 1957 as an ingenue fresh out of drama school to Paulina in “The Winter’s Tale” in 2015 while an 81-year-old national treasure. “Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent” takes the form of in-depth interviews that Dench gave over four years. Part intimate memoir, part insightful commentary, the book shows how the Dame and the Bard make a winning combination.

Each chapter revolves around an individual play and Dench’s role or roles in it. Her interlocutor, the actor and director Brendan O’Hea, steers her through the drama and feeds her questions or prompts relating to a variety of aspects, from plot strands to line delivery to character development. Dench shares her expertise and her experience, and along the way sprinkles in witty recollections from productions.

In the opening section on “Macbeth,” she reveals that the Scottish play was the reason she went into theater in the first place. For her, it has everything: “Beautifully constructed, terrific story, great part, good memories — I remember so much of it. Short, no interval, pub (Dirty Duck): heaven.” She views “Macbeth” as a thriller and in other chapters argues that “The Merry Wives of Windsor” resembles a pantomime and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” a comic sex romp (“Titania and Oberon are so randy”). In the latter, she enjoyed playing First Fairy, a character with an attitude and an agenda: “She can’t hang around chatting, justifying her movements to some sprite she doesn’t know — she has a job to do.”

When playing Mistress Quickly in “Henry V,” Dench imagined her as “flinty, as if she’s been hewn out of rock,” while as lonely soul Imogen in “Cymbeline” she “often felt like Sisyphus pushing an enormous boulder up a hill.” Dench had a better time of it as Hamlet’s mother, “Dirty Gerty,” and particularly relished being bedecked in extravagant costumes and jewelry. As Dench remarks, “I think Gertrude is quite a bling person.”

Discussions of some plays and parts provide springboards to fascinating tangential topics. While dissecting “Coriolanus,” Dench muses on why certain plays are more popular than others. An examination of “The Merchant of Venice” — for Dench “a horrible play” — leads to the issue of censorship. And during reflections on “King Lear,” Dench veers off to speak out against updating Shakespeare to render his work more accessible: Simplifying him, she argues, “traduces the language, reduces our imagination.”

Judi Dench, center, takes a bow with cast members of "The Winter's Tale," in a production by the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company in London in 2015. (David M. Benett/Getty Images)

At regular junctures, Dench imparts nuggets of wisdom. We learn about lighthouse acting and pickup lines. We get a how-to guide in miniature — how to play comedy and tragedy, how to give a soliloquy and speak iambic pentameter. Dench believes that less is more in her profession: “Acting is learning how to edit,” she explains. “Finding the minimum we have to do to create the maximum effect.” She has little time for actors who take the role home with them (“You take the character off with the costume”) or who, in pre-performance read-throughs, “sit around and intellectualize it all.” On several occasions, she employs a character to illustrate her point: Fight scenes have to be choreographed, she says, “otherwise you’re going to get through a lot of Desdemonas.”

The book is interspersed with short sections on theater-related subjects, with titles as varied as “Critics,” “Audience,” “Rehearsal,” “Stratford-upon-Avon” (“where my heart is,” Dench confesses) and the inviting “Fireside Ramblings.” Here and elsewhere, Dench recounts tales of acting alongside the likes of Ian McKellen, Kenneth Branagh, Daniel Day-Lewis, Anthony Hopkins and her late husband, Michael Williams. Her most compelling stories relate to antics backstage (“a subterranean world which the audience never get to see — and maybe for the better”) and hiccups onstage — careless accidents, dubious props and mangled lines. Once, in “Romeo and Juliet,” she sneezed while lying on her lover’s tomb; another time, she spoke the line “Where is my father and my mother, nurse?” — and heard her father call out, “Here we are, darling, in row H.”

Dench likes when things backfire — “There’s magic to be mined in mistakes” — and many of her stories and responses are imbued with impish glee. She comes across as chatty and cheeky but also perceptive and analytical. In addition, she is impressively no-nonsense, quick to chide O’Hea for overthinking matters, and refreshingly self-deprecating, describing her Cleopatra as not so much a stately sovereign as a “menopausal munchkin.”

This book could have been a cross between a starchy academic study and a meandering trawl through Dench’s past glories. Instead, it is a delight, at once lively, captivating and informative. At 89, Dench’s eyesight is deteriorating, but she refuses to let age completely wither her. Throughout these pages, her memory remains prodigious, her passion for Shakespeare undimmed, and she still has the capacity to entertain.

Malcolm Forbes is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Economist, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and the New Republic.

Shakespeare

The Man Who Pays the Rent By Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea St. Martin’s. 400 pp. $32