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Hello and welcome to Theatre Simpson’s High School
Theatre Festival! We as a company are excited for you to
see our production of William Shakespeare’s Pericles. As
the dramaturg for the production, I have spent time
researching locations and historical context for actors and
designers to make this a well-informed production. This
packet I have put together for you will give information
on some of the major components of the show that I
have explored. I hope you enjoy the packet as well as the
production.
Thank you!
Gillian Randall
Dramaturg
Pericles synopsis
Pericles: Prince of Tyre is the story of young Prince
Pericles who is searching for a family to belong to. His
story begins as a quest for love as he travels to Antioch
to win the hand of a young princess by answering a
riddle. Things do not go according to plan for Pericles,
and he leaves hastily by ship. His ship is then wrecked
onto the shore of Pentapolis where he hears of
another young princess who is eligible for marriage.
Pericles falls in love with the princess Thaisa, whom he
wins the love of and marries. Pericles and Thaisa, who
is now pregnant, head back to Tyre where Pericles is
needed to lead. On the ship, Thaisa appears to die
during childbirth. Because of the superstitions of the
sailors, Pericles has to throw Thaisa’s body overboard.
To save his newborn child, Pericles switches course
and goes to Tarsus, where his good friends King Cleon and Queen Dionyza live. He leaves
Marina there and goes back to Tyre.
Meanwhile, in Ephesus, the body of Thaisa washes ashore. She is found by a powerful
physician, Cerimon, who revives her. Thaisa stays in Ephesus and devotes herself to the
goddess Diana.
Moving forward in time, Marina is now a young woman in Tarsus. Marina’s beauty eclipses the
beauty of Queen Dionyza’s own daughter, therefore Dionyza plots her murder. Dionyza’s hired
assassin attempts to murder Marina, but he is thwarted by pirates who take Marina and leave
with her by ship. The pirates sell Marina into a brothel in Myteline. Dionyza believes her to be
dead and constructs a statue as her memorial. Pericles returns to Tarsus only to find that his
daughter has died. He vows to mourn her death forever. He sets sail again and docks at the
shore of Myteline.
In Myteline, Marina preserves herself at the brothel. She charms Lysimachus, the governor of
Myteline, and he pays for her freedom. After his encounter with Marina, Lysimachus visits
Pericles’ ship. In an attempt to cheer him, he sends for Marina to play music. Pericles and
Marina exchange stories of how they came to be and Pericles realizes that she is his daughter.
In a vision, the Goddess Diana appears to Pericles and tells him to sail to Ephesus. He does as
Diana says and is reunited with his wife. Pericles’ reunion with his family shows how fluid and
complete life can be.
Where in the world is Pericles?
Pericles is the story of Prince Pericles of Tyre searching the Mediterranean for love and family.
Here is a breakdown of where the play takes place and what the location is today.
Tyre: This is the area Pericles reigns over. Tyre is in what we today call Lebanon. The city was a
large shipping dock and had trade relations with all of the Mediterranean. Tyre was also well
known for a purple dye that was found there. The dye was rich and popular, becoming the color
of royalty.
Antioch: This is the first stop in Pericles’s journey for family. Antioch sits in modern day Turkey.
The city has had a long history of earthquakes, fires, and being captured by multiple empires
including the Persians, Byzantines, and Ottoman Turks. It was once a part of Syria before being
returned to Turkey in 1939.
Pentapolis: This is where Pericles finds his true love, Thaisa. Pentapolis is a collection of 5 cities
in northern Africa. The cities are Apollonia, Cyrene, Ptolemais, Taucheira, and Berenice. The
cities all grew and were eventually conquered by Alexander the great. Cyrene was the most
powerful of the five, rivaling major Greek cities for their fruit, grain, and medicinal plants.
Tarsus: This is where Pericles leaves Marina to be raised. Tarsus is in Turkey. The city is famed
as the place where Cleopatra met Anthony. Tarsus was also well regarded for its schools and
libraries which were said to rival those of Athens and Alexandria.
Myteline: This is where Marina is taken after she is abducted from Tarsus. Myteline is located in
Greece and is now the capitol of the island of Lesbos.
Ephesus: This is where Thaisa is saved after she is tossed overboard. Ephesus today is located in
Turkey and is best known for having a large temple of Diana.
Pericles: The Real Deal
The Pericles Shakespeare wrote about was not an entirely fictional character. The hero of
Pericles: Prince of Tyre was based on a real Athenian leader named Pericles who was a famous
military leader and art enthusiast.
Pericles, born 495 BCE, was an influential figure during the Golden Age of Athens. He was born
and raised appreciating and funding the arts. His father Xanthippus was a strong general who
served in the Peloponnesian war, and his mother Agariste was from a culturally-enriched
family. Pericles was raised around philosophers and other patrons of the arts. When he was in
his teens, one of his friends was Sophocles, a famous playwright. He also funded and ran the
festival of Dionysus, the patron God of the Greek stage.
Pericles became leader of Athens in 461 BCE and ruled until his death in 429 BCE (a 32 year
reign). He was a predominant figure during the Golden Age of Athens, a time where arts and
culture flourished. Under his rein the Parthenon, Acropolis, and the Erechtheum were built.
However, not all was golden during Pericles’s time as leader of the Athenians. As Athens grew
in power under Pericles, Sparta began to feel threatened. War broke out, and Pericles led a
naval fleet against the Spartans which worked well when the war started. Soon afterwards
plague struck Athens, killing two of Pericles’s sons. A few months after, Pericles himself
succumbed to the illness and died.
What Kinda Play is this?
William Shakespeare was a wildly famous English
playwright and author who wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets,
and 2 epic narrative poems. When focusing on his plays, it
is easy to divide them into three separate categories.
Comedy: Usually having something to do with love. The
writing of the play has humor dispersed throughout the
entire play. Shakespeare liked to use the concept of
mistaken identity with his characters in his comedic writing
as well. A familiar example of this would be A Midsummer
Night’s Dream.
Tragedy: These plays show the downfall of a person. Basic
traits of a Shakespearian tragedy include a character with a
fundamental flaw. This flaw leads to a great breakdown in the
character’s life. The character is usually exploited by an
external force such as fate or outside manipulation. Some
examples of a tragedy are Hamlet and Othello.
Romance: Sometimes referred to as a “tragicomedy”, these
plays have elements from both tragic and comedic writing
styles. Commonly, the first half of the play is tragic and
dramatic. This is where the main character in our story faces
hardship and falls. The second half is commonly about
redemption. This half is lighter and has a happy ending. A few examples of these are Pericles:
Prince of Tyre and The Winter’s Tale. Shakespeare wrote most of his tragicomedies at the end of
his career, a time referred to as “the later years”.
Discussion Questions
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In how many locations does Pericles take place? What does this say about the theme of
the play?
During the play, many Roman Gods are mentioned. Who were some gods you
remember from the play and what are some characteristics of these gods?
Why does Helicana refuse to take the throne? What does this say about her as a
person?
What is the purpose of the character Gower? What did they do for the play? How were
they as a character useful?
Do you like Pericles as a character? What are some of his redeeming qualities? What are
some of his flaws?
Pericles is a tragicomedy. What are some comedic qualities of the show? What are some
tragic qualities?
What are some similarities between the fictional Pericles of Shakespeare’s show and the
real Athenian Pericles?
Bibliography
"A New Magazine on Ancient History." Antioch (Antakya). Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
"Antioch | Modern and Ancient City, South-central Turkey." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
"Ephesus | Ancient City, Turkey." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 7 Feb.
2015.
Jamieson, Lee. "Shakespeare Tragedies - 10 Plays With Common Features." Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
Jamieson, Lee. "How to Identify a Shakespeare Comedy." Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
"Pericles." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2015
"Pericles." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
"Tarsus." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
"The Greeks in Cyrenaica." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
"Tragicomedy - Definition and Examples of Tragicomedy." Literary Devices. 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 7 Feb.
"Tyre | Town and Historical Site, Lebanon." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Web. 7 Feb. 2015.