Hardly a scene goes by without someone reminding us of death: Imogen might as well launch into singing Pink Floyd's "Goodbye Cruel World." Posthumus orders Pisanio to kill her for her (fake) infidelity. Cloten promises to kill Posthumus. The Queen tries to kill off Pisanio and Imogen and Cymbeline. Cloten gets his head lopped off. And Posthumus just wants to die.
But the play's fascination with death doesn't stop there. Imogen "dies" and comes back to life, but not before she gets a proper funeral from her brothers, who sing a song about death—probably the play's most famous passage.
Death is never far off in Cymbeline. Perhaps Shakespeare, nearing the end of his career, is thinking about his own death—and asking us to think about our own mortality, too.
Questions About Mortality
- Why does Imogen "die" at all? How might the play be different if she hadn't "died" in the cave?
- It seems like only the wicked characters die in Cymbeline. Is anyone left alive at the end of the play who you think should have died? Are some evil deeds just unforgiveable?
- What leads to Posthumus's fascination with death? Even his name refers to death (he was a "posthumous" baby because he was born after the death of his father). What does he think he will accomplish by dying?
Chew on This
Imogen has to die so that Posthumus will reconsider his actions toward her.
Iachimo is spared from death because he is repentant, whereas the Queen and Cloten are not.