How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #4
Peace, peace, and give experience tongue.
They do abuse the king that flatter him[...] (1.2.36-37)
This is where Helicanus gets mad at the lords at court who do nothing but flatter Pericles and tell the monarch what he wants to hear. The court seems like a place where it's particularly difficult to distinguish appearance from reality.
Quote #5
Rise, prithee rise. Sit down. Thou art no flatterer:
I thank thee for it; and heaven forbid
That kings should let their ears hear their faults hid! (1.2.60-62)
Pericles is grateful that Helicanus always tells him the truth—even if it's unflattering. This passage reminds us that the lords at court can be just as deceptive and manipulative as tyrant rulers like Antiochus. Pericles recognizes this truth and is grateful to have Helicanus as a trusted advisor.
Quote #6
He had need mean better than his outward show
Can any way speak in his just commend;
For by his rusty outside he appears
To have practised more the whipstock than the lance. (2.2.48-51)
When our boy Pericles shows up at the jousting tournament wearing some janky armor that's all rusty, the knights just assume that he's got no game, since he looks more like a cart driver who uses a "whipstock" than a knight who uses a "lance."