Pericles, Prince of Tyre Fate and Free Will Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)

Quote #1

You gods that made me man, and sway in love,
That have inflam'd desire in my breast
To taste the fruit of yon celestial tree,
Or die in the adventure, be my helps,
As I am son and servant to your will [...] (1.1.19-23)

Right off the bat, it becomes clear that Pericles doesn't see himself as a man who is in control of his own fate. According to our hero, his life is determined by the gods' "will." As an example, he insists that the gods are the ones who have "inflam'd" his desire for the princess and that they will decide whether or not he'll win her for a wife.

Quote #2

But see what heaven can do by this our change [...] (1.4.33)

Pericles and his family aren't the only ones who suffer at the hands of the gods in this play. Tharsus was once a thriving city... until "heaven" sent a famine that has brought the place and all the people in it to their knees.

Quote #3

Till Fortune, tired with doing bad,
Threw him ashore, to give him glad [...] (2.Prologue.37-38)

When Gower describes how Pericles is the sole survivor of a shipwreck, he personifies Fortune in a way that makes it sound like the fickle goddess has totally got it out for mankind—as if the only reason Pericles survived the shipwreck is because Fortune got bored torturing the guy and just decided to toss him ashore.