Cymbeline -- William Shakespeare

<b>The authoritative edition of <i>Cymbeline</i> from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers.</b> <p/><i>Cymbeline</i> tells the story of a British king, Cymbeline, and his three children, presented as though they are in a fairy tale. The secret marriage of Cymbeline's daughter, Imogen, triggers much of the action, which includes villainous slander, homicidal jealousy, cross-gender disguise, a deathlike trance, and the appearance of Jupiter in a vision. <p/>Kidnapped in infancy, Cymbeline's two sons are raised in a Welsh cave. As young men, they rescue a starving stranger (Imogen in disguise); kill Cymbeline's stepson; and fight with almost superhuman valor against the Roman army. The king, meanwhile, takes on a Roman invasion rather than pay a tribute. He too is a familiar figure--a father who loses his children and miraculously finds them years later; a king who defeats an army and grants pardon to all. <p/><i>Cymbeline</i> displays unusually powerful emotions with a tremendous charge. Like some of Shakespeare's other late work--especially <i>The Winter's Tale</i> and <i>The Tempest</i>--it is an improbable story lifted into a nearly mythic realm. <p/>This edition includes: <br> -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play<br> -Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play<br> -Scene-by-scene plot summaries<br> -A key to the play's famous l