Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Imogen

Even though the play is named after her dad, Imogen steals the show. We immediately root for her when we learn she is in love and can't be with her new husband, and it's her we follow out into a cave in Wales and back.

Imogen is arguably more important than her lover, not only because she's sharper than he is, but also because she holds quite a few of the cards. Once Posthumus has lost the bet, he shrinks away, but Imogen fights back: she dresses as a dude and finds her way to the Roman general's army. And it's Imogen who notices the ring on Iachimo's finger and gets him to dish.

Imogen has a handle on the action, the way protagonists should, but she's also the character we get to know most deeply. We see several different sides of her—we hear her sharp and shrewd observations, but we also see her vulnerability when she is slandered as a cheater. All of this points to the fact that she's our girl.