Character Clues

Character Analysis

Names

Every so often, Shakespeare throws some carefully chosen names at us in order to reveal something important about his characters. Marina, for instance, was born at sea during a terrible storm that separated her from her mother, so the ocean—with its associations of danger and bad luck—is a huge part of her identity.

Sometimes characters' names are more simplistic and straightforward. "Bawd," for example, is another word for a sex trafficker, which is Bawd's profession. Same goes for Bawd's husband, "Pander," which literally means "pimp." Their scumbag business associate, Boult (a.k.a. the dude who threatens to rape Marina) has a fitting name, too. "Boult" sounds a lot like "bolt," which is a kind of projectile that is super phallic.

What about Pericles? In the two major literary sources for this play, the hero's name is Apollonious or Apollonius, but Shakespeare changed the name. Why? He may have wanted his audiences to think of the ancient Greek leader Pericles, who had a literary reputation for being virtuous and patient.

Actions

Like we've said before, the characters in this play aren't all that complicated. With a few exceptions (like Lysimachus), they're either good or they're bad, and their actions usually tell us which category they fall into.

King Antiochus? We know he's a bad guy because he's schtupping his own daughter, doesn't want her to marry, and sets up a bogus contest (the deadly riddle) that gives him an excuse to kill a bunch of her suitors.

King Simonides, on the other hand, is a good guy. How do we know? Because he's not having sex with his daughter, and he wants her to get married and live happily ever after. That's why he sets up a legit contest—a big jousting tournament—so his daughter can take her own pick from all the eligible young bachelors. Yep. That makes Simonides a foil to Antiochus, all right.

Shakespeare creates a boatload of foils in this play. Take the fishermen and the pirates, for example. When the fishermen come across Pericles in his totally vulnerable state, they hook him up with food and clothing and even help him get to King Simonides' court. The pirates? Well, they also make their living on the ocean, but they're all about exploitation. When Marina is vulnerable, they kidnap her and sell her to a brothel.

Yeah, not quite the same thing.