How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #1
This king unto him took a peer,
Who died and left a female heir,
[...]
With whom the father liking took,
And her to incest did provoke:
Bad child; worse father, to entice his own
To evil should be done by none[...]
(Act 1, Prologue, 21-28)
Right away we know that this play is going to be about the following family issues: 1) marriage (Antiochus was married but his wife died); 2) children being abandoned or left by their parents (Antiochus's daughter has been left without a mother); 3) bad parents who hurt their kids (Antiochus has seduced his own daughter and has been sleeping with her).
Quote #2
ANTIOCHUS
Young prince of Tyre, you have at large received
The danger of the task you undertake.PERICLES
I have, Antiochus, and, with a soul
Embolden'd with the glory of her praise,
Think death no hazard in this enterprise. (1.1.1-5)
In a lot ways, Pericles is a typical hero on a quest—along with a bunch of other young adventure-seekers, he travels to Antioch for the chance to win a beautiful princess. At the same time, we realize just how important creating a family is to Pericles. When we first meet our hero, he's not just on a quest for adventure. He's looking for a wife, and he's willing to risk his life solving a riddle in order to make that happen. (It's just too bad he has no idea what he's in for.)
Quote #3
ANTIOCHUS
PERICLES
That would be son to great Antiochus. (1.1.26-27)
It seems like Pericles is just as interested in gaining a father-in-law as he is in gaining a wife, don't you think? This makes us wonder about Pericles's own parents. Where are they? Are they alive? We don't learn until later in the play that Pericles's father is dead and that his dad "loved [him] dearly" (2.1.138).