Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Pericles, the prince of Tyre, chose to leave his kingdom to avoid terrible troubles that Antiochus, the evil king of Greece, wanted to bring upon his people and city.

Antiochus was angry because Pericles had found out about a terrible secret crime he had committed.

Uncovering the hidden sins of those in power is often dangerous. Pericles left his people under the care of his skilled and honest helper, Helicanus. He left Tyre by boat, hoping to return once the anger of Antiochus, who was very powerful, had cooled down.

The first place Pericles travelled to was Tarsus. He heard that the city of Tarsus was dealing with a serious lack of food, so he brought lots of supplies with him to help. When he got there, he found the city in great distress. 

His arrival with food was like a gift from heaven. Cleon, the governor of Tarsus, thanked him endlessly. But Pericles had only been there for a short time when he received letters from his loyal helper warning him that it wasn’t safe to stay in Tarsus. 

Antiochus knew where he was and was trying to have him killed. Upon receiving these letters, Pericles set sail once again, receiving the good wishes and prayers of the grateful people he had helped.

He hadn’t sailed long before a terrible storm hit his boat. Everyone on the boat died except for Pericles, who was thrown by the sea onto an unknown beach. 

He didn’t walk around long before he met some poor fishermen who offered him clothes and food. They told him that they lived in a country called Pentapolis, and their good king was Simonides. 

They also told him that Simonides had a beautiful young daughter and that the next day was her birthday. A big contest was going to be held at the king’s court, and many princes and knights were coming to compete for the love of Thaisa, the beautiful princess. 

As Pericles was listening to this and wishing he had his own armour to join the contest, another fisherman brought in a full set of armour that he had pulled out of the sea. It turned out to be Pericles’ own lost armour. 

Seeing this, Pericles said: ‘Thank you, Luck. After all the problems I’ve had, you give me something to fix myself. This armour was given to me by my dead father. I loved it so much because of him that I always kept it with me. The rough sea that took it from me has now calmed down and given it back. I’m thankful for this, and now that I have my father’s gift again, I don’t think my shipwreck was a bad thing.’

The next day, Pericles put on his father’s armour and went to King Simonides’ royal court. He did amazing things at the contest, beating all the brave knights and princes who wanted to win Thaisa’s love. 

When strong warriors won contests like these, the princess they were fighting for would usually show them a lot of respect. Thaisa followed this tradition. 

She let go of all the princes and knights who had lost to Pericles, and she showed him special kindness and respect. She gave him the crown of victory, making him the king of happiness for that day. 

From the moment Pericles first saw her, he fell deeply in love with this beautiful princess.

Good King Simonides liked Pericles a lot. Pericles was very brave, well-educated, and talented. 

Even though Simonides didn’t know that Pericles was a prince (because Pericles said he was just a normal man from Tyre to hide from Antiochus), Simonides was happy to have Pericles as his son-in-law. 

This was especially true because he saw that his daughter really loved Pericles.

Pericles had only been married to Thaisa for a few months when he heard that his enemy Antiochus had died. He also learned that the people of Tyre were unhappy about his long absence. They were thinking about making Helicanus their new ruler. 

Helicanus was very loyal to Pericles and didn’t want to take his place. He sent Pericles a message to let him know what was happening, so that Pericles could return and take his rightful place. 

Simonides was surprised and happy to learn that his son-in-law, who he thought was just a knight, was actually the famous prince of Tyre. 

But at the same time, he was sad that he wasn’t just a normal man because that meant he would have to say goodbye to both his son-in-law and his beloved daughter. 

He was worried about letting Thaisa travel by sea because she was pregnant. Pericles also wanted her to stay with her father until after the baby was born. 

But Thaisa really wanted to go with her husband. Finally, they agreed, hoping that she would get to Tyre before the baby was born.

The sea was not kind to poor Pericles. Before they could reach Tyre, a terrible storm came. The storm scared Thaisa so much that she became ill.

 Soon after, her nurse Lychorida came to Pericles holding a baby. She told him that his wife had died as soon as the baby was born. 

She said to him, “Here is a child too young for such a place. This is the child of your dead queen.” 

Pericles was heartbroken when he heard his wife was dead. 

When he could finally speak, he said, “Gods, why do you make us love your good gifts, then rob them?”

Lychorida said, “Patience, sir. Here is all that is left alive of our dead queen, a little daughter. For the sake of this precious child, be strong.” 

Pericles held the newborn baby and said, “Now may your life be mild, for you had a very rough birth! 

You had the toughest welcome a prince’s child could get. I hope your future will be happy. Your birth was as hard as it could be. Your loss, is greater than any joy you will find in this world.”

The storm continued, and the sailors believed that it would not stop until the dead body was removed from the ship. They told Pericles that his wife’s body had to be thrown into the sea. 

The sailors said, “Sir, your queen must go overboard. The sea is rough, the wind is strong, and the storm will not stop until the ship is cleared of the dead.”

Even though Pericles knew that this belief was not true, he agreed to do what the sailors wanted. 

He said, “If that’s what you think is right. Then she must go into the sea, the most unlucky queen!” 

He then went to look at his wife Thaisa for the last time.

 As he looked at her, he said, “You’ve had a hard time giving birth, my dear. There was no light, no warmth. 

You’re completely forgotten by the world around you. I don’t have time to give you a proper burial. Instead, I have to throw you into the sea, hardly in a proper coffin. 

Your tomb will be the sea, your body covered by water and simple shells. Lychorida, ask Nestor to bring me spices, ink, and paper, my box and my jewels. 

Tell Nicandor to bring me the satin coffin. Put the baby on the pillow and get this done quickly, Lychorida. I need to say a final goodbye to Thaisa.”

They gave Pericles a big box. Inside this box, he placed his wife who was wrapped in a satin cloth. He sprinkled sweet-smelling spices over her and put valuable jewels next to her. He also left a written note. 

The note said who she was and asked that anyone who finds the box with his wife’s body in it to bury her. Then, he threw the box into the sea himself. When the storm was over, Pericles told the sailors to sail to Tarsus. 

He said, “The baby won’t survive until we get to Tyre. I will leave it in Tarsus where it will be taken care of.”

After the stormy night when Thaisa was thrown into the sea, a good man from Ephesus named Cerimon found a box on the beach. His servants told him that the sea had washed it up. 

Cerimon had them bring the box to his house. When they opened it, they found the body of a beautiful young woman. The sweet spices and precious jewels made him think she must have been someone important. 

He found a paper that said she was a queen and the wife of Pericles, prince of Tyre. He felt sorry for the man who had lost such a lovely wife. 

He said, “If you’re still alive, Pericles, you must be very sad.” 

Cerimon noticed that Thaisa’s face was fresh and didn’t look dead. 

He said, “They were too quick to throw you into the sea.” 

He didn’t think she was really dead. He asked for a fire to be made and for some special drinks. He also asked for calm music to be played. 

This might help her if she wakes up. He told the people who were watching to give her space. 

He said, “Please, gentlemen, let her breathe. This queen will live. She has only been unconscious for five hours. Look, she’s starting to breathe again. She’s alive. Look, her eyes are moving. She will live and her story will make us cry.” 

Thaisa wasn’t really dead. She had just fainted after giving birth to her baby, so everyone thought she was dead. Thanks to Cerimon, she woke up again. 

When she opened her eyes, she asked, “Where am I? Where is my husband? What world is this?”

Slowly, Cerimon told Thaisa what had happened to her. When he thought she was ready, he showed her the paper her husband had written and the jewels. 

Thaisa looked at the paper and said, “This is my husband’s handwriting. I remember being on a ship at sea, but I can’t say for sure if I gave birth there. 

Since I will never see my husband again, I will wear simple clothes and never be happy again.” 

Cerimon said, “Madam, if that’s what you want, the temple of Diana is not far from here. You can live there. Also, if you want, my niece can live there with you.” 

Thaisa thanked him and agreed to this plan. When she was completely well again, Cerimon took her to the temple of Diana. There, she became a priestess of Diana. She spent her days being sad about her husband’s loss and praying.

Pericles took his baby daughter Marina (he named her this because she was born at sea) to Tarsus. He planned to leave her with Cleon, the governor of that city, and his wife Dionysia.

 He thought they would take good care of his daughter because he had helped them during a time of hunger. 

When Cleon saw Pericles and heard about his wife’s death, he said, “Oh, your lovely queen. I wish you could have brought her here so I could have seen her!” 

Pericles said, “We have to do what the gods want. Even if I cry and shout like the sea where my Thaisa is, it won’t change what happened. Please take care of my little daughter Marina. Please raise her like a princess.” 

Then he spoke to Dionysia, Cleon’s wife. 

He said, “Madam, please take good care of my child.” 

Dionysia said, “I have a child too. I will love your child as much as I love mine.” 

Cleon also promised to take care of Marina. 

He said, “Prince Pericles, you helped my people when they were hungry. We think about you every day when we pray. We will take good care of your child. If we don’t, the gods will punish us and our children.” 

After hearing this, Pericles felt sure that his daughter would be well cared for. He left her with Cleon and Dionysia, and her nurse Lychorida. 

Marina was too young to understand that her father was leaving. Lychorida cried because she was sad to say goodbye to Pericles. 

But Pericles said, “Don’t cry, Lychorida. Take care of Marina. She will be important one day.”

Pericles got back to Tyre safely and was king again. His wife Thaisa, who he thought was dead, stayed in Ephesus. Their daughter Marina, who Thaisa had never seen, was raised by Cleon. 

He made sure she got a good education. By the time Marina was fourteen, she was as smart as the smartest men of the time. She sang beautifully and danced gracefully. 

She was very good at sewing. She could make things that looked just like birds, fruits, or flowers. Her flowers looked as real as natural roses.

But when Marina’s education made her very special, Dionysia, Cleon’s wife, started to dislike her. This was because her own daughter, who was not as smart, couldn’t become as good as Marina. Everyone praised Marina. 

Dionysia’s daughter, who was the same age as Marina and was taught the same things, didn’t get any attention. 

Dionysia decided to get rid of Marina. She thought if Marina was gone, people would respect her own daughter more. 

To do this, she asked a man to kill Marina. This plan was made right after Lychorida, the nurse, died. 

Dionysia was talking to the man about killing Marina while Marina was crying for Lychorida. The man, named Leonine, found it hard to agree to kill Marina, as she was liked by everyone. 

He said, “She is a good girl!” 

Dionysia replied: “Then the gods should have her. Here she comes, crying for Lychorida. Are you ready to do as I say?” 

Leonine was scared to not do what she said and replied: “I am ready.” 

In that short sentence, Marina’s life was put in danger. Marina came, holding a basket of flowers that she planned to put on Lychorida’s grave. 

She said, “It’s sad for me, a poor unlucky girl, born in a storm when my mother died. This world is like a never-ending storm, taking me away from my friends.” 

Dionysia pretended to be kind and said, “Marina, why are you crying alone? Where is my daughter? Don’t cry for Lychorida, I will take care of you. You look different because you are so sad. Give me your flowers, the sea air will spoil them. Walk with Leonine, the air is good for you. Leonine, walk with her.” 

Marina said, “No, madam, I don’t want to take your servant away from you.” 

Leonine worked for Dionysia.

 But Dionysia insisted and said, “I love your father, the prince, and you. Your father will be here soon. If he sees you so sad, he will think we didn’t take care of you. Go, walk, and be happy again. Take care of your beautiful face, it has won everyone’s hearts.” 

Marina finally agreed and said, “Alright, I will go, but I don’t really want to.” As Dionysia left, she reminded Leonine, “Remember what I have said!” These words meant that he should remember to kill Marina.

Marina looked at the sea, where she was born, and asked, “Is the wind blowing from the west?” 

Leonine answered, “South-west.” 

Marina said, “When I was born, the wind was from the north.” Then she remembered the storm when she was born, her father’s sadness, and her mother’s death. 

She told Leonine, “My father, Lychorida told me, was never scared. He shouted, ‘Be brave, good sailors,’ to the sailors. He hurt his hands with the ropes, and held onto the masts. He faced a sea that almost broke the ship.” 

Leonine asked, “When was this?”

“When I was born,” Marina answered, “the wind and waves were very strong.” 

She then talked about the storm, what the sailors did, the boatswain’s whistle, and the loud call of the master. She said these things caused a lot of confusion on the ship. Lychorida had often told Marina about her unfortunate birth, so Marina could clearly imagine these things. But then Leonine asked her to say her prayers. Marina asked him why, starting to feel scared but not knowing why. 

Leonine said, “If you need time to pray, I will give you some. But don’t take too long. The gods hear quickly, and I have to do my job quickly.” 

Marina asked, “Are you going to kill me? Why?” 

Leonine answered, “To make my lady happy.”

 Marina asked, “Why does she want me dead? As far as I remember, I never hurt her. I never said anything mean, or did anything bad to anyone. I swear, I never even killed a mouse or hurt a fly. Once, I accidentally stepped on a worm, and I cried for it. How did I make her angry?” 

Leonine said, “My job is not to ask why, but to do it.” 

He was about to kill her when some pirates arrived. They saw Marina and took her to their ship.

The pirate who took Marina brought her to Mitylene and sold her as a slave. Even as a slave, Marina became famous in Mitylene for her beauty and good qualities. 

The person who bought her made a lot of money because of her. She taught music, dance, and needlework, and gave the money she earned to her master and mistress. 

Lysimachus, a young nobleman and the governor of Mitylene, heard about her and visited her. He was very impressed by Marina. 

Although he knew she was praised by everyone, he didn’t expect her to be so smart, good, and virtuous. He hoped that she would continue to be hardworking and virtuous, and if he could help her in any way, he would. 

He thought Marina was amazing because of her intelligence, manners, qualities, beauty, and grace. He wanted to marry her. 

He hoped that even though she was a slave, she was from a noble family. But every time they asked about her family, she just cried.

Meanwhile, in Tarsus, Leonine told Dionysia that he had killed Marina because he was scared of her anger. Dionysia pretended that Marina was dead. 

She held a fake funeral for her and built a monument. Not long after, Pericles and his royal minister Helicanus came from Tyre to Tarsus to see Marina. 

Pericles planned to bring her home with him. He was very excited because he hadn’t seen her since he left her as a baby with Cleon and his wife.

 But when he heard that Marina was dead and saw the monument, he was very sad. He couldn’t bear to stay in Tarsus, so he quickly left. 

After he got on the ship, he became very quiet and seemed to not notice anything around him.

The ship went from Tarsus to Tyre, passing by Mitylene where Marina lived. 

Lysimachus, the governor of Mitylene, saw the royal ship. He was curious and wanted to know who was on the ship. 

So, he went on a small boat to the ship. Helicanus welcomed him and told him that they were taking their prince, Pericles, from Tyre. 

Helicanus said, “Sir, our prince hasn’t spoken to anyone or eaten much for three months. He’s very sad. He’s mostly sad because he lost his daughter and his wife.” 

Lysimachus asked to see Pericles. When he saw him, he could tell that Pericles used to be handsome. 

He said, “Hello, King. May the gods protect you.” 

But Pericles didn’t answer or seem to notice that Lysimachus was there. Then, Lysimachus had an idea. He thought Marina could maybe get Pericles to speak. 

With Helicanus’s approval, he sent for Marina. When Marina came onto the ship where her own father was sitting in sadness, they greeted her like they knew she was their princess. 

They said, “She’s a brave lady.” 

Lysimachus was happy to hear them say good things about Marina. He said, “If I knew for sure she was from a noble family, I would want to marry her.”

 He spoke to Marina politely and told her about the sad and quiet prince. He asked Marina if she could try to help the prince feel better. 

Marina said, “Sir, I’ll try my best to help him feel better. But only me and my maid should be allowed to go near him.”

Marina, who had hidden her royal background in Mitylene, started to talk to Pericles about her own life. She told him how her life had changed a lot and how she had lost a lot.

 It was like she knew she was talking to her royal father. She only talked about her own sadness, because she knew that sad people often listen to sad stories. 

Hearing her sweet voice, Pericles looked up. He had been looking down for a long time. Marina looked a lot like her mother, so Pericles was shocked when he saw her. 

He thought she looked like his dead wife. Pericles, who hadn’t spoken for a long time, finally spoke. 

He said, “My dear wife looked like this girl. My daughter could have looked like her. My wife’s eyebrows, her height, her straight body, her sweet voice, her eyes. 

Young lady, where do you live? Tell me about your family. I think you said you had many problems and that if you told me about them, they would be as sad as mine.” 

Marina said, “I did say something like that, because that’s what I thought.”

“Tell me your story,” Pericles said. “If I find out you’ve been through even a tiny bit of what I’ve gone through, then you’re very strong. But you look like you’re patient, like you can smile even when times are hard. 

How did you lose your name, dear girl? Please, tell me your story. Come, sit next to me.” 

Pericles was shocked when she said her name was Marina. He knew this was a special name. 

He had made it up for his own child. It meant ‘born at sea.’ 

“Oh, I’m being made fun of,” he said. “You must have been sent here by an angry god to make people laugh at me.” 

“Please be patient, sir,” Marina said. “Or I have to stop talking.” 

“No,” Pericles said. “I will be patient. You scare me when you say your name is Marina.”

 “The name,” she replied, “was given to me by my father, who was a king.”

 “What? A king’s daughter!” said Pericles. “And your name is Marina! But are you a real person? Are you not a fairy? Keep talking. Where were you born? And why were you named Marina?” 

She replied: “I was named Marina because I was born at sea. My mother was a king’s daughter. She died when I was born. My kind nurse Lychorida told me this many times, while crying. 

My father, the king, left me in Tarsus. The evil wife of Cleon wanted to kill me. But some pirates saved me and brought me here, to Mitylene. 

But, sir, why are you crying? Maybe you think I’m lying. But, truly, I am the daughter of King Pericles, if he is still alive.” 

Then Pericles, scared of his own sudden happiness, and not sure if this could be real, loudly called for his helpers. They were happy to hear their king’s voice. 

He said to Helicanus: “Helicanus, hit me, hurt me, make me feel pain now. I am too happy. It feels like a huge wave of joy is crashing over me. Come here, you who were born at sea, left in Tarsus, and found at sea again. Helicanus, get on your knees, thank the gods! This is Marina. 

Bless you, my child! Give me new clothes, my dear Helicanus! She didn’t die in Tarsus as we thought she did. She will tell you everything, when you kneel to her and call her your real princess. 

Who is this?” (he noticed Lysimachus for the first time). 

“Sir,” Helicanus said, “he’s the governor of Mitylene. He came to see you because he heard you were sad.” 

“I welcome you, sir,” Pericles said. “Give me my clothes! I am so excited to see—Oh, bless you, my girl! But listen, what’s that music?”—because now, he thought he could hear soft music. 

“My lord, I don’t hear anything,” Helicanus said. 

“Nothing?” said Pericles; “It’s the music of the universe.” 

Because there was no music, Lysimachus thought that the sudden happiness had confused the prince. 

He said: “We shouldn’t argue with him: let’s just agree with him.” 

So they told him they heard the music. He then said he felt sleepy, Lysimachus told him to rest on a couch. He put a pillow under his head. 

Overwhelmed with so much happiness, he fell asleep. Marina silently watched her sleeping father.

While he was sleeping, Pericles had a dream that made him decide to go to Ephesus. In his dream, the goddess Diana, who the people of Ephesus worship, came to him. 

She told him to go to her temple in Ephesus and tell his life story. She promised that if he did this, he would find some happiness. When he woke up, he felt good, like he had been healed. He told everyone about his dream and that he had decided to do what the goddess had asked.

Then Lysimachus, the governor, invited Pericles to come and rest in Mitylene. He said he would stay for a day or two. During this time, there was a lot of eating, celebrating, and entertainment in Mitylene. 

This was all to welcome Pericles, who was Marina’s father. Pericles was not angry when he learned that Lysimachus wanted to marry his daughter.

 He agreed to this, but he asked that they all go with him to the temple of Diana in Ephesus. They sailed there and reached safety after a few weeks.

At the temple, Pericles and his group saw Cerimon, who was now very old. He was the man who had brought Thaisa, Pericles’ wife, back to life. 

Thaisa was now working in the temple. When Pericles started to speak, Thaisa thought she recognized his voice. She listened carefully to what he said. 

He said, “Hello, Diana! I am here to do what you asked. I am Pericles, the prince of Tyre. I was scared and ran away from my country. I married the beautiful Thaisa in Pentapolis. 

She died at sea when our daughter Marina was born. Marina was taken care of by Dionysia in Tarsus. 

When Marina was 14, Dionysia wanted to kill her. But she was saved and brought to Mitylene. I met her while sailing nearby. She reminded me of my daughter and said that she was my daughter.”

Thaisa couldn’t control her feelings after hearing this. 

She shouted, “You are, you are, O royal Pericles,” and then fainted. Pericles was confused and called for help. 

Cerimon said, “Sir, if your story is true, this is your wife.” 

Pericles said, “No, I threw her into the sea with my own hands.” 

Cerimon then told him how Thaisa had been washed ashore and how he had saved her and brought her to the temple. 

Thaisa woke up and said, “O my lord, are you not Pericles? You sound like him, you look like him. Did you mention a storm, a birth, and death?” 

Pericles was shocked and said, “The voice of dead Thaisa!” 

“I am Thaisa,” she replied, “thought to be dead and drowned.”

 “O true Diana!” cried Pericles. 

Then Thaisa said, “Now I know you better. My father gave you a ring like the one you’re wearing when we said goodbye to him in Pentapolis.” 

“Enough, you gods!” cried Pericles, “your kindness now makes my past troubles seem like jokes. Come, Thaisa, come back into my arms.”

And Marina said, “I can’t wait to be with my mother again.” 

Then Pericles showed Marina to Thaisa, saying, “This is your daughter Marina, who was born at sea.” 

“Blessed and my own!” said Thaisa. 

While she was happy to see her daughter, Pericles knelt in front of the altar and said, “Thank you, Diana, for your vision. I will give you gifts every night for this.” 

Then Pericles agreed for his daughter Marina to marry Lysimachus.

We have seen in Pericles, his wife, and his daughter, examples of good people who face troubles but stay patient and keep going. Helicanus is a good example of someone who is loyal and honest. 

He could have become king, but he chose to bring back the rightful king. Cerimon is a good example of someone who uses knowledge to do good things for people. He is like a god. We also know that Dionysia, the evil wife of Cleon, got what she deserved. 

The people of Tarsus were angry when they learned that she wanted to kill Marina. They burned Cleon’s palace, killing him, Dionysia, and everyone inside. The gods seemed happy with this punishment for such a terrible crime.

THE END