Cymbeline

In Cymbeline: Constructions of Britain, Ros King argues that because of previous misunderstanding of the nature and history of tragi-comedy in England, critics have mistaken the tone of Shakespeare's play. Instead, she proposes that what appears on the page to be a pedestrian 'romance' or at best a self-parodic reworking of previous Shakespearean themes, is in fact a tour de force of dramaturgical construction. Far from being a simple story of the restitution of the blood royal, King demonstrates that the play's tragical, fantastical comedy both raises daring questions about the nature of government, and attempts to neutralise contemporary religious prejudice. Having explored the influences that went into the writing of Cymbeline, King devotes her final chapter to the play's later reception, using as a test case the outrageously ebullient production at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, 2000, for which she was dramaturg.