Cymbeline Annotated

Imogen didn't want to wait around for her dad to marry her off to her new lame stepbrother Cloten; she got married to Posthumus instead. Who's up for a quickie wedding in Vegas? Wait, there is no Vegas. There is a lot of drama, though: when Imogen's dad, Cymbeline, finds out what she's done, he hits the roof. He can't believe his daughter has disobeyed him, so he sends her new hubby off into banishment, never to return again. Some wedding gift.<br> The lovers only have moments before they have to leave each other's sides, so they give each other a parting gift. She did put a ring on it, and he... well, he put a bracelet on it. Hey, that's how they rolled back then. Imogen and Posthumus promise to wear these tokens forever and ever--that way they're always together in spirit. Tear.<br> Trouble is, no one else really wants that. Cymbeline wants to lock Imogen up until she agrees to marry Cloten. Imogen's evil stepmother creates a poison and hands it over to Imogen's servant, Pisanio, for future use. Meanwhile, Cloten, ever the tool, tries to serenade Imogen and win her over. She tells him he's not even worth Posthumus's last-season clothes.<br> Enter Iachimo. As if Imogen didn't have enough problems, this Roman gent has made a bet with Posthumus that he can convince Imogen to cheat on her hubby. When it doesn't work, Iachimo resorts to drastic measures: he hides in a trunk in Imogen's bedroom. Then, once she is asleep, he takes a good look around and steals her precious bracelet from Posthumus.<br> Once he returns to Rome, Iachimo brags to Posthumus that he landed his girl. Posthumus is furious and hands over the ring, since that was the deal. Embarrassed and angry, Posthumus instructs Pisanio to kill Imogen. Gasp.<br> Pisanio can't go through with it and helps Imogen disguise herself as a boy named Fidele. She's supposed to hitch a ride to Rome, but she gets lost along the way and comes across three hunter-outlaws: Belarius, Guiderius, and Arviragus. (Don't look at us like that. We didn't name them.) They all love her instantly. Little does she know that Guiderius and Arviragus are actually her long-lost brothers who were kidnapped when they were young....