Music
In the play, musical imagery is used as a figurative description for right and wrong. At the beginning of the play, for example, Pericles discovers Antiochus's incestuous relationship with his daughter and proceeds to condemn the king by describing musical instruments played by musicians of hell and the discordant sounds they would make. This imagery emphasizes the extent of Antiochus' sin.
Burning
Four characters experience death by fire in the play: Antiochus, his daughter, Cleon, and Dionyza. When Pericles learns about the deaths of Antiochus and his daughter, his interlocutor provides an elaborate description of the event and the smell of burning flesh. While graphic, this imagery emphasizes the gods' punishment of Antiochus (and other villains) and the suffering that fate inflicts on those who have done wrong.
Virtue
A large portion of Act Four is dedicated to exploring Marina's time in the brothel. In moments of levity, the brothel owners consistently attribute to Marina a quality of freezing, emphasizing how she can stop the lust of her clients and turn them in another direction entirely. This imagery suggests that Marina's dedication to her chastity is both powerful and effective when encountered by others.
The Sea
Pericles is a play that features an immense amount of travel across the sea. As such, characters often conceptualize the concept of fate through sea-related metaphors, expressing how they are buffeted about by water and waves. Indeed, Pericles is quite literally tossed around in the sea as he encounters a number of tempests during his travels. The imagery of the sea emphasizes the unpredictable nature of life.
