The Riddle (Simile)
The play opens with Pericles pursuing the hand of the daughter of Antiochus. In order to succeed as potential suitor, however, all men must solve a riddle. Only Pericles is able to solve it, and he soon realizes that the riddle reveals the incestuous relationship between Antiochus and his daughter. Upon his discovery, Pericles summarizes, "And both like serpents are, who though they feed / On sweetest flowers, yet they poison breed" (1.1). Here, Pericles compares Antiochus and his daughter to serpents who take pleasure in one another but ultimately "breed" something monstrous between them. This simile emphasizes the extent to which incest is seen as a punishable sin in the play.
Thaisa's Diamond (Simile)
Pericles flees for his life in the face of the knowledge that Antiochus has realized he has figured out his dark secret. A shipwreck washes him ashore with full armor but no other hints at this identity. Before long he is taking part in a jousting competition to win the hand of the fair Thasia, daughter of the King of Pentapolis. The stranger’s obvious superiority over his opponents captures her fancy right away, and Thaisa says, "To me he seems like diamond to glass" (2.3). Here, Thaisa uses a simile to compare Pericles to a diamond (the only substance strong enough to cut glass), suggesting that Pericles is rare, beautiful, and powerful.
Dionyza's Hit Man (Metaphor)
When Dionyza hires Leonine, a murderer, to kill Marina, she convinces him to do so by arguing that his masculinity will suffer if he fails to perform his duty. She says, "...nor let pity, which / Even women have cast off, melt thee, but be / A soldier to thy purpose” (4.1). Here, Dionyza uses a metaphor to encourage Leonine to do away with feminine "pity" and instead become a figurative "solider," suggesting that in killing Marina he will have fulfilled his duty as a man and as a servant to the king.
Mothers and Children (Metaphor)
While sailing back to Tarsus, Pericles and his family encounter a tempest that kills Thaisa during childbirth. When Thaisa's nurse, Lychordia, brings the newborn baby to Pericles, she says, "Take in your arms this piece of your dead queen" (3.1). Here, Thaisa uses a metaphor to compare the baby to a "piece" of its mother, suggesting one of the play's major themes: that parents live on through their children.
The Dream (Metaphor)
Unlikely events abound in this play. From shipwrecks to random pirates to resurrections, the events of Pericles are fantastical and dramatic, which is likely why audiences have enjoyed seeing it performed for so long. At the end of the play, Pericles himself expresses shock over the events of his life when he says, "This is the rarest dream that e'er dull sleep / Did mock sad fools withal" (5.1). Here, Pericles uses a metaphor to compare the events of his life to a rare "dream," emphasizing how bizarre the past decades have been and ultimately reinforcing the play's focus on fate.
