Summary
Gower enters and explains that Marina was moved to a more honorable house, where she spends her time sewing and educating others.
Pericles arrives in Myteline and is greeted by Lysimachus, who tells him that there is a woman in town who is so beautiful she could heal Pericles's grief. Marina is brought to Pericles, and he asks her about her parentage. When Marina starts explaining where she was born and what happened to her parents, Pericles realizes that she is his own daughter. The two enjoy an emotional reunion.
That night, Pericles is visited by the goddess Diana, who tells him to go to her temple in Ephesus. He resolves to travel to Ephesus, and he promises Marina to Lysimachus before leaving.
Gower enters, explaining that Pericles and his company have landed in Ephesus.
Pericles goes to Diana's temple and gives a speech about what happened to him and his family. Thaisa is in attendance, and she faints. Cerimon explains to Pericles that this is wife, revived by his medicine.
Thaisa, Pericles, and Marina are all united, and Pericles determines that he and Thaisa should govern Pentapolis while Marina and Lysimachus rule in Tyre.
Everyone exits except Gower, who explains that the family overcame terrible misfortune, Helicanus is an honest man, Antiochus deserved his punishment, and Cleon and Dionyza were eventually burned to death by their own people when their evildoing was discovered.
Analysis
The end of Pericles is what has lead most critics to label it one of Shakespeare's romances. Though rife with tragic moments, there is one specific romantic trope that plays a major role in Pericles: the recovery of what was lost. As in other romances like Cymbeline and The Winter's Tale, Pericles details a tragic story of loss, separation, (presumed) death, and isolation, only to be remedied tenfold in the final act. Not only was Thaisa (literally) revived by Cerimon, but the family unit of Pericles, Thaisa, and Marina is itself revived, along with the entire ruling structure of Pentapolis and Tyre.
This emphasis on the recovery of lost things ties in nicely to the play's greater exploration of fate and free will, as the ending of the play suggests that, despite their separation, Pericles and his family were always destined to be together. The play therefore ends on an optimistic and hopeful note despite its tragic narrative, as it more broadly argues that love – especially familial love – is able to withstand even the most traumatic circumstances.
Finally, Gower's summary at the end of the act also emphasizes the notion of justice and fairness that has developed over the course of the play. While audiences will likely see Pericles and his family as innocent victims of traumatic experiences, the end of the play attempts to right all of these wrongs.
Moreover, Gower explains that those who sought to do Pericles or his family harm have all been punished in extreme ways – Antiochus and his daughter were burned to death by the gods, and Cleon and Dionyza were burned to death by their own disgruntled people.
Gower also calls out Helicanus as a worthy and truthful advisor and Cerimon as a figure of charity, suggesting that these qualities are redeemable ones that others should aspire to attain.
In its choric conclusion, the play ends on a moralizing note, as Gower insists that those who deserve punishment have been dealt it appropriately and those who deserve peace, love, and prosperity have achieved it – but only after long and strenuous battles with misfortune.
