Simonides

Play

Pericles

Summary

The good King of Pentapolis and father of Thaisa who holds the tournament that Pericles — arriving as a rusty, shipwrecked knight — wins. He welcomes Pericles warmly, pretends to oppose the match between him and Thaisa to test the knight's worth, and then gives his blessing. He is one of the play's instances of a benevolent paternal authority, a figure of hospitality and fair judgment set against the corrupt Antiochus of Antioch in the opening scenes.

Notable Quotations

"Opinion's but a fool, that makes us scan / The outward habit by the inward man." *(II.ii)*

Cross-references