Pericles · Chapter

Scene I explained

Dionyza orders Leonine to murder Marina, but pirates intervene and abduct her.

What happens

Dionyza orders Leonine to murder Marina, but pirates intervene and abduct her. Leonine decides to report her dead.

Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

This scene is the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Thaisa’s despair…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Appearance vs. Reality
Dionyza feigns maternal care while plotting Marina's murder.
Resilience and Endurance
Marina's survival instinct and plea for mercy highlight her enduring spirit.

Dionyza
Commands Leonine to kill Marina, showing her cruelty and deceit.
Leonine
Sworn to kill Marina but hesitates; allows pirates to take her and plans to lie about her death.
Marina
Innocent and pleading for her life; recounts her birth during a storm; is abducted by pirates.

“Thy oath remember; thou hast sworn to do’t: ’Tis but a blow, which never shall be known.”
Remember your oath; you swore to do it—it's just a blow that will never be discovered.
Dionyza urges Leonine to fulfill his promise to kill Marina.
“I never kill’d a mouse, nor hurt a fly: I trod upon a worm against my will, But I wept for it.”
I have never killed a mouse or hurt a fly; I even cried when I accidentally stepped on a worm.
Marina protests her innocence and gentle nature.