SCENE III. The temple of Diana at Ephesus; THAISA standing Pericles, Prince of Tyre  Shakespeare homepage  |  Pericles  | Act 5, Scene 3 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE III. The temple of Diana at Ephesus; THAISA standing  near the altar, as high priestess; a number of 

 Virgins on each side; CERIMON and other Inhabitants 

 of Ephesus attending. 



 Enter PERICLES, with his train; LYSIMACHUS, HELICANUS, MARINA, and a Lady  PERICLES  Hail, Dian! to perform thy just command, 

 I here confess myself the king of Tyre; 

 Who, frighted from my country, did wed 

 At Pentapolis the fair Thaisa. 

 At sea in childbed died she, but brought forth 

 A maid-child call'd Marina; who, O goddess, 

 Wears yet thy silver livery. She at Tarsus 

 Was nursed with Cleon; who at fourteen years 

 He sought to murder: but her better stars 

 Brought her to Mytilene; 'gainst whose shore 

 Riding, her fortunes brought the maid aboard us, 

 Where, by her own most clear remembrance, she 

 Made known herself my daughter. 

 THAISA  Voice and favour! 

 You are, you are--O royal Pericles! 



 Faints  PERICLES  What means the nun? she dies! help, gentlemen! 

 CERIMON  Noble sir, 

 If you have told Diana's altar true, 

 This is your wife. 

 PERICLES  Reverend appearer, no; 

 I threw her overboard with these very arms. 

 CERIMON  Upon this coast, I warrant you. 

 PERICLES  'Tis most certain. 

 CERIMON  Look to the lady; O, she's but o'erjoy'd. 

 Early in blustering morn this lady was 

 Thrown upon this shore. I oped the coffin, 

 Found there rich jewels; recover'd her, and placed her 

 Here in Diana's temple. 

 PERICLES  May we see them? 

 CERIMON  Great sir, they shall be brought you to my house, 

 Whither I invite you. Look, Thaisa is recovered. 

 THAISA  O, let me look! 

 If he be none of mine, my sanctity 

 Will to my sense bend no licentious ear, 

 But curb it, spite of seeing. O, my lord, 

 Are you not Pericles? Like him you spake, 

 Like him you are: did you not name a tempest, 

 A birth, and death? 

 PERICLES  The voice of dead Thaisa! 

 THAISA  That Thaisa am I, supposed dead 

 And drown'd. 

 PERICLES  Immortal Dian! 

 THAISA  Now I know you better. 

 When we with tears parted Pentapolis, 

 The king my father gave you such a ring. 



 Shows a ring  PERICLES  This, this: no more, you gods! your present kindness 

 Makes my past miseries sports: you shall do well, 

 That on the touching of her lips I may 

 Melt and no more be seen. O, come, be buried 

 A second time within these arms. 

 MARINA  My heart 

 Leaps to be gone into my mother's bosom. 



 Kneels to THAISA  PERICLES  Look, who kneels here! Flesh of thy flesh, Thaisa; 

 Thy burden at the sea, and call'd Marina 

 For she was yielded there. 

 THAISA  Blest, and mine own! 

 HELICANUS  Hail, madam, and my queen! 

 THAISA  I know you not. 

 PERICLES  You have heard me say, when I did fly from Tyre, 

 I left behind an ancient substitute: 

 Can you remember what I call'd the man? 

 I have named him oft. 

 THAISA  'Twas Helicanus then. 

 PERICLES  Still confirmation: 

 Embrace him, dear Thaisa; this is he. 

 Now do I long to hear how you were found; 

 How possibly preserved; and who to thank, 

 Besides the gods, for this great miracle. 

 THAISA  Lord Cerimon, my lord; this man, 

 Through whom the gods have shown their power; that can 

 From first to last resolve you. 

 PERICLES  Reverend sir, 

 The gods can have no mortal officer 

 More like a god than you. Will you deliver 

 How this dead queen re-lives? 

 CERIMON  I will, my lord. 

 Beseech you, first go with me to my house, 

 Where shall be shown you all was found with her; 

 How she came placed here in the temple; 

 No needful thing omitted. 

 PERICLES  Pure Dian, bless thee for thy vision! I 

 Will offer night-oblations to thee. Thaisa, 

 This prince, the fair-betrothed of your daughter, 

 Shall marry her at Pentapolis. And now, 

 This ornament 

 Makes me look dismal will I clip to form; 

 And what this fourteen years no razor touch'd, 

 To grace thy marriage-day, I'll beautify. 

 THAISA  Lord Cerimon hath letters of good credit, sir, 

 My father's dead. 

 PERICLES  Heavens make a star of him! Yet there, my queen, 

 We'll celebrate their nuptials, and ourselves 

 Will in that kingdom spend our following days: 

 Our son and daughter shall in Tyrus reign. 

 Lord Cerimon, we do our longing stay 

 To hear the rest untold: sir, lead's the way. 



 Exeunt 

 Enter GOWER  GOWER  In Antiochus and his daughter you have heard 

 Of monstrous lust the due and just reward: 

 In Pericles, his queen and daughter, seen, 

 Although assail'd with fortune fierce and keen, 

 Virtue preserved from fell destruction's blast, 

 Led on by heaven, and crown'd with joy at last: 

 In Helicanus may you well descry 

 A figure of truth, of faith, of loyalty: 

 In reverend Cerimon there well appears 

 The worth that learned charity aye wears: 

 For wicked Cleon and his wife, when fame 

 Had spread their cursed deed, and honour'd name 

 Of Pericles, to rage the city turn, 

 That him and his they in his palace burn; 

 The gods for murder seemed so content 

 To punish them; although not done, but meant. 

 So, on your patience evermore attending, 

 New joy wait on you! Here our play has ending. 



 Exit 