Cymbeline

Imogen is one of the play’s protagonists and has a complex journey. Her virtue and loyalty are her defining characteristics, as expressed through the pseudonym for her masculine disguise, “Fidele,” meaning faithful or loyal. She embodies the feminine, love-related element of The Complexities of Honor in Love and War.

However, Imogen is a complex character who has different sides to her personality. She often speaks boldly: She is not afraid to be dismissive toward Cloten when he persists in harassing her, and she is fiercely indignant about Posthumus’s accusations, deploying sarcasm and rhetorical questions to defend herself. She is often unafraid to speak her mind directly, leading to moments of humor. For example, she tells Cloten that Posthumus’s clothes alone are better than him, and she bluntly disabuses Lucius of the idea that she will prioritize saving his life, pointing out that she has her own concerns to worry about. She is also bold in many of her actions, defying her father to marry Posthumus and to run away, and showing her strength of spirit as she remains loyal to him even under Iachimo’s manipulations.