Cymbeline · Chapter
Scene II explained
In the dead of night, Imogen is reading in her bedchamber before falling asleep.
What happens
In the dead of night, Imogen is reading in her bedchamber before falling asleep. Iachimo emerges from a trunk where he had hidden, observes her sleeping form, and takes a bracelet from her arm. He also notes a mole on her left breast, intending to use these details as false proof of infidelity to Posthumus. He returns to the trunk as the clock strikes three.
Themes in this chapter
Appearance vs. Reality
Iachimo's secret observation and theft of the bracelet create a false appearance of Imogen's infidelity, contrasting with her actual chastity.
Loyalty and Betrayal
Iachimo's betrayal of Posthumus's trust and his violation of Imogen's privacy underscore the theme of treachery.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Our Tarquin thus Did softly press the rushes, ere he waken'd The chastity he wounded.”
Like the legendary Tarquin who crept silently to assault Lucretia, Iachimo moves stealthily to violate Imogen's honor.
Iachimo compares himself to Tarquin, emphasizing his predatory intent.
“On her left breast A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops I' the bottom of a cowslip”
On her left breast there is a mole with five spots, resembling the red droplets at the base of a cowslip flower.
Iachimo notes this intimate detail as evidence to fabricate a story of seduction.