Cymbeline · Chapter
Scene VII explained
In Rome, two senators and tribunes discuss the emperor's decree to levy troops for war against Britain, appointing Lucius as proconsul and general of the forces.
What happens
In Rome, two senators and tribunes discuss the emperor's decree to levy troops for war against Britain, appointing Lucius as proconsul and general of the forces.
Themes in this chapter
Power and Political Conflict
The scene depicts the Roman political and military machinery mobilizing for war against Britain, highlighting the conflict between empires.
Characters to notice
- Caius Lucius
Appointed proconsul and general of the forces against Britain.
Key passages
“This is the tenour of the emperor’s writ: That since the common men are now in action ’Gainst the Pannonians and Dalmatians, and that the legions now in Gallia are Full weak to undertake our wars against The fall’n-off Britons, that we do incite The gentry to this business.”
The emperor's decree states that because the regular soldiers are already fighting the Pannonians and Dalmatians, and the legions in Gaul are too weak to handle the rebellious Britons, we must call upon the nobility to take up this task.
The senators explain the need to recruit from the gentry due to existing military commitments.