Pericles

PUBLISHED March 2nd, 2014 03:09 pm | UPDATED May 9th, 2018 03:13 am

“Pericles, Prince of Tyre” is one of the most rarely performed Shakespearean plays. It is a story of epic proportions that calls for a director daring enough to take it on.

The play begins with King Antiochus presenting Pericles with a riddle, which he must solve in order to marry the King’s daughter. Pericles knows the answer to the riddle, but there is a problem. By revealing the answer, he will expose the King’s incestuous relationship with his daughter. Otherwise, he will be put to death. Pericles solves this dilemma by embarking on a globetrotting adventure filled with spectacle and paranormal experiences not typically associated with Shakespeare.

The complex plot features incest, shipwreck, mass famine, betrayal, two tempests at sea, a princess saved from assassination by kidnapping pirates who sell her to a brothel, the resurrection of the dead, mistaken identity, a goddess, families torn apart, restoration of the kingship, and the ultimate redemption.

While the play clearly contains several Shakespearean motifs — birth, death, rebirth – it is also overflowing with far-flung escapades that have caused some scholars to believe that part of the play was written by another writer.

Venue: Drama Centre (Black Box) @ The National Library

Director: Aarne Neeme

Date: 27-29 March

Ticket Price:

Standard: $25

Student/NSF: $20

Buy your tickets [here](http://www.ticketmash.sg/pericles)