Desiring to create a family and a strong state, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, after various adventures, marries Princess Thaisa in the kingdom of Pentapolis. They have a daughter, Marina, but Thaisa apparently dies giving birth. Raised far from her father, the girl is sold to a brothel in Mytilene but her innate innocence protects her from the attentions of male visitors until she and Pericles are reunited. Fate finally delivers them to Thaisa, who has miraculously survived and is now a priestess at the temple of Diana in Ephesus. Pericles’ family – and his state – thus rise from the ashes.
One of Shakespeare’s late works, Pericles condenses a whole lifetime of experience into a stunning spectacle that magically travels through place and time. Constantly springing surprises and changing direction, the play beautifully combines drama with comedy and reversals of fortune with existential questions.
The Artistic Director of the Greek National Theatre, Yannis Houvardas, directs a production which has grown organically out of the performances of the twelve fine actors that make up the cast. This is the first time that Pericles has been staged by the GNT, and in April 2012 the production was part of the World Shakespeare Festival at the Globe Theatre in London, in which each of Shakespeare’s works were performed in a different language.