Hang there like a fruit, my soul, Till the tree die!
Hang there like a fruit, my soul, Until the tree dies!
Posthumus Leonatus · Act 5, Scene 5
Posthumus embraces Imogen after learning she is alive and that his suspicion of her infidelity was a poisonous lie planted by Iachimo. His declaration—that she is his soul and he will cling to her until death—is his redemption from the jealous rage that nearly destroyed them both. The image of hanging like fruit on a tree suggests organic union and growth, a healing of the fractured bonds of trust.
Pardon's the word to all.
Pardon is the word for everyone.
Cymbeline · Act 5, Scene 5
Cymbeline speaks this line at the moment of final reconciliation, when all the separated parties have been restored and all deceptions revealed. The simplicity of the statement—one word, repeated—makes it the play's ultimate judgment on how justice works in a world where innocent people have been harmed by lies and masculine pride. Forgiveness, not punishment, is the only remedy.
You are my father too, and did relieve me, To see this gracious season.
You're like my father too, and you helped me, So I could see this wonderful moment.
Imogen · Act 5, Scene 5
Imogen addresses Belarius at the moment when all the separated family members are reunited and all truths revealed. Her acknowledgment of him as a second father completes the play's meditation on the nature of family—that blood alone does not make a father, but love and protection sustained through exile and hardship do. The line affirms that the family remade through suffering and forgiveness is stronger than the one biology alone could provide.
