This brief scene is the bridge between the corrupted court world and the Welsh world of natural goodness. Imogen has fled in disguise, arriving at a cave with food and shelter. She doesn't know yet that this cave belongs to her brothers — or that her brothers don't know she is their sister. The scene is suspenseful in its simplicity: what will happen when the inhabitants return? But structurally, the cave represents the possibility of restoration. Imogen has survived the ordeal of travel. She has found shelter. She is about to be reunited with her family, though she doesn't know it yet. The scene performs the logic of comic reunion: the heroine arrives in exile, unaware that help awaits her in the form of family.
I see a man’s life is a tedious one.
I have tir’d myself, and for two nights together
Have made the ground my bed. I should be sick
But that my resolution helps me. Milford,
When from the mountain-top Pisanio show’d thee,
Thou wast within a ken. O Jove! I think
Foundations fly the wretched; such, I mean,
Where they should be reliev’d. Two beggars told me
I could not miss my way. Will poor folks lie,
That have afflictions on them, knowing ’tis
A punishment or trial? Yes; no wonder,
When rich ones scarce tell true. To lapse in fulness
Is sorer than to lie for need; and falsehood
Is worse in kings than beggars. My dear lord!
Thou art one o’ th’ false ones. Now I think on thee
My hunger’s gone; but even before, I was
At point to sink for food. But what is this?
Here is a path to’t; ’tis some savage hold.
I were best not call; I dare not call. Yet famine,
Ere clean it o’erthrow nature, makes it valiant.
Plenty and peace breeds cowards; hardness ever
Of hardiness is mother. Ho! who’s here?
If anything that’s civil, speak; if savage,
Take or lend. Ho! No answer? Then I’ll enter.
Best draw my sword; and if mine enemy
But fear the sword, like me, he’ll scarcely look on’t.
Such a foe, good heavens!
I see a man’s life is a tedious one. I have tir’d myself, and for two nights together Have made the ground my bed. I should be sick But that my resolution helps me. Milford, When from the mountain-top Pisanio show’d you, you wast within a ken. O Jove! I think Foundations fly the wretched; such, I me
i see a man’s life is a tedious one. i have tir’d myself, and for two nights together have made the ground my bed. i should be sick but that my resolution helps me. milford, when from the mountain-top pisanio show’d you, you wast within a ken. o jove! i think foundations fly the wretched; such, i me
i see a man’s life is a tedious one. i have tir’d
Imogen eats food left by the cave's inhabitants without asking permission. This is a crucial gesture: she is a guest who acts as if she belongs. In the next scene, the boys will be protective of their space, irritated that a stranger has eaten their meal. But once they see her, they will fall in love with her. The irony is that Imogen's transgression — eating without permission — becomes the gateway to her belonging. She eats her brothers' food as if she were their sister; she becomes their sister in part because of this intimate act of consumption. Food, hospitality, and kinship are woven together.
The Reckoning
This scene is brief and pivotal: the moment Imogen arrives at the cave where her brothers live, unaware of who she is or what awaits her. The scene marks her entry into the Welsh world of nature and restoration. She is exhausted, hungry, and lost. The cave appears empty (Belarius and the boys are hunting). She sees food left on the table and gratefully eats. This is the setup for the reunion scene that follows: she eats what they prepared, they return, and she enters the household unaware that she has found her true family.
If this happened today…
A woman in disguise, fleeing for her life, arrives at a cave in the wilderness. She is starving and exhausted. The cave is empty but has food on the table. She eats and waits.