The Nautical Heritage of Marina

Thesis: Pericles, Prince of Tyre uses classical Greek parallels to stories such as The Odyssey to create Marina as an heiress of the ocean, whose ability to navigate through oppressive situations is heavily aligned with her nautical heritage. Her parents, Pericles and Thaisa, are painted as hybrid beings of the sea and land through various events in which their lives are left in the hands of the ocean. Their daughter Marina, born in and of the water, becomes a figure with uncharacteristic freedoms and grace that suggests a harmony that stems from her kinship with nature. While The Odyssey has its Poseidon as the primary entity of sea sovereignty, this role is fulfilled by Marina. This, along with the use of Diana as the only significant goddess in the play, serves to underscore the power in the connection between femininity and nature.