Marina: Virtue That Cannot Be Corrupted

Marina is born during a storm at sea, which gives her name. She grows up in Tarsus, is nearly murdered by Dionyza, is kidnapped by pirates, sold to a brothel in Mytilene, and converts every customer who comes to her with conversation rather than submission.

She says plainly: 'I never spake bad word, nor did ill turn To any living creature.' In the context of the brothel scenes, this is both a statement of fact and a kind of armour.

Her reunion with Pericles is the play's emotional centre. She speaks, and he revives. She is the only character in the play who actually changes the world around her through speech.