The work is called "Cymbeline," but its central figure is, by common agreement, Imogen. Many consider her the most beautiful heroine among those created by Shakespeare. (...)" Imogen - writes Mrs. Jameson, who particularly studied the female characters of Shakespeare's works - "impresses us by combining the most absolute simplicity with the most wonderfully complex qualities..."

Indeed: Imogen, although a being adorned with the rarest gifts, does not resemble the conventional existences typically presented by romantic poetry. Behind her deep devotion, authentic nobility, and calm grace lies an astonishing inner strength.

One might indeed identify her overall virtue in the steadiness of this heart that is crushed but does not waver. (...). This lily, like so many other delicate creations of Shakespeare's inspiration, will be envied and sought to be crushed by slander. However, its whiteness will not be tarnished by the mundane world's cheapness.

Can one assume that Shakespeare was so fortunate, so favored among all men, that he encountered such beings in real life? Unlikely. What it means is: Let us be grateful to him for making them real for us through the power and magic of his words...

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]