The work was likely written in 1610 or 1611, and its myth was certainly composed by Shakespeare with the `Chronicles` of Holinshed in mind, as well as the works of Boccaccio and Spencer.

With its novelistic development and the successive conflicts of its characters, this work is considered one of the best in terms of expressive power and technique.

The characters of the heroes, although sometimes contradictory, uphold values that the Elizabethan era deemed essential, such as the morality and endurance of women, faith in the king, and bravery in battle.

A work from Shakespeare's maturity, `Cymbeline` illuminates another side of humanity: the inability to fulfill all one’s dreams and the effort to compromise as little as possible.