Original: I did not take my leave of him, but had
Modern: I didn’t get to say goodbye to him properly, but I had

Original: Most pretty things to say; ere I could tell him
Modern: So many beautiful things to say; before I could tell him

Original: How I would think on him at certain hours
Modern: How I would think about him at specific times

Original: Such thoughts and such, or I could make him swear
Modern: All these thoughts and feelings, or I could make him promise

Original: The shes of Italy should not betray
Modern: That the women of Italy would not tempt him away from

Original: Mine interest and his honour, or have charg’d him,
Modern: My love and his faithfulness, or I could have asked him,

Original: At the sixth hour of morn, at noon, at midnight,
Modern: At six in the morning, at noon, at midnight,

Original: To encounter me with orisons, for then
Modern: To meet me in his prayers, because then

Original: I am in heaven for him; or ere I could
Modern: I am like heaven to him; or before I could

Original: Give him that parting kiss which I had set
Modern: Give him that goodbye kiss that I had planned

Original: Betwixt two charming words, comes in my father,
Modern: Between two sweet words, my father walks in,

Original: And like the tyrannous breathing of the north
Modern: And like the harsh breath of the north wind

Original: Shakes all our buds from growing.
Modern: He destroys all our hopes before they can bloom.

In Act I, Scene iii of Cymbeline, the Queen enters with her ladies-in-waiting and encounters Pisanio, Posthumus’s faithful servant who has remained behind after his master’s banishment. The Queen speaks kindly to Pisanio, expressing sympathy for his situation and offering him comfort regarding Posthumus’s exile. She presents him with a small box containing what she claims is a medicinal cordial, telling him it will help restore his spirits and health during this difficult time. The Queen instructs Pisanio to take the medicine when he feels unwell, emphasizing its restorative properties.

Unbeknownst to Pisanio, the audience learns that the Queen has previously obtained this substance from Doctor Cornelius, believing it to be a deadly poison. However, Cornelius, suspicious of the Queen’s intentions, has actually given her a powerful sleeping potion instead of the lethal drug she requested. The Queen’s apparent kindness toward Pisanio masks her malicious intent to eliminate him, as she views him as a potential obstacle to her plans. After giving Pisanio the box and offering her false consolations, the Queen exits, leaving Pisanio grateful for what he believes to be genuine care and medical assistance from the Queen.

Cymbeline tells the story of King Cymbeline of Britain, whose daughter Imogen secretly marries Posthumus Leonatus against her father’s wishes. Cymbeline banishes Posthumus to Rome, where he boasts of Imogen’s virtue and fidelity. The cunning Iachimo wagers that he can seduce Imogen and prove her unfaithful. When his direct attempts fail, Iachimo hides in a trunk in Imogen’s bedchamber, emerges while she sleeps, and steals her bracelet while noting intimate details of her body and room.

Returning to Rome with his false evidence, Iachimo convinces Posthumus that Imogen has been unfaithful. Enraged, Posthumus orders his servant Pisanio to kill Imogen. Instead, Pisanio reveals the plot to Imogen and helps her escape by disguising her as a young man named Fidele. She flees to the Welsh mountains, where she unknowingly encounters her long-lost brothers, Guiderius and Arviragus, who were kidnapped as infants and raised by the banished lord Belarius.

Meanwhile, Cymbeline’s evil Queen (Imogen’s stepmother) plots to poison Imogen and place her own son Cloten on the throne. Cloten pursues Imogen to Wales, where Guiderius kills him in combat. The Queen’s physician Cornelius has secretly given her a sleeping potion instead of poison, but when Imogen takes it believing it to be medicine, she falls into a death-like sleep beside Cloten’s headless corpse, whom she mistakes for Posthumus upon awakening.

The play culminates when Roman forces invade Britain. During the battle, the disguised Imogen serves the Romans while her unknown brothers and Belarius fight for Britain. After Britain’s victory, all deceptions are revealed: Iachimo confesses his lies, the Queen dies after admitting her evil plots, Imogen’s true identity and virtue are established, the royal brothers are restored to their father, and Posthumus and Imogen are reunited. Cymbeline makes peace with Rome and pardons all offenders.