Slander
Pisanio, the only truly trustworthy character in the play besides Imogen, comments on the deceitful and manipulative court using a number of metaphors to describe the evil of slander. He compares slander to a sword, a venomous snake, a tempest, and a snake once more (3.4). In these metaphors, Pisanio suggests that the deceptive characters who surround him will invite destruction not only to themselves but to others implicated in their schemes.
The Bracelet
When Posthumus and Imogen part ways, they exchange love tokens – Imogen gives Posthumus a ring that once belonged to her mother, and Posthumus gives Imogen a bracelet (later taken by Iachimo). Posthumus calls the bracelet a "manacle," another word for a restraining device or handcuff. Through this metaphor, Posthumus suggests that he desires Imogen to be bound to him – an image that foreshadows his anxiety over Imogen's fidelity.
The Queen
At the beginning of the play, nearly every character but Cymbeline can see the Queen for who she really is: a lying, scheming, conniving villain. Imogen is included among these characters, who says of the Queen, "How fine this tyrant / Can tickle where she wounds!" (1.1). Here, Imogen compares her step-mother to a weapon that simultaneously wounds and caresses, suggesting that the Queen is adept at hiding her malicious intentions.
The Queen's Intentions
When Cornelius delivers the message to the Cymbeline that the Queen is dead, he also informs the King of all the wrongdoing the Queen attempted while she was still alive. He says, "Your daughter, whom she bore in hand to love / With such integrity, she did confess / Was as a scorpion to her sight" (5.5). Here, Cornelius conveys to Cymbeline the Queen's own message, which is a simile comparing Imogen to a scorpion. The Queen, therefore, confessed to seeing her step-daughter as a wretched and poisonous insect.
Posthumus vs. Cloten
When Imogen defends her choice of Posthumus to her disapproving father, she says, "I chose an eagle / And did avoid a puttock" (1.1). Here, Imogen uses a bird metaphor to compare Posthumus to something regal, strong, and noble and Cloten to something greedy and debased.
