How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #4
IACHIMO
She stripped it from her arm. I see her yet.
Her pretty action did outsell her gift
And yet enriched it too. She gave it me
and said she prized it once. (2.4.128-131)
Posthumus falls for Iachimo's trick hook, line, and sinker. Once the bracelet is shown, all bets are off. Posthumus knows how important that bracelet is, so he believes Iachimo. We'd also like to point out how malicious Iachimo is when delivering the (fake) news: he adds a stinger by saying Imogen prized it—or Posthumus—once but doesn't anymore. What's the point of this? Does he just want to be "better" than Posthumus? Why bother with all of this stuff?
Quote #5
POSTHUMUS
...be it lying, note it,
The woman's; flattering, hers; deceiving, hers;
Lust and rank thoughts, hers, hers; revenges, hers;
Ambitions, covetings, change of prides, disdain,
Nice longing, slanders, mutability,
All faults that have a name, nay, that hell knows,
Why, hers, in part, or all, but rather, all. (2.5.23-29)
It's all women's fault, Posthumus claims. He's livid at his wife for betraying him, but he takes it to the next level when he rants and rages at all womankind. The ladies are deceitful, fickle, lustful, and disdainful. Every lie comes from woman. Umm... apparently, Posthumus has never met Iachimo. Oh, wait, he has. Dramatic irony, anyone?
Quote #6
IMOGEN
Men's vows are women's traitors! All good seeming,
By thy revolt, O husband, shall be thought
Put on for villainy, not born where 't grows,
But worn a bait for ladies. (3.4.56-59)
Imogen loves Posthumus, but when she reads his letter accusing her of all kinds of nasty things, she delivers a rant herself. Men seem good but really just lay out bait to trap women. She's sort of right, but she's sort of wrong: we've seen how that nasty Queen laid her own trap for Cymbeline. If people could just cool down a little, they might see that men and women can be equally nice and equally nasty to each other.