There is something curious, I think, in the way Shakespeare uses the deus-ex-machina scene with Jupiter in Cymbeline. Whereas conventionally the deus-ex-machina swoops down during the most crucial scene either to rescue a character or at the very least to impose his or her will in a dispute, here we see a god who does not seem to effect any change in his visit to earth: he merely chides the distressed ghosts for thinking he would let one of his most beloved servants suffer unduly, then comforts them, and leaves a sort of encouraging note for Posthumous. How are we to read this moment? Is this just a more narratively elegant version of the deus-ex-machina? Are we to see Jupiter’s hand stretching out from this dream sequence into the revelations and recognitions which follow, or are we to accept these as the “natural” consequences of the characters’ behavior? What are we to make of the god’s brief appearance and then disappearance before matters get resolved, and in a dream sequence, nonetheless?
On a related note, I'm absolutely fascinated by the appearance of Posthumous's ghost family in V.5. As we see Posthumous for the first time being part of a family unit, and being looked after in his sleep by respectable and loving elders, he becomes vulnerable and childlike in a touching way. How does this dreamy (and rhyming!) representation of family life respond to other iterations of the family unit in the piece?
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