Explaining the 14 Year Gap

    
     I would explain the fourteen year gap in Shakespeare's Pericles in a way that emphasizes Dionyza's envious and evil nature while highlighting Pericles' noble and caring personality.

    First, Pericles would return to Tyre after leaving Marina in Tarsus with Cleon and Dionyza. I would have him state that he wishes to reunite with his daughter, but he gets caught up in Tyre's politics and social problems and whatnot. Since he has been gone for a while, he must regain the trust of his people again after his relatively long period of absence. After around a year of gaining his people's trust, he sends a letter to Tarsus regarding whether he can get his daughter. However, the letter never reaches Tarsus because of a tempest on the delivery's way to Tarsus on the Mediterranean Sea. This would keep Shakespeare's focus on the water very consistent throughout the play. By the time his second letter, sent by land, reaches Tarsus, a considerable amount of time has passed. Back in Tarsus, Dionyza resembles a different person from the first half of the play. She begins to madly covet Marina, maybe even love her more than her own daughter, which would cause conflict within herself later on. She replies to Pericles convincing him to leave Marina there, where she can live with a mother-like person (Dionyza) around, since Dionyza knows of Thaisa's unfortunate event. Then Pericles, the good father that he is, is persuaded that life would be better in Tarsus for Marina since he, a single-parent and ruling king, wouldn't be able to provide what he believes Dionyza can provide. Pericles agrees to do so with the condition that Marina knows of his existence and can get her back when the time is right for both Pericles and Marina. Then, as time passes (around ten years), maybe a dumb show could show Dionyza's transformation into Cinderella's evil stepmother due to jealousy. Pericles occasionally receives updates on Marina and even letters from here (written by someone else, explaining her "lovely" life), thinking that everything is perfect, when it isn't. This would conclude my explanation for the fourteen year gap.