No, it’s not bowling for dollars. But looking at the scansion of some of the poetic lines in Pericles gives us a better idea of how to pronounce the unusual names found therein…
Antioch
This one’s pretty easy (and well-known): AN-tee-OCK
And the scansion backs it up:
~ / ~ / ~ –/– ~ / ~ /
And danger, which I feared, is at Antioch
- I.ii.7
Though, here, you do need to elide “feared’s”
Antiochus
A little counter-intuitive, given Antioch: an-TIE-ah-KUS
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
And so with me. The great Antiochus
- I.ii.16
Pretty straightforward.
Thaliard
THA-lee-ARD (or THAL-yerd)
/ -~- -~- / ~ / ~ / ~ /
Thaliard, you are of our chamber, Thaliard
- I.i.153
You get both here, the line opens with a trochee and an elided second syllable (THAL-yerd), and an elided first syllable to the next iambic foot (you’re), but the line ends with a fully pronounced THA-lee-ARD.
Helicanus
Now, this one’s a tough one…we get a kind of hint from the shortened Helicane:
HEH-li-KANE
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
Good Helicane, that stayed at home,
- II.Ch.17
so… HEH-li-KANE-us
~ / / ~ ~ / ~ / ~ / ~
Thou speak’st like a physician, Helicanus
- I.ii.66
Note the trochee second foot. But earlier usages didn’t really help:
~ / ~ / ~ / || / ~ / ~ – / –
And then return to us. Helicanus, thou hast
- I.ii.50
The line’s messy, with a caesura before the name, plus a final elided syllable (thou’st)
Dionyza
DIE-oh-NIE-za
~ /~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
My Dionyza, shall we rest us here
- I.iv.1
Straightforward.
Cleon
KLEE-on
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
Most honored Cleon, I must needs be gone.
- III.iii.1
Again, straightforward.
Escanes
ES-ka-NES
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
No, Escanes; know this of me–
- II.iv.1
Straightforward.
Simonides
se-MON-e-DEES
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
Good morrow to the good Simonides.
- II.v.1
Straightforward.
Lychorida
lie-KO-re-DUH
~|| / / ~ / ~ / / /
O, no tears, Lychorida, no tears
- III.iv.38
It’s a weird line: a opening spondee or trochee, with the second syllable swallowed by a caesura; a second spondee foot (plus another at the end of the line). But this pronunciation is supported by other instances:
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
Lychorida, our nurse is dead:
- IV.Ch.42
Philemon
fi-LEH-mon
~ / ~ /
Philemon, ho!
- III.ii.1
Straightforward even in this short poetic line.
Cerimon
SER-eh-MON
~ / ~ / ~ ~ / ~ / ~ /
Your purse, still open, hath built Lord Cerimon
- III.ii.46
There seems to be an extra unstressed syllable (hath) or a stressed syllable swallowed up by a caesura there.
Philoten
Given Philemon’s rhythm, I would have expected this to be fi-LOH-ten, but the scansion supports
FIL-oh-TEN
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
Hight Philoten, and it is said
- IV.Ch.18
and
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
This Philoten contends in skill
- IV.Ch.30
AND
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
In Philoten all graceful marks
- IV.Ch.36
Go figure.
Leonine
LEE-ah-NINE
~ / ~ / || /~ / -~- /
Not none can know, Leonine being gone.
- IV.iii.30
A strange line, with a caesura before the name, and an elision in the final foot.
Mytilene
MI-te-LEEN
~ – / – ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
Sir, there is a bark put off from Mytilene
- V.i.3
There’s a elision in that second syllable (there’s), but otherwise straightforward.
Lysimachus
lie-SIM-ah-KUS
~ / ~ / ~ / -~- / ~ /
Lysimachus our Tyrian ship espies
- V.Ch.18
Straightforward, with a slight elision of TEAR-yen.
Ephesus
EF-uh-SUS
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
At Ephesus the temple see
- V.ii.17
And of course from The Comedy of Errors…
Ah, scansion, our dependable ol’ friend.