# Belarius — Cymbeline character guide

> Belarius in Cymbeline by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Morgan

**First appearance:** 0017-act-iii-scene-iii

## Snapshot

A banished nobleman turned mountain father, he guards two stolen princes with a soldier's discipline and a guilty man's silence.

## Who they are

Belarius lives in a Welsh cave with the two young men he calls his sons, hunting, teaching, and hiding them from the court that wronged him. His love for them is genuine, but it is tangled with the secret that he stole them from Cymbeline years ago and that his exile was unjust. When strangers stumble into their wilderness, his protective caution becomes the story's hinge: he must decide whether to keep his hidden family safe or let the world reclaim them.

## Relationships

### [Guiderius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/guiderius)

_family_

Belarius is the kidnapper and adoptive father of Guiderius, raising him in the wilderness with genuine paternal care.

### [Cloten](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/cloten)

_rivalry_

Belarius and his adopted sons encounter Cloten in the forest, leading to a deadly confrontation where Cloten is killed.

### [Iachimo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/iachimo)

_rivalry_

Belarius opposes Iachimo's schemes indirectly, as Iachimo's deceit threatens the royal family Belarius secretly protects.

### [Imogen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/imogen)

_family_

Belarius unknowingly shelters Imogen, his king's daughter, and treats her with kindness as a lost traveler.

### [Arviragus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/arviragus)

_family_

Arviragus is Belarius's adoptive son, raised with love and loyalty in the forest, believing Belarius is his father.

### [Cloten](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/cloten)

_rivalry_

Belarius and his adopted sons encounter Cloten in the forest, leading to a deadly confrontation where Cloten is killed.

### [Guiderius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/guiderius)

_family_

Belarius is the kidnapper and adoptive father of Guiderius, raising him in the wilderness with genuine paternal care.

### [Arviragus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/arviragus)

_family_

Arviragus is Belarius's adoptive son, raised with love and loyalty in the forest, believing Belarius is his father.

### [Imogen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/imogen)

_family_

Belarius unknowingly shelters Imogen, his king's daughter, and treats her with kindness as a lost traveler.

### [Guiderius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/guiderius)

_family_

Belarius is the kidnapper and adoptive father of Guiderius, raising him in the wilderness with genuine paternal care.

### [Arviragus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/arviragus)

_family_

Arviragus is Belarius's adoptive son, raised with love and loyalty in the forest, believing Belarius is his father.

### [Iachimo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/iachimo)

_rivalry_

Belarius opposes Iachimo's schemes indirectly, as Iachimo's deceit threatens the royal family Belarius secretly protects.

## In the story

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iii)

Exiled nobleman living in a cave, raising Cymbeline's stolen sons under the alias Morgan.

### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-vi)

He leads the group, recognizes Imogen's distress, and offers hospitality. He is impressed by her appearance, calling her an 'angel' or 'earthly paragon.'

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-ii)

Leads the hunting party, observes the nobility of the princes, and later mourns Imogen's apparent death.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iv)

Cautious and protective, he worries about the consequences of Cloten's death and their exposure, but eventually consents to join the battle.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/chapters/act-v-scene-ii)

Leads Guiderius and Arviragus in rallying the Britons and rescuing Cymbeline.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/chapters/act-v-scene-iii)

Mentioned as the 'old man' who led the defense; present with Cymbeline.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/chapters/act-v-scene-v)

Reveals his origins as a gentleman from Cambria, is knighted by Cymbeline for his valor in battle.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/belarius
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters