# Guiderius — Cymbeline character guide

> Guiderius in Cymbeline by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Polydore, Cadwal

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

## Snapshot

Raised wild in the Welsh hills, this hot-blooded elder brother meets insult with a blade and royalty with a shrug.

## Who they are

Guiderius knows only the mountain life Belarius gave him, and he wears it proudly, hunting, wrestling, and scorning the softness of courts he has never seen. Where his brother is tender, he is quick to anger and quicker to act, a trait that turns a roadside confrontation into bloodshed. His fierce independence makes him both a danger and a promise: he is the kind of man a kingdom might need, if anyone could convince him to care about one.

## Relationships

### [Belarius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/belarius)

_family_

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

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

_family_

Guiderius, unaware Imogen is his sister, bonds with her as a brotherly companion in the wilderness.

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

_family_

Arviragus and Guiderius are brothers, raised together in the wild, sharing a close and loyal sibling bond.

### [Belarius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/belarius)

_family_

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

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

_family_

Guiderius, unaware Imogen is his sister, bonds with her as a brotherly companion in the wilderness.

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

_family_

Guiderius, unaware Imogen is his sister, bonds with her as a brotherly companion in the wilderness.

### [Belarius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cymbeline_se/characters/belarius)

_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 and Guiderius are brothers, raised together in the wild, sharing a close and loyal sibling bond.

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

_family_

Arviragus and Guiderius are brothers, raised together in the wild, sharing a close and loyal sibling bond.

## In the story

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

Cymbeline's elder son, raised as Polydore, unaware of his royal birth, chafes at the limitations of cave life.

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

He is weary from hunting but welcomes Imogen, jokingly saying he would woo her if she were a woman. He expresses a desire to help her.

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

Stays behind with Imogen, kills Cloten in a fight, and mourns Fidele's death.

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

Eager for action and honor, he argues forcefully for joining the army, showing his princely spirit.

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

Fights alongside Belarius and Arviragus to rescue Cymbeline.

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

One of the 'two striplings' who fought alongside Belarius; present with Cymbeline.

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

Knighted alongside Arviragus, later revealed as one of Cymbeline's lost sons.

## Links

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