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Belarius is a pastoral figure who plays a key role in the family romance at the heart of Cymbeline. Like Posthumus, Belarius is an exile from Cymbeline’s court. But unlike Posthumus, who was exiled for betraying the king’s wishes, Belarius’s exile was entirely unjustified. To avenge himself on the king, Belarius conspired with his wife to steal away with Cymbeline’s two sons, Guiderius and Arviragus, leaving him with no male heirs. The exiles settled in a cave in the Welsh mountains, a pastoral countryside that at Shakespeare’s time would also have been strongly associated with magic and romance. It is there that Belarius, alias “Morgan,” has been raising the two princes, whom he calls “Polydore” and “Cadwal.” In terms of the plot, Belarius’s main role in the play is to facilitate the reunion of his adoptive sons with their biological father, thereby restoring the royal family and strengthening the British crown. However, Belarius is also important for his reflections on the cruel vanity of courtly life and the restorative peace of the country—a classic pastoral theme. It is arguably his teachings about the natural world that allows the princes to develop fully in their nobility.
