Arviragus is one of Cymbeline’s two sons, stolen as an infant by the banished nobleman Belarius and raised in a remote Welsh cave. He knows himself only as “Cadwal,” the adopted son of Morgan (Belarius’s assumed name), and has spent his entire life in isolation from court, civilization, and his true identity. Yet despite this humble, seemingly base upbringing in poverty and wilderness, Arviragus embodies a native nobility that neither training nor rank could create—a virtue that appears almost miraculous given his circumstances. He is martial and brave, eager for action and glory, yet he is also deeply emotional and perceptive, capable of swift and profound attachment. When Imogen arrives at the cave disguised as a boy named Fidele, Arviragus falls in love with “him” almost instantly, and his grief when he believes Fidele dead rivals his brother’s.
Arviragus’s role in the play centers on the paradox of nature versus nurture. Belarius has deliberately raised the boys away from corruption, and both brothers display an instinctive nobility—a love of honor, courage, and virtue—that seems to flow from their royal blood rather than from their rough education. When Cloten arrives at the cave spoiling for a fight, Arviragus’s contempt for the would-be prince is immediate and biting; he recognizes Cloten’s hollowness despite the boy’s rank. Later, when the brothers discover Imogen apparently dead, Arviragus’s lament is so tender and eloquent that it rivals the most sophisticated court verse, yet it springs from an unlettered cave-dweller. He is capable of profound sentiment alongside martial prowess, and he grieves as deeply as he fights. His willingness to join Belarius and Guiderius in the battle against the Romans (and for the British cause) shows a patriotic instinct that seems to arise from something beyond mere training—a sense that true nobility demands action in service of one’s country.
By the play’s end, Arviragus is revealed to be Cymbeline’s younger son and is immediately recognized as worthy of his station. He has already proven his valor on the battlefield and his goodness in the cave; his true name and rank only confirm what his nature has always shown. His embrace of Imogen as his sister, and his ready acceptance of Posthumus as a brother-in-law, demonstrate his emotional generosity and his ability to move swiftly from one state of understanding to another. Arviragus represents Shakespeare’s faith that true nobility cannot be hidden by circumstance and that virtue, once tested, proves more durable than any rank or title.
