Prince Caspian (character)

Last updated
Prince Caspian
Narnia character
NarniaPrinceCaspianMiraz.png
Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
In-universe information
Alias
RaceHuman
Title King of Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands, Lord of Cair Paravel, Lord of Telmar, Baron of Ettinsmor, Duke of the Lantern Waste, Duke of the Seven Isles, Duke of Galma, Count of the Western March, Emperor of Dragon Island
Family
Spouse Ramandu's daughter (wife)
Children Rilian (son)
Nationality Telmarine/Narnian

Prince Caspian (also known as Caspian X, King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of The Lone Islands, and as Caspian the Seafarer or Caspian the Navigator) is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. He is featured in three books in the series: Prince Caspian , The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , and The Silver Chair . He also appears at the end of The Last Battle .

Contents

Biographical summary

Caspian is described as noble, handsome, brave, and merry; he strives for fairness and justice at all times and is a devoted King. For his love of the sea he is known as Caspian the Seafarer.

Prince Caspian

Lewis introduces Caspian as the young nephew of and heir to King Miraz of Narnia. By this time 1288 years have passed since the rule of High King Peter and his siblings, and Old Narnians no longer live openly in Narnia, having been driven into hiding 305 years earlier by Caspian's ancestors, the Telmarines. In fact, the talking beasts are widely believed to be mythical by the human population, and stories of them are forbidden in Miraz's castle.

When Caspian is a small boy (by which time both of his parents are dead), his nurse tells him of these stories, which fascinate him; but when he mentions them in the presence of his uncle, Miraz rebukes Caspian and dismisses the nurse.

Miraz appoints Doctor Cornelius Caspian's tutor. Cornelius has dwarfish as well as human blood, though Miraz does not know this. Cornelius teaches Caspian the sciences and history that his uncle prescribes, but also tells him secretly the true stories of Narnia's past.

Cornelius tells Caspian that Miraz murdered Caspian IX, Caspian's father and Miraz's elder brother, to take the throne for himself. Although a childless Miraz never cared much for Prince Caspian, he was willing that Caspian should succeed him as king, as he would rather Caspian inherit the throne than a stranger.

When Miraz's wife Prunaprismia gives birth to a son, this situation changes overnight. Cornelius urges the 13-year-old Caspian to flee for his life, for Miraz will certainly perceive Caspian as his son's rival for the throne. Cornelius gives Caspian Queen Susan's magic horn, which will bring help to whoever blows it. Caspian flees and meets creatures he once thought mythical, and the Old Narnians accept him as king.

When Miraz attacks, Caspian blows the horn, and the kings and queens of old – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy – are pulled back into Narnia. With Aslan's help, they defeat Miraz in what Lewis called the "War of Deliverance" and restore old Narnia. Despite his Telmarine bloodline, Caspian is named the rightful heir by Aslan himself, for he is a member of Adam's race from Earth and proved ready to self-sacrifice for beings not of his people. He becomes King Caspian X.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

In the first three years of his reign, King Caspian X wins several decisive victories over the Giants of the North. [1] Caspian, in his own words, "gave those troublesome giants on the frontier such a good beating last summer that they pay us tribute now."

The titular voyage of the novel takes place exactly three years after Prince Caspian. [2] Order has been re-established in Narnia, and Caspian has constructed the ship Dawn Treader to sail the eastern seas in search of the seven Telmarine lords who had remained loyal to his father and were sent away by Miraz.

On the way to the Lone Islands, the sailors discover Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace in the water. They have been magically transported to the Narnian world, and help Caspian and the ship's crew sail east towards the end of the world to find the missing lords. When they reach the end of the world, the mouse Reepicheep (who had fought to liberate Narnia in Prince Caspian) goes on to Aslan's Country, described as a blissful paradise. During the voyage, Caspian meets the unnamed daughter of the retired star Ramandu. They marry and have a son, Rilian.

The Silver Chair

In this novel, 50 years later, Caspian is an ailing elderly man. A decade earlier, his wife died of a serpent's bite, and their son Rilian rode to exact revenge but disappeared.

Eustace and his school friend Jill Pole arrive in Narnia while fleeing a gang of bullies at their school, Experiment House. They arrive to witness the aged Caspian set off to sea. He had told his people that he wanted to revisit the places of his youth, but many believe that Caspian fears his son is lost forever and has gone on the voyage to seek Aslan to ask who could be the next king of Narnia. Meanwhile, Eustace and Jill rescue the lost Prince from the underworld where he had been held captive by his mother's murderer, the shapeshifting Lady of the Green Kirtle. Caspian returns to Narnia in time to meet his son before dying outside Cair Paravel, in the company of his son and many of his closest followers. After his death, Caspian is rejuvenated by Aslan in Aslan's Country, and he accompanies Eustace and Jill back to their world for a short time, where they deal with the Experiment House bullies.

The Last Battle

Caspian makes a very brief appearance with his wife and son Rilian at the end of this novel, the final book in the Narnia series. He is present with all the other major characters who reappear in Aslan's Country at the end of the Narnian world.

Portrayals

In the 1989 television serial of Prince Caspian produced by the BBC, the teenaged Caspian was played by Jean Marc Perret. In the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (also 1989), the slightly older Caspian was played by Samuel West, and in The Silver Chair the aged Caspian is played by Geoffrey Russell (and the rejuvenated Caspian by Jean Marc Perret).

In Walden Media's 2008 release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian , the character is portrayed by English actor Ben Barnes. In this version, the Telmarines are of Spanish descent so Caspian is portrayed with a Mediterranean accent, dark hair and dark eyes; he is older than he is in the book as he is already coming of age and is wrestling with his youthful desire for revenge against Miraz. The film also introduces an incipient attraction between Caspian and Queen Susan; before she returns to her own world for the last time, Susan gives Caspian a farewell kiss.

Caspian is again portrayed by Barnes in Walden's sequel, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , this time with a beard to show that time has passed and the Mediterranean accent has been changed to Barnes' natural English accent. Now in his early twenties, Caspian has grown and matured into a wise young man and is on a voyage to find the seven lost lords of Narnia that were banished by his uncle. During the voyage, he is tempted by an evil green mist of Dark Island, which appears to him as his greatest fear: that his father feels nothing but disappointment in him. After defeating the evil, he is offered the chance to travel to Aslan's Country to find his father, but chooses to stay in Narnia and continue his reign as King. Caspian also finds a new love interest, who will later become his wife. After confessing that he has not found a Queen and before reaching Dark Island and the World's End, he falls in love with Lilliandil, the beautiful daughter of Ramandu, whom he meets on Ramandu's Island.

Notes

  1. ↑ According to the Narnian timeline, in the Narnian year 2304.
  2. ↑ Again, according to the Narnian timeline, though the defeat of the Giants in 2304 would then not have occurred "last summer".

Related Research Articles

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> Series of childrens fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, The Chronicles of Narnia has been adapted for radio, television, the stage, film, and video games. The series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. Except in The Horse and His Boy, the protagonists are all children from the real world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by the lion Aslan to protect Narnia from evil. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in The Magician's Nephew to its eventual destruction in The Last Battle.

<i>Prince Caspian</i> Childrens fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis, 1951

Prince Caspian is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1951. It was the second published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956), and Lewis had finished writing it in 1949, before the first book was out. It is volume four in recent editions of the series, sequenced according to the internal chronology of the books. Like the others, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.

<i>The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i> Childrens fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis, 1952

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a portal fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1952. It was the third published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956). Macmillan US published an American edition within the calendar year. with substantial revisions that were retained in the United States until 1994. It is volume five in recent editions, which are sequenced according to the novels' internal chronology. Like the other Chronicles of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was illustrated by Pauline Baynes, and her work has been retained in many later editions.

<i>The Silver Chair</i> 1953 childrens fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis

The Silver Chair is a children's portal fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1953. It was the fourth published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956); it is volume six in recent editions, which are sequenced according to Narnian history. Like the others, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Witch</span> Fictional sorceress

Jadis is a fictional character and the main antagonist of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) and The Magician's Nephew (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, The Chronicles of Narnia. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as she is the Witch who froze Narnia in the Hundred Years Winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Pevensie</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of all the Pevensie children, Lucy is the closest to Aslan. Also, of all the humans who have visited Narnia, Lucy is perhaps the one that believes in Narnia the most. She is ultimately crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant, co-ruler of Narnia along with her two brothers and her sister. Lucy is the central character of the four siblings in the novels. Lucy is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a minor character in two others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

Peter Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia book series. Peter appears in three of the seven books; as a child and a principal character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Last Battle. He is only mentioned in The Horse and His Boy in which he is away on the northern frontier fighting giants and in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in which he is studying under the tutelage of Professor Kirke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

Edmund Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a lesser character in two others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eustace Scrubb</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins. In The Silver Chair and The Last Battle, he is accompanied by Jill Pole, a classmate from his school.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian</i> 2008 film directed by Andrew Adamson

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 high fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the 1951 novel Prince Caspian, Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, the second published and fourth chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), it is the second installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rilian</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

In C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia fictional series, Rilian (2325-?) is the son of King Caspian and the grandson of Ramandu the star. Rilian appears in two of the seven books, The Silver Chair and briefly in The Last Battle.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> (TV series) British childrens television series (1988–1990)

The Chronicles of Narnia is a British BBC-produced television series that was aired from 13 November 1988 to 23 December 1990 and is based on four books of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. The first series aired was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1988, the second series aired was Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 1989 and the third series aired was The Silver Chair in 1990. This television series was produced by Paul Stone, with the teleplay by Alan Seymour. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was directed by Marilyn Fox, while Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair were directed by Alex Kirby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trumpkin</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Trumpkin is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' fantasy novel series The Chronicles of Narnia. Trumpkin is an intensely practical and skeptical dwarf who lives during the reigns of King Miraz and King Caspian X. He is a major character in Prince Caspian, briefly mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and is a minor character in The Silver Chair.

The Seven Great Lords of Narnia are fictional characters in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. They are briefly mentioned in Prince Caspian and are central to the plot in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the second and third published books, respectively, in the series.

Lord Drinian is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader he is the captain of the Dawn Treader and a close friend of King Caspian X. In The Silver Chair, he has remained a trusted advisor of the king, and has also become a close friend of Caspian's son, Prince Rilian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aslan</span> Fictional lion, a deity in The Chronicles of Narnia

Aslan is a major character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. Unlike any other character in the Narnian series, Aslan appears in all seven chronicles. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion and is described as the King of Beasts, the son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, and the King above all High Kings in Narnia.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i> 2010 film by Michael Apted

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a 2010 high fantasy adventure film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Michael Petroni, based on the 1952 novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third published and fifth chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), it is the third and final installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. It is the only film in the series not to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which was replaced by 20th Century Fox. However, Disney would eventually own the rights to all the films in the series following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019.

Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the second series of The Chronicles of Narnia that ran from 1988 to 1990. The series, which was shown on BBC television in 1989, is an adaptation of two of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia novels: Prince Caspian (1951) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952).

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Narnia:

References

Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Narnia
Anno Mundi Narniae 2303-2356		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.