Caspian X
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| Narnia character | |
 Ben Barnes as Caspian X in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. |
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| Caspian X | |
|---|---|
| Race/Nation | Human / Narnia |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | King of Narnia |
| Birthplace | Narnia |
| Family | |
| Spouse | Ramandu's Daughter |
| Parents | King Caspian IX |
| Children | Rilian |
| Other | King Miraz (uncle), Queen Prunaprismia (aunt), Ramandu (father-in-law), Erlian and Tirian (direct descendents) |
| Major character in | |
| Prince Caspian | |
| The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | |
| The Silver Chair | |
| Portrayals in Adaptations | |
| 1988 BBC miniseries: Jean-Marc Perret (boy) Samuel West (young man) Geoffrey Russell (old man) 2008 Disney film: Ben Barnes |
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Caspian X, King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of The Lone Islands, also called Caspian the Seafarer and Caspian the Navigator is a fictional character in the The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. He is featured predominantly in three books in the series: Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair. He also makes an appearance at the end of The Last Battle.
Contents |
[edit] Biographical summary
[edit] Character development
According to Paul Ford, Caspian is the most developed Narnian character in The Chronicles of Narnia. Almost all 66 years of his life are covered in the series.
[edit] Prince Caspian
When Lewis first introduces Caspian in this book, he is the 13-year-old nephew and heir to King Miraz of Narnia. By this time, 1300 years since the rule of the High King Peter, Old Narnians are no longer allowed to openly live in Narnia, having been driven into hiding by Caspian's ancestors, the Telmarines. In fact, the talking beasts are presented as nothing more than myth, and are a forbidden subject in Miraz's castle. When Caspian is a very little boy, his nurse tells him of these stories, and he is fascinated by them, but when he mentions them in the presence of his uncle, Miraz, he rebukes Caspian and dismisses his nurse.
Miraz appoints Doctor Cornelius as Caspian's tutor and mentor. Cornelius has dwarfish as well as human blood, though Miraz does not know this. Cornelius teaches Caspian the sciences and history that his uncle wants, but he also secretly tells him the true stories of Narnia's past. Caspian also discovers that Miraz killed his father, Miraz's elder brother Caspian IX, in order to take the throne for himself. When Miraz's wife Prunaprismia gives birth to a son, Cornelius advises Caspian to flee for his life, or Miraz will try to kill Caspian so that his own son will be the heir to the throne instead of Caspian. Caspian flees, taking with him Queen Susan's magic horn, which Doctor Cornelius gives him; this horn will bring help to the person who blows it. He eventually meets the creatures that he once thought were mythological; most of them agree to accept him as their king. When Miraz attacks this group, Caspian blows the horn, and summons the old kings and queens, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, back to Narnia. With Aslan's help, they defeat Miraz in what Lewis called the "War of Deliverance" and restore old Narnia. Prince Caspian becomes King Caspian X in year 2303 of the Narnian calendar.
[edit] The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
At the start of the novel, it is learned that, one year after the events of Prince Caspian in 2304, King Caspian X wages war upon the Giants of the North, and successfully defeats them in several decisive victories, the likes of which were not seen since the days of High King Peter. In his own words King Caspian "gave those troublesome giants on the frontier such a good beating last summer that they pay us tribute now." (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
The action of the novel is set three years after the events in Prince Caspian and lasts from 2306–7. 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 been loyal to his father and were sent away by Miraz. On their way to the Lone Islands, the ship discovers Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace in the water; they have been magically transported to the Narnian world. With the aid of the three children, Caspian and the ship's crew sail east towards "the end of the world" to find the missing lords and discover several new lands. When the Dawn Treader reaches the end of the world, which leads into Aslan's Country, the crew member and mouse Reepicheep (who had fought to liberate Narnia in Prince Caspian) leaves himself in Aslan's Country, which, at this point in the series, had been described as paradise and bliss. During this voyage, Caspian meets the unnamed daughter of Ramandu. They marry in 2310 and they later have a son, Rilian, who is the heir apparent to the Narnian throne.
[edit] The Silver Chair
In this novel, Caspian is weak and ailing at the age of 66. Eleven years earlier, his wife died of a serpent's bite and their son Rilian disappeared. The aged Caspian has set off to sea to see the lands of his youth, but many believe that he has gone to seek Aslan in order to ask who should be the next King of Narnia, fearing that he will never see his son again. 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 long enough to embrace his son before he dies. After his death, Caspian is rejuvenated by Aslan and he accompanies Eustace and Jill back to their school Experiment House where they deal with the gang of bullies known as Them. Finally, Caspian's spirit returns to Aslan's Country.
[edit] The Last Battle
Caspian makes a very brief appearance at the end of this novel, the final entry in the Narnia series. He is present with all the other major characters who reappear at the end of the Narnian world in Aslan's Country.
[edit] Portrayals
- In the 1988 television serial of Prince Caspian produced by the BBC, Caspian as a boy was played by Jean Marc Perret. In the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he 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 Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media's 2008 release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the character is portrayed by British actor Ben Barnes.
[edit] External links
- Dawn Treader model photographs
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at Narnia Fans
- NarniaWeb
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader publication history at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
[edit] References
- Ford, Paul F. (2005), written at SanFrancisco, Companion to Narnia, Revised Edition, Harper, ISBN 0-06-079127-6
- Lewis, C.S. (1951), written at London, Prince Caspian, Geoffrey Bles
- Lewis, C.S. (1952), written at London, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Geoffrey Bles
- Lewis, C.S. (1953), written at London, The Silver Chair, Geoffrey Bles
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