This week I look at another duel, this one between High King Peter and the usurping King Miraz in C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian. Whereas last week I focused on the structural elements of the environment that Rowling created for her fight, this week I want to focus on perspective.
Spoilers ahead!
The duel comes at the request of Narnia in the hopes to end the war without excessive bloodshed; a nerve-wracking, single-combat battle to determine the victor. Crowding around an arena, both armies form cheering sections, and Lewis drops his readers right into the stands with the other spectators. We and the other Narnians don’t know the intricacies of how to fight, we can only watch as the battle unfolds. “‘Well done, Peter, oh, well done!’ shouted Edmund as he saw Miraz reel back a whole pace and a half. ‘Follow it up, quick!’…“‘Miraz! Miraz! The King! The King!’ came the roar of the Telmarines. Caspian and Edmund grew white with sickening anxiety.”
Edmund acts as our guide for the fight explaining it to young Caspian. "Both falling apart," said Edmund. "A bit blown, I expect. Watch. Ah, now they're beginning again, more scientifically this time. Circling round and round, feeling each other's defences." Lewis places us next to Edmund, on the edge of our seats, waiting for him to reveal what happens. “Watch.” He says, and we do. He and Lewis paint the scene, an arena, the roaring crowd, and circling combatants. Whereas before they fell together with energy, now they must take stock of each other in a technical dance..
We are gripped by the spectacle as Caspian reports each blow. "The High King has pricked him in the arm-pit," said Caspian, still clapping. "Just where the arm-hole of the hauberk let the point through. First blood." We grow excited as Narnia takes the lead, and Peter presses his advantage. Lewis lets our imagination picture the fight, guiding us through the important parts and coaxing us to connect the dots. But in our excitement, we failed to notice, "Peter's not using his shield properly. He must be hurt in the left arm." Edmund brings us back down, and we have to ask, "You've seen more battles than I," said Caspian. "Is there any chance now?" "Precious little," said Edmund. "I suppose he might just do it. With luck."
After a short respite, in which Peter has his wrist taped and the readers catch their breath, the tide again favors Narnia. Caspian worries the Telmarine cheering may affect Peter, but Edmund assures him, "Not he," said Edmund. "You don't know him—Oh!"—for Miraz had got in a blow at last, on Peter's helmet. Peter staggered, slipped sideways and fell on one knee. The roar of the Telmarines rose like the noise of the sea. ‘Now, Miraz,’ they yelled.” Even Edmund, who until now guided Caspian and the readers, was caught off-guard. Lewis makes us recoil from Miraz’s blow and fear for Peter and the Narnians.
But all is not lost. Peter slips the next blow, turning the table. In the next exchange, Peter takes ground, and “Miraz [goes] down—not struck by Peter, but face downwards, having tripped on a tussock. Peter stepped back, waiting for him to rise…As soon as they saw their King down they leaped into the lists crying, "Treachery! Treachery! The Narnian traitor has stabbed him in the back while he lay helpless. To arms! To arms, Telmar!" Lewis pulls a classic good vs. evil exchange. When Miraz first took Peter to the ground, he went for the killing blow, but when Peter swaps positions, he chooses to let his foe reset, proving himself the better man. However, Lewis throws in another twist. Seeing their man down, the Telmarines realize the fight is lost, and they take advantage to null the duel. War commences.
What interests me about this duel, as I mentioned, is the perspective from which Lewis chooses to describe it. Up until now, the action sequences I’ve examined were seen through the eyes of the actor. Were Peter to narrate the exchange, Lewis would have needed to approach his description quite differently. Instead, he created an environment of suspense for an audience, morphing Caspian and the reader into a single, inexperienced spectator. In this way, we are drawn into the novel, experiencing the same stresses and excitements that Caspian feels, as he watches the duel unfold ringside.