Edmund Pevensie

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Edmund Pevensie is a major character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He is a principal character in three of the seven books (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), and a lesser character in two others (The Horse and His Boy, and The Last Battle).

Fulfilling an ancient prophecy, he became King Edmund the Just, King of Narnia and co-joint the rule with the other Pevensies.

In the 2005 epic film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", young Edmund is portrayed by Skandar Keynes while Mark Wells plays Edmund as an adult.

Synopsis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmund is one of the main characters. The narrator, who is sympathetic to Edmund, notes that he began to act meanly after attending a new school. He is cruel to Lucy when she first finds the entrance to Narnia through the wardrobe, and is the second of the Pevensie children to go to Narnia, after following Lucy to tease her. While there, he meets the White Witch and eats some enchanted Turkish Delight, which causes an addiction in the person who eats it. As a result, he promises the Witch that he will bring his siblings to her house, not knowing that she intends to kill them all to prevent the fulfilment of a Narnian prophecy.

Upon returning, he denies having been in Narnia, even though Lucy has seen him there. Later, when all four of the Pevensie children go through the wardrobe, he sneaks away to the White Witch's castle, where he expects to be made a prince. Once he informs the Witch, Edmund joins her in the search for his siblings. However, his opinion of her changes dramatically when she encounters a group of creatures enjoying a feast provided by Father Christmas. When the creatures refuse to deny to the Witch that the benefactor has entered land, a clear sign of her waning power; she turns them to stone over the protests of Edmund. Now realizing to his horror the evil he has allied himself with, he is quickly relegated as the Witch's prisoner. He is saved from death at the Witch's hands to void a prophecy by a rescue party sent by Aslan, and becomes fully reformed after a long conversation with the lion god. Later, the Witch lays claim to Edmund's life because he has been a traitor. She and Aslan work out an agreement that Aslan will die in Edmund's place, but unknown to her, the magical nature of this contract allows Aslan to be brought back to life.

While Aslan and Edmund's sisters race to free the cursed prisoners in the Queen's castle, Edmund participates in the battle where he plays a critical role in neutralizing the White Witch's most dangerous advantage, her wand, and is gravely wounded in the attempt. However, he is saved from death with the timely arrival of reinforcements led by Aslan who defeats the Queen and by Lucy who gives Edmund a dose of a magic cordial which can quickly heal any injury. Eventually Edmund Pevensie, completely reformed, becames King Edmund the Just, co-ruler of Narnia with Queen Lucy, Queen Susan and High King Peter and been knighted as Duke of Lantern Waste, Count of the Western March, and Knight of the Noble Order of the Table.

Commentary

In a Christian sense, Edmund represents the sinful nature of man as redeemed by the vicarious atonement of Christ. In Prince Caspian, Edmund is portrayed as loyal and humble. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with Peter absent, Edmund takes on the role of the mature leader, and is a foil to his cousin Eustace Scrubb.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
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