Prince Caspian

I recently watched Prince Caspian, and this scene, which I’ve always loved for its layers of symbolism, just struck me so hard, I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

Picture this:

A stone, underground room, lit by torches. In the center of the room, a stone table, broken in half. Opposite the door, a massive stone arch, with a stone engraving of Aslan looking through it onto the rest of the room.

A battle stained and almost hopeless Prince Caspian enters, following a dwarf who has shown nothing but anger and bitterness towards him. He’s following Nikabrik, the dwarf, because he’s promised everything Caspian wants, and Caspian knows he can’t win this battle on his own.

The first thing he should see upon entering the room is the stone Aslan, and the second should be the stone table, where Aslan proved his power even over death. But he doesn’t see these. He’s focused on Nikabrik, and the “allies” he’s brought to Caspian.

A werewolf and a hag. Two sides of the same coin, a coin of evil. One, the werewolf, is the physical power of evil. Visually terrifying, he is all consuming, fearless, and utterly ruthless. The other, the hag, is arguably far more terrifying. Her appearance is weak and frail, but she wields power over the unseen spiritual realm that no human could fight against.

These are the allies Nikabrik promises Caspian, but they are only the beginning. When Caspian accepts their help, fully knowing they are not the only thing he is agreeing to, but still desperate for a higher power to save him in this war he’s losing, then they tell him the full story.

When you partner with shadows, they bring darkness disguised as light. The plan of these creatures is to bring back the White Witch, someone, they say, who was powerful enough to hold Aslan at bay for a hundred years.

Caspian never agrees to this, but he doesn’t disagree either, so the hag begins chanting and employing witchcraft to bring the Witch back. But without your consent, sin can only bring you to the edge, not push you in.

A wall of ice appears in the arch, blocking your view from the stone Aslan, and in this ice appears the Witch. She stares down at Caspian, tall, powerful, but still trapped in the ice. She cannot leave unless Caspian touches her hand with a drop of his blood, because sin will always cost you a bit of yourself.

Caspian stares in disbelief, before snapping back into the right frame of mind and trying to back away. But he’s in too deep now. The werewolf grabs him and holds out his hand as the witch slices a knife across it. They may have seemed like the answer to his problem at the time, but now they hold him captive. They don’t drag him forward, since it must be his choice, but they don’t allow him to leave either.

In come Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and Trumpkin, brandishing swords, knives, and a determination to help their friend. Nikabrik, the hag, and the werewolf fall away from Caspian to fight off these potential saviors, but Caspian does not use his new freedom to run away. His bloody hand is still outstretched, and his eyes are locked on the Witch, because he still needs help, and the more he thinks about it, the more she seems like the only choice.

The battle rages on in the background, but one by one, the servants of darkness fall. His friends took away everything holding him on the edge of sin, but Caspian is still balancing on the edge. Peter sees Caspian still reaching his hand out to the Witch, so close to freeing her, and he charges into him, knocking him to the ground and brandishing his sword against the Witch.

After withdrawing slightly, the Witch looks at Peter and knows his weakness, as temptation always will. She repeats her offer to Peter, “One drop of Adam’s blood, and I’m yours.” But this time she adds, “You know you can’t do this alone.”

He lowers his sword, because he knows what she’s saying is true. He can’t do this alone. He’s as desperate as Caspian, and her offer sounds so tempting. How badly could it go? He forgets where he stands, in the very place where Aslan proved his true power over her false victory.

Just as you think Peter’s about to free the Witch, a blade suddenly pierces her from behind. The ice wall shatters, and you see Edmund holding the sword that finished her. In his eyes, you can see that he already paid the price for accepting her help once, and he’s not about to let his brother and friend pay that same price.

No matter how good it sounds at the time, sin will always strike back a hundred fold. Sometimes, you need someone who’s actually experienced it to stop you from doing the same.

Edmund walks out of the arch, and Peter’s left staring at the stone Aslan, mighty, proud, and good.

Isn’t there so much symbolism?! Isn’t it so good?!