Prince Caspian | Chapter 13: The High King in Command

Chapter Summary:

This chapter begins with Peter, Edmund, Caspian, and Doctor Cornelius discussing what is to be done about Miraz and the war at hand. Peter recommends sending him a challenge to a dual, and Peter dictates the challenge to Doctor Cornelius, who writes out the highly formal challenge on parchment. King Edmund, a Centaur, and a Giant are elected to bring the message to Miraz.

As Edmund, the Centaur, and the Giant are coming in sight of Miraz's camp, two lords of Miraz--Lord Glozelle and Lord Sopespian--see them coming. The two lords quickly realize that they are likely coming to issue a challenge to Miraz. The two lords, in an act of treason, decide to try to convince Miraz to accept the challenge, so that Miraz can be killed and the lords would gain more power for themselves in Narnia.

The two lords go to Miraz, who has just been given the parchment with the challenge. Lord Glozelle and Sopespian use reverse psychology--imploring Miraz to not accept the challenge. Miraz becomes enraged, and bursts out of his tent, telling Edmund that he accepts the challenge.

Edmund, the Centaur, and the Giant return to Aslan's How to give the message to Peter, who will fight in the dual. It is decided that a Bear, Centaur Glenstorm, and Giant Wimbleweather will stand at the posts by Peter as he duals Miraz the following day at 2:00pm.

Reflection:

I think the topic for this chapter is sophisticated humor. For all the dreariness of this chapter (after all, we are setting up a dual for Peter, in which either Peter or Miraz will die), there is really a good deal of rather sophisticated humor built in. I suppose the humor is necessary to tone down the ominous nature of the chapter. Regardless, the humor begins with Peter's ridiculously superfluous challenge letter to Miraz. This is just a sample, but you'll get the idea. In fact, this is just the introduction to the letter:

"'Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election, by prescription, and by conquest, High King overall Kings in Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands and Lord of Cair Paravel, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion, to Miraz, Son of Caspian the Eighth, sometime Lord Protector of Narnia and now styling himself King of Narnia, Greeting'" (p. 270). 

Wow. First of all--what? Second of all--really? This introduction comes off as incredibly goofy and indeed sarcastic (see the words "sometime" and "styling himself"). Peter's kingly language is so lofty that it is indeed ridiculous. The remainder of the letter isn't any better (it might, in fact, be worse). 

And then we have the scene with Lords Glozelle and Sopespian, where they use the very simple tactic of reverse psychology against a very simple Miraz. Indeed, Miraz is astounded that Glozelle and Sopespian are suggesting that he should refuse the dual. In fully fledged irony, Miraz tells Glozelle and Sopespian that he had intended on refusing the dual, until he realized that they were counseling him to refuse the dual, whereby he decides to accept the dual. 

Essentially, Lords Glozelle and Sopespian are using their knowledge of Miraz--that he is a King who would rather be correct than make the correct decision--to ensure that he will indeed fight in the dual after all. Anyone who is not Miraz would obviously find this rather absurd, but it is Miraz's pride that will likely be his own downfall. 

And finally, we have the comic relief in our mighty mouse, Reepicheep, who thinks himself as much of a warrior as the next Giant, Centaur, or Bear. (Indeed, it is often the little ones in these stories that make the lasting impact--think David and Goliath). And then we have the Giant and the Bear themselves, who are hypothetically menacing, dangerous creatures--but we know that this particular Giant is a shy, clumsy one, and this particular Bear is one who has a propensity for randomly sucking his paw. 

Anyway, those are just a few examples. This chapter combines humor of different sorts to make this one of the more amusing chapters in TCON series. The nice mixture of sophisticated humor (lofty language; reverse psychology) with rather simple humor (a mighty bear addicted to sucking his paw) is just the right combination to alleviate some of the tension for the impending dual.