Miraz

King Miraz
Narnia character
Sergio Castellitto as King Miraz in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Race	Human
Nation	Narnia
Gender	Male
Title	Miraz the Usurper, King of Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands, Lord of Telmar
Family
Spouse	Prunaprismia
Children	Unnamed son
Siblings	Caspian IX
Family	See relations of Caspian.
Major character in
Prince Caspian
Portrayals in adaptations
1989 BBC miniseries: Robert Lang
2008 Walden/Disney film: Sergio Castellitto[1]

Robert Lang as Miraz in the BBC serial

Miraz is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is the main antagonist in the book Prince Caspian, and is the uncle of the book's protagonist. Miraz is the false king of Narnia, having killed his brother, Caspian IX, in order to assume the throne just after the birth of his nephew. The relationship between Miraz and his brother's son, Prince Caspian, resembles that of Claudius and Hamlet in Shakespeare's play Hamlet.^[2]

Miraz, a descendant of the Telmarines who had invaded Narnia hundreds of years before, is a cruel and unpopular ruler. Most notorious for banning the teaching of Narnia's pre-Telmarine history, he also levies high taxes and enacts harsh laws. He initially tolerates Caspian as his heir, taking the title of "Lord Protector" for himself, before ascending the throne while Caspian is a small child. Many years later, his wife, Prunaprismia, bears a son. Miraz is then ready to kill Caspian too, in order to clarify the succession.

Caspian, warned in the nick of time by his tutor, flees Miraz's Castle and forms an alliance with the "Old Narnians", after three of them rescue him after he is knocked out in a fall from his horse. Caspian's horse heads back to his stable at Miraz's castle, causing Miraz to send his army out to track down Caspian.

Civil war ensues, culminating in Peter Pevensie defeating Miraz in a duel. Miraz is then killed in an act of treachery by his counselor Lord Glozelle, as an act of revenge for Miraz branding him a "coward" saying that he was talking "like an old woman" when suggesting reasons not to fight King Peter.

References

1. "Sergio Castellitto Cast as Miraz". NarniaWeb. 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
2. Hardy, Elizabeth Baird (December 13, 2006). Milton, Spenser and the Chronicles of Narnia: Literary Sources for the C.S. Lewis Novels. McFarland & Company. pp. 53–54. ISBN 0-7864-2876-7. ...it is likely that Miraz's creation owes more to a tradition of scheming, murdering throne-stealers, such as Hamlet's Uncle Claudius...