The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Summary: Plot, Characters and Key Facts
Four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, are sent to a professor's house in the country during the war. Lucy finds a wardrobe that leads to Narnia, a land where it is always winter under the rule of the White Witch.
The children help the great lion Aslan end her reign, and become the kings and queens of Narnia.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | C. S. Lewis |
| Published | 1950 |
| Setting | England in 1940, then the land of Narnia |
| Main characters | The four Pevensie children, Aslan, the White Witch |
| Structure | 17 chapters |
| Next book | Prince Caspian (1951) |
How do the children get to Narnia?
The Pevensies are evacuated from London to the house of an old professor. Exploring on a rainy day, Lucy, the youngest, steps into a wardrobe, pushes through its coats and finds herself in a snowy wood with a lamppost. She meets a faun, Mr. Tumnus, who invites her to tea.
Tumnus confesses that he was supposed to hand any human he found to the White Witch, who has made Narnia a land of endless winter. He lets Lucy go home. When she tells her siblings, they do not believe her.
↑ Back to the topWhat does Edmund do?
Edmund follows Lucy into Narnia on another day and meets the White Witch, who offers him sweets and promises to make him a prince if he brings his brother and sisters to her. He keeps this secret.
Later all four children enter Narnia. They learn that Tumnus has been arrested and meet Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, who tell them about a prophecy that four human children will end the Witch's reign, and about Aslan, the true ruler of Narnia, who has returned. Edmund slips away to the Witch.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens with Aslan?
The others set out to meet Aslan. Winter begins to break as they travel. Edmund is rescued, but the Witch claims that, under Narnia's ancient law, a traitor's life belongs to her.
Aslan offers himself in Edmund's place. He is killed at the Stone Table, and then returns to life. The next day the Narnians fight the Witch's army in a great battle, with Aslan joining them, and the Witch is defeated.
↑ Back to the topHow does it end?
Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are crowned at Cair Paravel and rule Narnia for many years. One day they follow a stag back into the wood, step out of the wardrobe and find that they are children again, and that almost no time has passed in our world.
↑ Back to the topWho are the main characters?
Lucy is the youngest Pevensie and the first to find Narnia. Edmund is the brother who betrays the others and later makes up for it. Peter is the eldest. Susan is the second oldest. Aslan is the great lion and rightful king. The White Witch keeps Narnia in winter. Mr. Tumnus is the faun, and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver shelter the children.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
This guide covers C. S. Lewis's books. Films and TV versions differ from them in places.