Jill Pole
Jill is the catalyst for the children's adventure into Narnia and the rescue of Prince Rilian. She is being very badly bullied at her boarding school and is really looking for a means of escape when she happens upon the gate that is usually locked, and finds it unlocked. Although she believes she summoned help herself, Aslan corrects her and informs her that it was he who summoned her. Jill is quite a lot braver than she believes herself to be and seems to be able to talk herself into bravery. At first she is quick to burst into tears of either fear or frustration but as the novel progresses she keeps this habit in check as she does not want to be known as "the crier" or for girls to be thought weepy. Jill believes that she does not appreciate gender stereotypes but both unwittingly falls into them and uses them to her advantage; although she does not think she should be treated differently from Eustace because she is female, she secretly thinks less of Rilian for being bossed about by the evil Queen as she does not believe men should be told what to do by women, a stereotype that she has osmosed from society she lives in. She is also aware that being a girl brings with it certain advantages and cards to play, and she is more than happy to play them, for example, fooling the giants with her girlish delight and joy, and using her prettiness to get what she wants. Although Jill is smart, and actually logically comes up with most of their really good plans, she is also not very good at seeing things from both sides and consequently when she is pulled to safety into Narnia forgets that from the other side, the picture might look different and her friends will be fearing the worst. Jill is a good heroine from a readership point of view as she is both feisty and likeable.
Eustace Scrubb
Until he went to Narnia for the first time recently, Eustace was rather a "suck up" when it came to the school bullies and often did their bidding but lately he has changed enormously and shown more character, challenging them and sticking up for the children they are bullying. Eustace is a nice boy and considerate of Jill but he can bear a grudge for an awfully long time and whenever the opportunity arises to remind anyone who will listen, especially Jill herself, that missing the first command from Aslan was actually her fault, because he had gone on ahead of her by virtue of falling over a cliff - also her fault - he never misses it. Eustace is brave and also able to summon his experience and courage gained from the first visit he paid to Narnia. In this novel he realizes that time in Narnia moves at a different pace from time in the earthly world as King Caspian, who was only a few years older than Eustace when they first met, is now an old, old man, which saddens him enormously. Eustace is confident in their ability to carry out Aslan's task and also quite willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
Puddleglum the Marsh-Wiggle
Puddleglum is frog-like in appearance although steadfastly refuses to acknowledge that he may be related to the frog in any way. He has long, bendy legs and limbs that seem to go on forever. He is deceptively brave as his tendency to see the worst case scenario of every situation belies the fact that despite fearing mortal danger and failure at every turn he is still more than willing to give it a go and carry out the task Aslan has given them. Puddleglum has a great knowledge of enchantment and a good nose for danger, especially when the two are combined. He has a significant body of knowledge about giants, gnomes and other creatures that he feels may threaten Narnia and uses this knowledge to make sure his home is protected. Puddleglum is a brave servant of Aslan, and of King Caspian.
Aslan
Aslan is a lion who is both physically imposing and also spiritually so. He is a commanding figure who, despite looking like he could kill a person with one paw, is surprisingly gentle and reassuring. He is the force of good in the novel and was the creator of Narnia. It is in his name that the people of Narnia do everything. He commands Jill and Eustace to bring back Prince Rilian, even though many other people have tried, and failed, to do this, and says that his instructions must be carried out to the letter, to ensure their safety, but in reality anything that is done with a good intention leads them to the path he had intended them to follow. It is in Aslan's name that the Prince begs them to untie him which leads them to realize that this is what they should do. Aslan rewards loyalty with loyalty in return and after the children have done what he asks of them he repays this courage by helping them to overpower the school bullies back in the earthly world, and transform the school from somewhere very horrible to somewhere that is actually quite pleasant. Aslan is widely believed to be the God-like creator figure allegorised in all of the Chronicles.
King Caspian The Tenth
King Caspian has aged rapidly and obviously since Eustace saw him last and is now a frail physical shadow of his former self. He is a loved and respected King who inspires loyalty in his people. He has never been able to get over the loss of his son, Prince Rilian who was taken by the evil Queen and enchanted by her evil powers. He has also never stopped searching for him or believing that his is still alive. With his health failing and his days clearly coming to an end the King sets out one last time to sea to attempt to find his son and at the end of the novel when the two are reunited King Caspian is finally able to be at peace, and passes away in the knowledge that Narnia will now be safe.
Prince Rilian
Rilian is the son of King Caspian and the heir to the throne of Narnia where he will sit at Cair Paraval. He was devastated by the murder of his mother when he was young, and has vowed not to rest until he has avenged her death by killing the serpent who killed her, minimising the serpent's power by calling it "the worm". He spends an enormous amount of his time looking for the serpent and rides out to the fountain where his mother was killed. He is enchanted there by the sight of the most beautiful woman he has ever seen but it is of course the evil Queen who is enchanting him and having caught him in her spell she is able to abduct him away and keep him a prisoner by continuing to enchant him. As her power wanes each day, he has a period of time where he knows that he wants to be released from the silver chair that he is tied to. He begs the children to untie him but thinking he is an enemy they do not do so until he invokes the name of Aslan, letting them know that he is on their side after all. After his release he reverts to his former self and exhibits all of the traits that his father has, and the courage that he will need if he is to avenge his mother's murder and take his rightful seat as the good and benevolent king of Narnia. He bravely slaughters the serpent and stands up to the evil Queen despite his experience with her and the strength of the enchantment she has place him under. He is a chivalrous warrior and puts the safety of the children and his people over his own.
The Evil Queen
The Evil Queen is said by Narnians to have descended from the evil White Witch who cast snow across the whole of Narnia when the land was first created. She metamorphoses into a serpent when she is at her most evil and when she is at her most murderous, and she seems to become green in color which we are told by the narrator is like poison. She has only bad intentions and her plan is to use Prince RIlian to enable her to take over Narnia and rule it to her own advantage. She is thoroughly duplicitous but because of her beauty is not immediately taken to be so. When she meets the children and Puddleglum on the road to the ruined city she sends them to the giants with every intention of getting them killed and eaten at the next feast. She is also likely to have been the "serpent" who killed Prince Rilian's mother. She is a skilled enchantress and attempts to control the children and RIlian with fire, and with hypnotic words that almost convince them that everything she says is logical and therefore correct. She takes on the serpent form as her enchantment does not seem to be working on the group and is killed.
Trumpkin the Dwarf
Trumpkin is the Regent in the King's absence which means that he has complete authority whilst the King is not there. This is why the children and the owls keep their plan to seek Rilian a secret from him, as he is most likely to forbid them to put themselves in danger for what he would consider to be a quest that is bound to fail. He is an honest and loyal servant of his master.
Glimfeather the Owl
Glimfeather is a talking owl and seems to be the leader of the owls, being the one who calls them to convene in council, and also helping the children and Puddleglum to set off on their search, unbeknownst to Trumkin. Like the other owls he cannot understand why most people and animals choose to do everything in broad daylight when this is a time for sleep, and why they insist on sleeping during the night where there is so much to get done before the sun comes up again.
Golg the Gnome
Golg is the rather small but gigantic-headed gnome who is caught by the leg by Puddleglum as they are attempting to ride out of the underground world. At first they believe him to be part of the army trying to harm them and prevent them from leaving but Golg's role in the novel and in the adventure is to inform them that the Gnomes are not actually in league with the evil Queen but are in fact constantly trying to think of ways in which they can get back to their old home and escape her evil doings. They are not happy or comfortable living this close to the surface and fear ground level and being out in the open in the same way that Jill fears the claustrophobia and darkeness of living under the ground. They have hitherto gone along with the Queen because they do not want to alert her to the fact that all they are working towards is getting back to their old lands and old lives, but now that they have the opportunity to work with Prince Rilian and the children against her they are happy to do so. Golg turns out to be a brave Gnome and an enormous help in their escape.
