Susan—Rabadash

Susan and Rabadash’s relationship turns on the difference between courtship as he expects it and consent as she exercises it: she rejects his proposal, while he treats that refusal as an injury to be overcome by force. The threatened marriage links private desire to political danger, prompting the Narnian party to fear imprisonment in Tashbaan and Rabadash to propose war against Narnia.

The Proposed Marriage and Susan’s Judgment

Rabadash is presented to Susan as a prince seeking her hand, and the proposal has already shaped the Narnian party’s status in Tashbaan. King Edmund explains that the Narnians have been honored guests while Rabadash hoped Susan would accept him. Susan, however, says that she will not marry him, even for all the jewels in Tashbaan. Her refusal is decisive rather than provisional: she asks that the party leave the city that very day.

Susan’s judgment reflects what she has seen of Rabadash in his own city. She recalls that, during his earlier visit to Narnia, he behaved meekly and courteously for seven days and performed impressively at a tournament. In Tashbaan, she has seen another character emerge. Edmund calls him proud, cruel, and tyrannical, and Susan’s comparison between the visitor she once knew and the man she now sees helps explain why the proposal no longer seems acceptable to her. The relationship is thus shaped not simply by his rank or earlier courtesy, but by her reassessment of his conduct.

Refusal and the Threat of Captivity

Edmund fears that the rejection will change the Narnians’ position from honored guests to prisoners. He has already found Rabadash angry and dangerous when Susan’s answer remained uncertain, with threats concealed beneath a show of courtesy. The Grand Vizier has also made a veiled demand that the Narnians leave a bride for the prince in exchange for returning to Narnia. When Susan asks whether Rabadash would make her his wife by force, Edmund confirms that this is his fear and adds that enslavement is an even worse possibility.

The threatened coercion makes the marriage dispute a matter of immediate safety and political consequence. Susan’s refusal does not merely disappoint a suitor; it exposes her and her companions to the possibility that the prince will use his authority to prevent their departure. Edmund’s account gives the proposed marriage a coercive setting before Rabadash’s later outburst makes his intentions unmistakable.

Rabadash’s Response and Escalation

After the Narnian ship has departed, Rabadash tells the Tisroc that delay cost him the chance to pursue it. His language about Susan is possessive: he insists that he wants her and must have her. He describes himself as unable to sleep or enjoy food because of his desire, but this declaration is accompanied by anger at her refusal, not acceptance of it.

Rabadash then turns from grievance to a plan of conquest. He proposes that the Tisroc call out the armies, invade Narnia, kill its High King and his family except Susan, and add the country to the empire. He says that Susan must become his wife and that she will first be taught a sharp lesson. The proposal makes explicit the political logic behind his pursuit: in his plan, military force would remove Susan’s ability to refuse and separate her from the protection of her kingdom. The Tisroc rejects opening a war against Narnia, but Rabadash’s stated objective reveals how far he is prepared to go to claim her.

Significance of the Relationship

The contrast between Susan’s clear refusal and Rabadash’s demand to possess her is the relationship’s defining conflict. His earlier courteous conduct had helped make the proposal possible, but his behavior in Tashbaan changes Susan’s assessment, and her decision exposes the threat concealed beneath his courtship. The narrative connects an individual woman’s right to refuse marriage with the security of a diplomatic party and the prospect of invasion. Susan’s answer is her own; Rabadash’s response is to seek power that would make her answer count for nothing.