White Witch

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(About The White Witch)
 
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'''First Appearance:''' ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', Ch. 3 (1950)
'''First Appearance:''' ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', Ch. 3 (1950)
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==About The White Witch==
 
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Jadis, the White Witch, is an iconic villain in the Chronicles. Her origin was largely unknown the publication of ''The Magician's Nephew'', in which Lewis explores her history more fully. Jadis' cruelty and selfishness are shown in the deathly cold winter that she forces upon Narnia. She rules the land by fear, using spies and secret police to enforce her will. She has no regard for the lives of others, as demonstrated by her use of Deplorable Word in Charn while battling her sister for the throne. Jadis is also quite physically strong, as she keeps her seat upon a rearing Strawberry in London and wrenches a lamppost from its setting. As a witch, Jadis possesses abilities like being able to make things appear differently than what they are and using enchantments that work on the victim's weaknesses. Lewis describes her (and witches in general) as terribly practical, saying, "They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them."
 
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==Inspiration==
 
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Jadis' ability to turn people to stone may have been inspired by the myth of the Greek gorgon Medusa, who was able to turn people to stone if they looked directly at her. Jadis is also similar in some ways to the character of Circe in The Odyssey; Circe uses magical food to tempt humans, just as Jadis uses Turkish Delight to tempt [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]].
 
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Douglas Gresham writes, "Jadis is the embodiment of all evil. She's the most beautiful woman you'll ever see in your life. The devil dresses up his temptations in beauty, so Jadis also represents that side of Satan's favorite temptations. I think her character is probably an amalgam of various women who passed through Jack's life. There are bits of various people in her."
 
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===~ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ~ (1950)===
===~ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ~ (1950)===
[[File:3784.jpg|left]]The White Witch is riding through Narnia on her sledge when she comes upon a Son of Adam, [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]], standing in the snow. Fearing the prophecies that predict her overthrow, she uses enchanted Turkish Delight to persuade [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] to bring his brother and two sisters to her. From [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]], she learns of [[Tumnus]]' involvement and has him arrested, eventually turning him stone. When [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] returns to the Witch with the news that "[[Aslan]] is on the move," she immediately sledges down to the Stone Table, hoping to cut off the other three Pevensies. But along the way, [[Aslan]] ends her hundred-year winter and she is unable to travel quickly in the thaw. She has just made the decision to kill [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] when Narnians (sent by [[Aslan]]) arrive in time to rescue him. She escapes by turning herself and her [[The Witch's Dwarf|Dwarf]] into a boulder and a tree-stump. Although [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] escapes that night, the Witch comes to the Narnian camp and tries to claim him by citing the Deep Magic, which states that all traitors belong to her. In private negotiations [[Aslan]] offers His own life in exchange for [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]]'s. The Witch agrees, and she kills Him on the Stone Table that very night. After He is dead, she wastes no time in attacking the Narnian army. During the battle, she uses her wand to turn the Narnians to stone and severely wounds [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] when he breaks it. The Witch is stunned when [[Aslan]] appears, leading another army (the stone statues from her castle that He had brought back to life). With a roar that shakes all Narnia, [[Aslan]] flings Himself at the White Witch and kills her.
[[File:3784.jpg|left]]The White Witch is riding through Narnia on her sledge when she comes upon a Son of Adam, [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]], standing in the snow. Fearing the prophecies that predict her overthrow, she uses enchanted Turkish Delight to persuade [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] to bring his brother and two sisters to her. From [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]], she learns of [[Tumnus]]' involvement and has him arrested, eventually turning him stone. When [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] returns to the Witch with the news that "[[Aslan]] is on the move," she immediately sledges down to the Stone Table, hoping to cut off the other three Pevensies. But along the way, [[Aslan]] ends her hundred-year winter and she is unable to travel quickly in the thaw. She has just made the decision to kill [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] when Narnians (sent by [[Aslan]]) arrive in time to rescue him. She escapes by turning herself and her [[The Witch's Dwarf|Dwarf]] into a boulder and a tree-stump. Although [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] escapes that night, the Witch comes to the Narnian camp and tries to claim him by citing the Deep Magic, which states that all traitors belong to her. In private negotiations [[Aslan]] offers His own life in exchange for [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]]'s. The Witch agrees, and she kills Him on the Stone Table that very night. After He is dead, she wastes no time in attacking the Narnian army. During the battle, she uses her wand to turn the Narnians to stone and severely wounds [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]] when he breaks it. The Witch is stunned when [[Aslan]] appears, leading another army (the stone statues from her castle that He had brought back to life). With a roar that shakes all Narnia, [[Aslan]] flings Himself at the White Witch and kills her.
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==About The White Witch==
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Jadis, the White Witch, is an iconic villain in the Chronicles. Her origin was largely unknown the publication of ''The Magician's Nephew'', in which Lewis explores her history more fully. Jadis' cruelty and selfishness are shown in the deathly cold winter that she forces upon Narnia. She rules the land by fear, using spies and secret police to enforce her will. She has no regard for the lives of others, as demonstrated by her use of Deplorable Word in Charn while battling her sister for the throne. Jadis is also quite physically strong, as she keeps her seat upon a rearing Strawberry in London and wrenches a lamppost from its setting. As a witch, Jadis possesses the ability to make things appear differently than they are, and uses enchantments that work on the victim's weaknesses. Lewis describes her (and witches in general) as terribly practical, saying, "They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them."
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==Inspiration==
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Jadis' ability to turn people to stone may have been inspired by the myth of the Greek gorgon Medusa, who was able to turn people to stone if they looked directly at her. Jadis is also similar in some ways to the character of Circe in The Odyssey; Circe uses magical food to tempt humans, just as Jadis uses Turkish Delight to tempt [[Edmund Pevensie|Edmund]].
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Douglas Gresham writes, "Jadis is the embodiment of all evil. She's the most beautiful woman you'll ever see in your life. The devil dresses up his temptations in beauty, so Jadis also represents that side of Satan's favorite temptations. I think her character is probably an amalgam of various women who passed through Jack's life. There are bits of various people in her."
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==Portrayals==
==Portrayals==
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*[[File:WDJadis.jpg|left]]Tilda Swinton: Disney/Walden ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', 2005; ''Prince Caspian'', 2008
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*[[File:WDJadis.jpg|left]]Tilda Swinton: Disney/Walden ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', 2005; ''Prince Caspian'', 2008; Fox/Walden ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', 2010
Born: 5 November 1960
Born: 5 November 1960
"The Queen, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, could be played very characterized, very cartoonish if you want. That's not who she is to me, she has to be as powerful and evil as Aslan is powerful and good. One of the challenges with the White Witch that Tilda and I faced was avoiding the cliché. Um, the character of the evil females become somewhat of a cliché. I think was somewhat original when C. S. Lewis wrote this character, but since then we've had the Evil Stepmothers, the Cruella Devilles, the sort of screeching, cackling women, and Tilda and I wanted to be sure the White Witch didn't end up being there. In fact that's one of the reasons I cast Tilda is just that I knew she would never go there. She was a much more sophisticated and complex actor." — Director Andrew Adamson
"The Queen, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, could be played very characterized, very cartoonish if you want. That's not who she is to me, she has to be as powerful and evil as Aslan is powerful and good. One of the challenges with the White Witch that Tilda and I faced was avoiding the cliché. Um, the character of the evil females become somewhat of a cliché. I think was somewhat original when C. S. Lewis wrote this character, but since then we've had the Evil Stepmothers, the Cruella Devilles, the sort of screeching, cackling women, and Tilda and I wanted to be sure the White Witch didn't end up being there. In fact that's one of the reasons I cast Tilda is just that I knew she would never go there. She was a much more sophisticated and complex actor." — Director Andrew Adamson
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*[[File:BBCJadis.jpg|left]]Barbara Kellerman: BBC TV series, 1989 – 1990
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*[[File:BBCJadis.jpg|left]]Barbara Kellerman: BBC TV series, 1988 – 1990
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*[[File:TVJadis.jpg|left]]Elizabeth Wallace: LWW TV series, 1967
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*[[File:67WhiteWitch.jpg|left]]Elizabeth Wallace: LWW TV series, 1967

Current revision as of 21:39, 19 December 2010

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