The Once and Future King Book I: “The Sword and the Stone,” Chapters 1–4 Summary & Analysis | SparkNotes (2024)

Summary: Chapter 1

In medieval England, Sir Ector raises two youngboys—his son, Kay, and an adopted orphan named Art, who has cometo be known as the Wart. The boys are taught chivalry and mathematics,and although Kay makes mistakes in his lessons, he is rarely disciplined,since he will one day inherit his father’s lands and title. Drinkingport one day, Sir Ector and his friend Sir Grummore Grummursum decidethat they should go on a quest to find a new tutor for the boys,since their previous tutor has gone insane. It is July, however,and Sir Ector is busy supervising his tenants while they put theyear’s hay out to dry. One day after working in the fields, Kayand the Wart go hawking. They take the hawk Cully from the Mews—theroom where the hawks are kept—and head into the fields. Even thoughthe Wart is better at handling Cully, Kay insists on carrying thehawk, and he releases him prematurely in the hopes that the hawkwill catch a nearby rabbit. Cully, who is in a temperamental mood,flies into a nearby tree instead and perches there, glaring evillyat the two boys.

Summary: Chapter 2

Cully flies deeper and deeper into the forest. The Wartworries that Cully’s caretaker, Hob, will be disappointed to seeso much of his hard work gone to waste, but Kay says that Hob isjust a servant, and he storms off. The Wart, however, decides tostay behind and recapture the bird. As darkness falls, the Wartsettles down under the tree where Cully has perched. A man shootsan arrow at the Wart, and the Wart runs farther into the forest,losing his way. In the forest, he runs into a knight named KingPellinore. King Pellinore is a kindly, bespectacled man who is ona hunt for a magical creature known as the Questing Beast. The Wartinvites Pellinore back to Sir Ector’s castle, hoping that Pellinoreknows the way or will at least protect him. Pellinore seems tempted,but he suddenly hears the Questing Beast and runs off in hot pursuit,leaving the Wart behind.

Summary: Chapter 3

The Wart eventually falls asleep in the dark forest. Inthe morning, he discovers a cottage and an old man drawing waterfrom a well. The old man introduces himself as Merlyn. He has along white beard and is dressed in a pointed cap and a gown withembroidered stars and strange signs. He invites the Wart, whosename he already knows, into the cottage, which is full of magicalitems, strange artifacts, and a talking owl named Archimedes. Merlyntells the Wart that he is a magician who lives backward in timeand that he will be the Wart’s new tutor. They leave for Sir Ector’scastle, and the Wart marvels that he must have just been on a quest.

Summary: Chapter 4

The Wart and Merlyn make their way to the castle, stoppingonly to catch Cully. When they arrive, Merlyn demonstrates his magical powersto Sir Ector, who dismisses them as sleights of hand, but hires Merlynnonetheless. Kay belittles the Wart’s adventure. Merlyn, who hasbecome suddenly terrifying, chastises him in the formal Englishof the time. This reprimand makes everybody feel uncomfortable,and Merlyn feels bad for his hot temper. He apologizes to Kay andgives him a silver hunting knife.

Analysis: Chapters 1–4

To fully understand The Once and Future King,it is necessary to immerse ourselves in the story’s fairy-tale world;White enables us to do so by having his narrator drop in helpfulbackground details and history. We can deduce the personalitiesof the Wart, Merlyn, Sir Ector, Kay, and King Pellinore from theiractions and conversations, but we need to be told everything elseexplicitly. Bits of history and small details, such as what wineSir Ector and Sir Grummore are drinking when they converse, aregiven. The narrative remains seamless, and the novel never feelsmore like a history book than a work of fiction. White takes greatliberties, nonetheless, in telling us all he thinks we need to know.He does not want us to stumble or to only partially understand thestory’s time period.

To some readers, the story that White is telling is veryfamiliar, since it is a retelling of the traditional tales of medievalEngland with a modern touch. White’s novel is part of the Arthuriantradition, a canon of stories and myths about a legendary Britonking that date back at least to early twelfth-century Britain andFrance. Although the legend of King Arthur has numerous contemporaryinterpreters, White is one of the few to give it modern touches,and he does so to great effect. His story is full of castles, knights,magicians, and serfs, but these characters have desires and speechthat are familiar to us. Nowhere is this aspect of the novel betterillustrated than in the drunken conversation between Sir Ector andSir Grummore. While both men are medieval knights, they speak thedialogue of the post-World War I British aristocracy. Fundamentallygood-natured, Sir Ector and Sir Grummore are also a pompous pair,and seeing them hem and haw while they drink port makes them morefamiliar and accessible. By making the two medieval knights soundand act like modern British aristocrats, White makes them more understandable thanthey would be if they spoke in the language of the time. The characters’uncomfortable reaction to Merlyn’s use of formal and outdated languagewhen chastising Kay further demonstrates their modern character.

The early interactions between Kay and the Wart set thestage for our understanding of the boys as they grow, and Whitemakes sure we can empathize with them. The first few chapters arepeppered with incidents that help us get an understanding of thesetwo complicated characters. Kay, after losing Cully, angrily statesthat Hob is only a servant whose feelings are irrelevant, and thenhe storms off. Wart, on the other hand, spends the night in theforest to find Hob’s bird. The Wart seems very much like the good-natured,marginalized stepchild so common in English literature, always decentand eager to please. It is interesting that the Wart is not particularlycourageous or full of bravado; rather, he simply does what needsto be done to set things right no matter how frightened he is. Kay,on the other hand, is less pleasant. His actions reveal that heis a spoiled and angry child, so used to having his own superiorityasserted for him that he cannot stand to have it challenged. However,he also seems to be a victim of circ*mstance, since he constantlyveers between the haughtiness that his title requires and his ownkind heart. He belittles the Wart only when the Wart earns too much praise.Kay’s selfish delight in the hunting knife that Merlyn giveshim is a touching reminder that Kay’s behavior is typical amongchildren his age.