THE SWORD IN THE STONE
summary by V. Hinkle
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Chapter 1, p. 7 Chapter 6, p. 62
Wart and Kay lose an arrow in the forest. They are captured by Madame Mim, who locks them in cages. A caged goat tells Wart the magic words to open the lock. Wart frees the goat and sends him to get Merlyn, while he stays behind with Kay. Merlyn challenges Madame Mim to a magicians' duel. They change shapes and try to destroy each other. Finally, Merlyn becomes a germ and makes Madame Mim sick. Chapter 7, p. 81 Kay and Wart practice tilting, or jousting, using a target. In the actual contest, two knights on horseback each try to strike the other off his horse. Wart is sad that he won’t become a knight as Kay will. Merlyn thinks that combat is not important education, but he agrees to let Wart see a real joust. Sir Grummore and King Pellinore have a clumsy joust, fall down, and then make friends. Chapter 8, p. 102 Wart asks for more education, and Merlyn changes him into a hawk. He spends the night in the Mews, where the older hawks test him. First he must explain the Law of the Foot: hold on, and never let go. Then he must sit near Cully, who is threatening. Wart passes the test of bravery by showing no fear, and is accepted by the hawks. Chapter 9, p. 118 In the morning, Kay picks a fight, because he is jealous that Wart gets more attention from Merlyn. So Wart asks Merlyn to explain why Kay can't have more magic. He asks Merlyn to include Kay on the next adventure. Chapter 10, p. 127 Kay and Wart follow a path into the forest. Soon they meet a hunter named Little John. He takes them to meet Robin Wood and his band. The boys pass a test in archery. Then Robin and Lady Marian ask the boys to help on a quest. They must rescue Friar Tuck from Morgan the Fay, the queen of the fairies. There are other prisoners, too: the Dog Boy, Cavall, and Wat. The adults make the rescue alone, since only boys are able to enter the enchanted castle. Chapter 11, p. 142
After a stealthy walk, Kay and Wart invade Morgan’s castle. The boys resist her temptations of delicious food, because if they eat anything, they can never escape. They carry weapons of iron, the only material that can stop fairies, and make Morgan and her magic disappear. Finally they locate and free the prisoners Friar Tuck, Dog Boy, Wat, and Cavall. Chapter 12, p. 157 Morgan's castle is guarded by griffins and wyverns. To escape from the castle, Wart, Kay, and Robin’s band must fight these monsters. Wart breaks his collarbone fighting a wyvern. Kay kills a griffin, and asks for its head as his trophy. The boys are heroes. Wat and Dog Boy become friends. Merlyn makes new noses for them, but they prefer to do without. Chapter 13, p. 169 In the fall, Merlyn changes Wart into a snake. Wart meets a quiet snake named T. natrix, who likes to dream wile he hibernates. The snake tells him a story from reptile history, which is much older than human history. The plant-eating Atlantosaurus competed for centuries with the meat-eating Ceratosaurus, until only one was left. Then the last Atlantosaurus was killed by a human, Saint George. The man considered himself a hero, but to the reptiles he was a murderer. T. natrix also tells a legend of how the python stopped being poisonous. Once, when the python was not able to poison humans, he became so angry that he spit all his venom on a tree. The venom dripped on several animals, especially the cobra. The python was sorry to spread so much poison, so he advised the animals to be careful with it. Chapter 14, p. 183 King Uther Pendragon sends a message that his huntsman will visit Sir Ector’s castle to go hunting. Sir Ector feels resentful, but he gets the castle ready for the guests. Chapter 15, p. 191 Everyone at Sir Ector’s castle enjoys Christmas. They eat a traditional dinner, sing songs, and give gifts. Chapter 16, p. 197
Master Twyti, the king’s huntsman, takes everyone out hunting. They catch a wild boar, but the boar kills one of the hunting dogs. Then Pellinore finds the Questing Beast, who is lonely and sick. Pellinore is sorry for the Beast and brings him home to Ector’s castle. He promises to continue chasing the Questing Beast. Chapter 17, p. 212 Wart wants to be a bird so he can fly. Archimedes agrees to give him flying lessons. Chapter 18, p. 220 Wart becomes a bird. From the air, he sees familiar places from a new perspective. Archimedes takes him to visit Athena, the goddess of wisdom. By speeding up time, Athena lets Wart see that trees can move and talk. Trees grow slowly. They are patient and useful. Then Wart sees the stones move and talk. Mountains grow very slowly, and then are broken down. Their motto is: Hold together. Chapter 19, p. 234 For their next adventure, Merlyn becomes invisible. Wart is invisible, too, as long as he holds on to Merlyn. They enter the castle of the giant Galapas. They find Pellinore among the prisoners there. Suddenly the Questing Beast arrives, and he rescues Pellinore and all the other prisoners. Chapter 20, p. 250 Six years pass. Kay prepares to become a knight, but not Wart. Wart feels left out, like Cinderella. Chapter 21, p. 256
Wart feels sad and grouchy about the end of his magic adventures. Merlyn says that the best remedy for sadness is learning. For his last lesson, Wart becomes a badger. He is about to eat a hedgehog until he recognizes it as Merlyn’s. Then Wart visits Badger’s den. Badger is writing a history book, and tells him the story of the embryos. When God created all the animals, he gave them tools and weapons, such as horns or claws. Only the human chose none. Instead, he can make any tools or weapon he needs. In this way, man is superior to the animals. Chapter 22, p. 270 King Uther Pendragon dies. The next king of England will be the one who can pull the sword out of the stone. Everyone goes to a tournament in London to see the sword. Chapter 23, p. 277 At the tournament, Kay forgets his sword, so he sends Wart to get it. Wart pulls the magic sword out of the stone, with advice from his animal friends. Oak Tree says, “Stretch out.” Fish says, “Use your back.” Hawk says, “Never let go.” Stone says, “Hold together.” Snake says, “Make your muscles work together.” At first, Kay lies that he pulled the sword out by himself. Then he admits that it was Wart. Sir Ector and Kay realize that Wart will be the king. Chapter 24, p. 286 Wart is crowned King Arthur of England. |