Book I: The Vision of the King.
Summary
Chesterton begins the first book of his Ballad with a description of the White Horse Vale-the physical and metaphorical symbol of the work of Christianity in England. He alludes to its mysterious origins, and reveals that it is ages old; in fact, the poet conjectures that the monument pre-dates England itself. This description leads us to the introduction of our protagonist, King Alfred of Wessex. The stanzas go on to describe the state of ninth-century England after an invasion by Vikings from the north. Alfred's kingdom has been utterly vanquished by the Danes; in his thoughts, they are described as a "Christless chivalry," who are at once "Great," "beautiful," and "half-witted." Perhaps some of the most horrifying descriptions of the destruction of Alfred's beautiful land is the Danes' disrespect for the English people's religious monuments-that they have seized the "kindly cross of God/And cut it up for wood."
As a result, Alfred is left alone to despair over the state of his kingdom. As he hides among the greenery of Athelney-a vast wasteland perfectly suited to the king in his fallen state-his response to the actions of the Danes seems little more than a leader's cowardice; once in exile, he can do little more than cry "shameful tears of rage" as he laments the fate of the English people.These moments fill Alfred with the deepest despair-and, although he is a deeply religious man, he truly believes that God has delivered the Wessex people into the hands of the "devils of the sea." These feelings ultimately lead to a bit of regression for Alfred - who suddenly remembers a beautifully penned image of Our Lady from his childhood - and his mother, who showed it to him in his youth.
From this point on, nature seems to become more vivid and beautiful to Alfred-until Mary herself springs out of the grass to greet him, and tosses a jewel at his feet. Alfred responds by asking Mary what his future-and indeed, the future history of England-shall be. Surprisingly, Mary tells Alfred that he is asking the wrong questions altogether. She describes the gates of heaven as "lightly locked," and tells Alfred that he needn't see himself as incapable of obtaining it. His question on the fate of the English people is left unanswered, and for good reason; Mary tells Alfred that to inquire about his future on earth is an altogether pagan and unsavory notion-one which he should counter with a courageous and willing spirit, despite her message that his situation becomes more dire. This book closes with Mary's disappearance, and Alfred is once again left alone - with only the sounds of the Danes breaking down the woods to interrupt the silence of Athelney.
Analysis
Book one establishes a shift of tone for the rest of the story. It also serves to highlight several important themes that are presented throughout the Ballad-most importantly, the need for inner strength and spiritual optimism despite dire circumstances. The author is careful not to lead the reader to any notion of Alfred being hopelessly optimistic after Mary's appearance; the image of Mary will, in fact, only reappear when Alfred and his armies are most vulnerable. Furthermore, she refuses to predict the outcome of the war against the Danes. Instead, there is an emphasis on the hope for heaven, which makes Alfred profoundly joyous and pulls him back from the brink of total despondency.
The first book is also rife with effective naturalistic imagery - the isle of Athelney seems a wasteland of despair at first, which is where Alfred resides when he is most defeated; the Danes are compared to "trees walking the earth," who, "bread like birds in English woods"; Alfred's despair begins to change once he is able to see the beauty of the surrounding landscape, etc. Thus, Book I highlights how the main character discovers the goodness of God in nature, and how he is called to preserve the natural realm, unlike the Danes. Further, he is told to place importance on spiritual motives instead of personal ones. Although his understanding of the inevitable suffering of life deepens, it doesn't leave his focus merely on the corporeal.
Book II: The Gathering of the Chiefs
Summary
The second book opens with a spiritually renewed and reinvigorated Alfred. Affixed to his earthly mission, he journeys "up across windy wastes" to gather the three men who will prove crucial to his battle with the Danes: Eldred, Mark and Colan. Alfred's task here will be to relieve each of them of their harmful spiritual attitudes.
Alfred initially struggles to draw Eldred away from his comfortable hearth. The neglect Eldred has shown in his personal life is reflected in his farmland. He despairs of any victory over the Danes and sees only the inevitability of loss. Although Alfred's message preaches no comfort, it does speak to Eldred's noble nature; despite the most bleak circumstances, Alfred inspires Eldred to pick "unhook his heavy sword" from the wall and meet him at a gathering at Egbert's Stone.
Alfred then journeys to the vineyards of Mark, the Italian general of noble blood whose lands lay "neatly like a painted plan." Although Alfred greets Mark with the same remarks made to Eldred, the end of their conversation seems to be cut a bit short. However, Alfred clearly has faith that Mark will join him in battle, despite a glaring lack of encouraging odds.
Finally, Alfred travels to the "high cliffs" that serve as Colan's dwelling. In Colan's opinion, any king in Alfred's precarious position who chooses to fight would be a madman. In fact, Colan argues that Alfred must be declaring himself greater than the conquered rulers of England's past. However, Alfred's opening statement to Colan reveals his deep humility, which is one of the primary reasons Colan chooses to follow him.
Analysis:
Although this book implies that Eldred, Mark and Colan will join Alfred at Ebgert's Stone, their actual responses leave the reader with a little less than absolute certainty. Perhaps this is meant to highlight the general tone of unease surrounding events to come; like Mary has already pointed out, nothing is certain. The second book of the Ballad reinforces the message conveyed by the first: that the need for Alfred's spiritual joy and progress rests above any earthly success. Thus, the second book opens with our protagonist positively "shaken of the joy of giants," as he "sang aloud his laws." The latter sentence effectively contrasts Alfred's inner sentiments as he ignores his external circumstances; although his defeat is as foreseeable as ever, he can't resist bellowing the laws by which his intends to rule his future kingdom.
As Alfred begins to gather his future chiefs as "grain out of the chaff," we see that Chesterton cleverly uses each of them to personify three, harmful spiritual attitudes. In Eldred, we see the despondency and resignation that comes with the passing of time. In the Roman general, we see a love of predictability and an orderliness that leaves Mark reluctant to act. Finally, in Colan, we see a doubtfulness that makes him hesitant to trust his leader, whom he fears is merely indulging in unrealistic fantasies. With Alfred as her messenger, Our Lady's message serves to calm their fears and presumptuous ideas; that the "sky grows darker yet" and the "sea rises higher," whether they choose to follow Alfred or not. Thus, the choice for activism over passive behavior is particularly stressed in this book. Eldred cannot continue to enjoy the company of others with such a militant threat looming, Mark's neat vineyards cannot remain undisrupted, and Colan cannot remain hidden from the Danes in the wilderness. Thus, Alfred's message in the second book brings his future chiefs back to the harshness of reality, and draws them into the remaining action of the Ballad.
