Terence Hanbory White

Candle in the wind

After a moment's reflection, he said, “I have found that many of my patients have benefited from zoological gardens. Monsieur Pontifex I would prescribe a course of large mammals. Only it would be better for him not to know that he contemplates them for medicinal purposes.

INCIPIT LIBER QUARTUS

The years, accumulating, showed no kindness to Agravaine. Even at forty, he looked his current age, fifty-five. He was rarely sober.

Mordred, cold and frail, seemed to have no age at all. Like the expression in the depths of his blue eyes, like the shimmer of his musical voice, Mordred's years remained untraceable.

Standing in the cloister of the Orkneys' palace in Camelot, the two watched the birds of prey set up on stocks in the sun that flooded the ant courtyard. The gallery was decorated with newfangled lancet arches - the era of flaming Gothic was coming - in the graceful openings of these arches, birds stood, keeping noble indifference: a female gyrfalcon, a large hawk, two falcons (a female with a male) and four small merlins who had spent the whole winter in captivity and still survivors. The stocks were especially clean, for in those days the hunters believed that if you were addicted to hunting, associated with copious shedding of blood, you should take special care to hide its fierce character. The scarlet cordovan leather of the lasts was covered with a lovely patterned gold lettering. The hawks' debtors were woven from white horsehide. And the gyrfalf, in order to mark the high position she occupies in life, was dressed in entanglements and debtors, carved from the skin of a unicorn certified by authorities. The gyrfalcon had come a long way from Iceland to get here, and it was the least the owners could do for her.

For God's sake, let's get out of here. It stinks in here.

At the sound of his voice, the birds stirred slightly, which caused their bells to emit a barely distinguishable, as it were, whispering ringing. The bells were delivered from the Indies, regardless of expense, and the pair that adorned the female gyrfalcon was made of silver. At the sound of the bells, a huge eagle owl, which was sometimes used to catch bait, sitting on its perch in the shade of the gallery, opened its eyes. A moment before, he might still have looked like a stuffed animal, a messy bunch of feathers. But as soon as the eyes opened wide, and the owl turned into something from Edgar Allan Poe. It is unlikely that you would like to look into his eyes. The eyes were red, scary, the killer's eyes seemed to radiate light. They looked like rubies, full of flames. The owl's name was the Grand Duke.

I don't smell anything," said Agravaine. He sniffed the air suspiciously, trying to sniff something out. But he had long since become insensitive to both taste and smell, and besides, his head ached.

It stinks of Sport here,” said Mordred, uttering the last word as if in quotation marks, “and of Proper Occupation and Chosen Society. Let's go to the garden.

Agravain could not part with the topic of their conversation.

What's the use of making a fuss about this story again? - he said. - You and I understand who is right here, who is to blame, but only we, and no one else. They won't listen to us.

No, you have to listen. - The dots that speckled the rims of Mordred's eyes blazed with azure light, bright as an owl's. From a sluggish man with a twisted shoulder, dressed in a ridiculous suit, he was transformed into the embodiment of the Right Cause. In such cases, he became the complete opposite of Arthur - the unconditional enemy of everything that is denoted by the word "Englishman". He turned into the indomitable Gael, the offspring of a lost race older than Arthur's and more refined. When the Just Cause ignited him like this, Arthur's justice took on the appearance of a stupid bourgeois undertaking in comparison. Placed next to the barbaric and dark mind of the Picts, it seemed to be a manifestation of insipid complacency. Every time he showed his rejection of Arthur in this way, all his maternal ancestors suddenly appeared in his features, whose civilization, like Mordred's views, was based on matriarchy: they were warriors, galloping on bare horses, rushing to attack on chariots, experienced in military cunning and decorating their terrible strongholds with the heads of enemies. Long-haired and ferocious, they went out, as one of the ancient authors reports, "with a sword in hand towards the rivers of blood or the ocean billowed by a storm." This was the race now personified more by the Irish Republican Army than by the Scottish nationalists; a race that always killed landlords and always blamed their deaths on themselves; a race that could turn into a national hero a man like Linchagan who bit off a woman's nose - because he was from the Irish, and she from the Gauls; a race abandoned by the volcano of history to remote regions of the globe, where, overwhelmed by poisonous resentment and a sense of inferiority, it still displays its old megalomania to the whole world. It was from it that Catholics came out who were capable of throwing an open challenge to any pope or saint - Adrian, Alexander or Saint Jerome - if the policy of these did not suit these Catholics: hysterically irritable, tormented by sorrows, quarrelsome guardians of a lost heritage. They were a race that, for all its barbaric, treacherous, desperately brave defiance, had been enslaved many centuries ago by a foreign people, now personified by Arthur. And this circumstance also separated father and son. Agravine said:

I wanted to talk to you, Mordred. Damn, there's nothing to sit on. Get on that thing, and I'll sit here. No one will hear us here.

And at least they would have heard. This is exactly what we need. Such things need to be said loudly, and not whispered about them in secluded galleries.

In the end, even a whisper reaches the right ears.

If. He achieves nothing. The king does not like to hear about it, and while we are whispering here, he is free to pretend that he cannot hear anything. How could he have been the King of England for so many years without learning to be hypocritical?

Agravaine felt uncomfortable. His hatred of the King was not as definite as Mordred's, and in fact he had no personal animosity towards anyone but Lancelot. His bitterness chose its targets rather at random.

I do not think that we will achieve something by complaining about past grievances, - he said sullenly. - It is difficult to expect anyone's support in such a complicated case, and God knows when it happened.

No matter how long ago it happened, the fact remains the same: Arthur is my father, and he sent me, still a baby, to swim in an unruly barque.

Terence White is the author of the famous tetralogy The Once and Future King, which consists of two volumes. Each volume consists of two books. And just with the second of them, called Candle in the Wind, we met in a lesson in the 6th grade.

Terence White, creating his masterpiece and working on the work, used British myths as well as legends, creating something like a fairy tale that combines the history of real life. Humor is found here, and tragic events are also intertwined. Reading the work, we return to the times when the code of honor of the Knights of the Round Table was born. Just the Candle in the Wind introduces the reader to one of his knights - Lancelot, who was a role model, a knight of valor, courage, gallantry and honor. Let's get acquainted with White's work in order to later be able to characterize Lancelot, answer the questions of who the main character of the work is and why the king noticed the inconsistency between Strong Hand and rightness.

Candle in the Wind White summary

At the very beginning, the author introduces us to an ugly boy who lives in Benwick Castle. It was Lancelot. In the armory, he examined his reflection, each time stopping at his own face. He felt that there was some flaw. At that moment he was 15 years old and only recently he and his father King Ban of Benwick arrived from England. There, King Arthur noticed Lancelot and promised to take him into the ranks of the Knights of the Round Table. The created order was supposed to resist the Force. He wanted to become one of the knights who believe in the right and want to overthrow the rule of the Strong Hand. To put an end to that Force, which very often goes apart with rightness. These were the kind of knights Arthur needed. True, Lancelot still needed to grow up.

All these years, the boy has been training so as not to let down the king in the future. He was trained by Uncle Skok. Trainings showed that the young man turned into a skilled fighter who fenced better than his teacher. And so Lancelot is called to her by the queen, and examiners from the king have arrived at the royal castle. They report that the king is waiting for the young man to be knighted.

On the way to Camelot, they met the Black Knight, with whom Lancelot fought. It was his first real fight. And in this battle, the young man comes out victorious. However, the battle is suddenly interrupted, because Lancelot recognized the king in his opponent. Seeing his idol, the future knight was delighted. Mounting their horses, they rode towards the castle, talking incessantly, because they had so much to tell each other. On the same day, Lancelot was knighted.

Main characters Candle in White's wind

By examining White's work, we can identify the main characters in Candle in the Wind. First of all, this is the knight Lancelot. First, he is introduced to us as a boy who becomes an eighteen-year-old youth. White portrays the knight as ugly, but that's not the point. The important thing is that the author shows how strong and brave, skillful and dexterous this person is. Despite his shortcomings, he managed to make everyone see his virtues. By this, the author shows us once again that it is not appearance that is more important, but human dignity and character traits.

How did the writer manage to solve two very important questions already at the beginning of the book: the question of the role of appearance in the fate of a person and the question of the role of Force and Justice? Does the author see a connection between these concepts? To answer these questions, try to make an outline of the first chapter, follow paragraph by paragraph, what Lancelot thought, remembered and dreamed about. The boy looks at his reflection in the convex surface of the metal helmet. The boy guesses that there is some flaw in his appearance. Lancelot (that was the name of the boy) tirelessly twisted dumbbells and sang a song without words. Lancelot remembers Arthur, his conversation with him, and the future King's decision to found an order of chivalry that can oppose the Force. Lancelot tells Arthur about how he understood his dream: to find a force that would obey the right, and not the Strong Hand. Lancelot's dream, which seemed to speak of the impracticability of his dream. Lancelot knew that he was ugly and decided to become not Sir Lancelot, but the Knight Who Did the Deed. The desire to be a Knight Who Has Done an Act is due to the fact that the hero is confident in his ugliness.

The plan of the first chapter helps to understand that in the famous Sir Lancelot - a model of chivalrous nobility - even in his youth, the best personality traits were born.

Chapter one begins and ends with Lancelot's attempt to see his reflection in polished armor. Read these brief descriptions. Do they only give an idea of ​​the appearance of the hero or help us to begin to actively experience, sympathize with him?

The description of Lancelot's two attempts to see himself in armor polished to a shine shows us that the boy knew about his trouble and wanted to see how ugly he was.

Why did the King see the contradiction between Strong Hand and being right? Do you agree that already in this chapter readers will take one side or another? How do you explain Lancelot's answer to King Arthur: "You want to end the rule of the Strong Hand by gathering together knights who believe more in right than in Strength"?

Every person understands the difference between a Strong Hand and being right. And King Arthur knew it. But the point here is not only that there is a difference between them - there is an irreconcilable contradiction between them. Force in some cases can support the rightness, but more often they act as irreconcilable opponents. And Lancelot understood that King Arthur wanted rightness to be able to handle the Strong Hand.

Why does Lancelot seek to go to King Arthur immediately after the "exam"? How do you explain his decision? Do you hear humorous notes in this story?

The author describes the events associated with his decision rather jokingly: first, Lancelot learns about his glorious future, and then the wizard Merlin appears and quickly leaves. Immediately, Lancelot informs his uncle Skok about an urgent trip to England. He wanted to get to King Arthur as soon as possible.

In chapter four, an unexpected duel with a nameless knight takes place. Who was this nameless knight? How is the moment when both Lancelot and readers recognize him described? Don't you feel the author's jokes here too?

The duel of the "ardent admirer of Arthur" Lancelot with the nameless knight was short and decisive. Lancelot did not know that he had already become the best knight in Europe, this was known only to his tutor - Uncle Skok. Lancelot's skill was tested by a nameless knight, who turned out to be King Arthur. That it was he, it became clear when his shield was exposed, on which everyone saw "a scarlet dragon standing on a golden field" (Arthur's coat of arms). Lancelot immediately knelt before the knight. Both - both the king and Lancelot - were delighted to meet and galloped to the castle, forgetting about Uncle Dap.

How does the fact that the future famous knight Lancelot is ugly help the author to show sympathy for this hero?

The author of "Candles in the Wind" shows the reader not only that the hero is ugly, but also that from a young age he was ready to overcome his shortcomings and ensure that others could see his true virtues, which are more important than external data, more important than beauty.

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1. How did the writer manage to solve two very important questions already at the beginning of the book: the question of the role of appearance in the fate of a person and the question of the role of Force and Justice? Does the author see a connection between these concepts?
To answer these questions, try to plan the first chapter, follow paragraph by paragraph, what Lancelot thought, remembered and dreamed about.
1. The boy looks at his reflection in the convex surface of the metal helmet.
2. The boy guesses that there is some flaw in his appearance.
3. Lancelot (that was the name of the boy) tirelessly twisted dumbbells and sang a song without words.
4. Lancelot remembers Arthur, his conversation with him, and the future King's decision to found an order of chivalry that can oppose the Force.
5. Lancelot tells Arthur about how he understood his dream: to find a force that would obey the right, and not the Strong Hand.
6. Lancelot's dream, which seemed to speak of the impracticability of his dream.
7. Lancelot knew that he was ugly, and decided to become not Sir Lancelot, but the Knight Who Did the Deed.
8. The desire to be the Knight Who Made the Deed is caused by the fact that the hero is sure of his ugliness.

The plan of the first chapter helps to understand that in the famous Sir Lancelot - a model of chivalrous nobility - even in his youth, the best qualities of personality were born.

2. Chapter one begins and ends with Lancelot's attempt to see his own reflection in polished armor. Read these brief descriptions. Do they only give an idea of ​​the appearance of the hero, or do they help us to begin to actively experience, sympathize with him?

The description of Lancelot's two attempts to see himself in armor polished to a shine shows us that the boy knew about his misfortune and wanted to see how ugly he was.

3. Why did the King see the contradiction between Strong Hand and being right? Do you agree that already in this chapter readers will take one side or another? How do you explain Lancelot's answer to King Arthur: "You want to end the rule of the Strong Hand by gathering together knights who believe more in right than in Strength"?

Every person understands the difference between a Strong Hand and being right. And King Arthur knew it. But the point here is not only that there is a difference between them - there is an irreconcilable contradiction between them. Force in some cases can support the rightness, but more often they act as irreconcilable opponents. And Lancelot understood that King Arthur wanted rightness to be able to handle the Strong Hand.

4. Why does Lancelot immediately after the “exam” seek to leave for King Arthur? How do you explain his decision? Do you hear humorous notes in this story?

The author describes the events associated with his decision quite jokingly: first, Lancelot learns about his glorious future, and then the magician Merlin appears and quickly leaves. Immediately, Lance-lot informs his uncle Skok about an urgent trip to England. He wanted to get to King Arthur as soon as possible.

5. In chapter four, an unexpected duel with a nameless knight takes place. Who was this nameless knight? How is the moment when both Lancelot and the readers recognize him is described? Don't you feel the author's jokes here too? material from the site

   The duel of the "ardent admirer of Arthur" Lancelot with the nameless knight was short and decisive. Lancelot did not know that he had already become the best knight in Europe, this was known only to his tutor - Uncle Skok. Lancelot's skill was tested by a nameless knight, who turned out to be King Arthur. That it was he, it became clear when his shield was exposed, on which everyone saw “a scarlet dragon standing on a golden field” (Arthur's coat of arms). Lancelot immediately knelt before the knight. Both - both the king and Lancelot - were delighted to meet and galloped to the castle, forgetting about Uncle Dap.

6. How does the fact that the future famous knight Lancelot is ugly help the author to show sympathy for this hero?

The author of "Candles in the Wind" shows the reader not only that the hero is ugly, but also that from a young age he was ready to overcome his shortcomings and ensure that others could see his true virtues, which are more important than looks are more important than beauty.

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