Essay Questions

Compare and contrast the attitudes of the Danes and Alfred in Book III. How does Alfred, and in fact, Christian dogma, counter the Danish chiefs' self-destructive sentiments?

In Book III: The Harp of Alfred, King Alfred enters the Danish camp dressed in convincing peasant garb. There, he hears the three-fold, morose tunes of Guthrum's chieftains, Elf, Ogier, and Harold, as well as Guthrum's final, despondent song. Alfred enters the Danish camp a still-defeated king. However, the Danes believe Alfred to be a wandering minstrel, and they urge him to strum a song on the harp he carries beneath his arm. After Alfred finishes his careful tune, his harp is snatched by Harold, Guthrum's nephew. Harold possesses an unquenchable thirst for war and earthly pleasures. In his song, he refers to the "whole huge world," as a mere "toy" meant for the taking. He attributes the English nation's great weakness to their loyalty to the meekness of Christianity, and compares Alfred's people as creatures meant to be "hunt[ed]" like a "hare on the mountain height." Elf's song focuses on the inevitability of tragic loss: that even the most beautiful things are passing. He recalls the tragic death of Balder, the god of Norse mythology, whose ethereal light even "the heavens could not save." For Elf, the universe is perpetually lost to its own destruction, and thus, real preservation of anything remains an impossibility. Thus, he can only watch in horror and sadness as all things-both on earth and in heaven-fall away. Ogier embraces the fearsome nature of war as it echoes the inevitability of his own tragic fate. Harold's lust and Elf's romanticism hold little meaning for Ogier, whose life is best embraced with an untamed nature, and the gods left unsung. Instead, he relies on the "Fury, that does not fail," and "hate alone" that is "true." Nearing the end of his life, Ogier has nothing to look forward to than old age and the grave, which he approaches with nothing short of utter cynicism: for his soul "know[s] it is roaring at the gods, Waiting the last eclipse." Although Ogier embraces the stories of Norse paganism, he finds little comfort in them. Instead, Ogier cherishes the poignant moment when a man, symbolized by a fragile branch, is broken by brute force. This, for Oiger, is the only transcendent reality to be grasped: that every man is tied to his own, inevitable tragedy, which he should embrace with rage. Guthrum, for his part, avoids his chiefs' thoughts of pleasure, sorrow, and senseless tragedy on the battlefield. For him, "death is most distant" when locked in physical conflict with his enemy. He admits that although he "wastes the world in vain," and "deal[s] death for dower," it allows him to forget the sorrowful lack of meaning that would otherwise prey on his mind.

In contrast, Alfred praises the concept of free will and the choice to view the world through the a divine lens. In comparison to the fiercely pessimistic attitude of the Danes, Alfred declares that he would joyfully "fall with Adam/than rise with all [their] gods." Alfred doesn't believe that man is helplessly pulled to his destruction by some chaotic force. Instead, Alfred claims that the heart of the Christian man is like that of the hare Harold describes-that has "more heart to run/Than [the Danes] have heart to ride." Alfred's lasting song lies in his faith; that though their swords and banners break, their spirits never will-and that, alone, is the salvation of the Wessex men. Their joy lies in the preservation of physical things(like the White Horse)in the pursuit of spiritual ends. Alfred guards creation not because it serves him at all times, as the Danes would have, but because it is deemed inherently good by the spirit of its Creator.

Can non-religious readers draw from the lessons put forth by Chesterton in his Ballad?

Even though Chesterton himself was a devout Roman Catholic, he presents universal themes in his Ballad. Chesterton utilizes a real historical figure, King Alfred the Great, to create a compelling protagonist who suffers from some of the most human emotions that arise from personal defeat: despair, self-doubt, and withdrawal from reality. Chesterton draws from the tenets of the Christian religion to demonstrate the effects of a rich and optimistic spiritual reality on individual men. Although Alfred doubts his abilities as a leader, he is encouraged by the words of a heavenly figure who provides him with a larger purpose and goal. Thus, although Alfred despairs, he finds courage in the message of a greater spiritual ideal, and his hope for a heavenly victory provides a catalyst for him to continue fighting the Danes.

This non-corporeal mission allows him to shift his focus from the unknown to the harsh reality immediately before him: that his enemies are currently threatening to destroy a civilization others have worked so tirelessly to maintain. Although victory remains non-guaranteed, suffering continues. However, Alfred finds comfort in the trust and camaraderie of other men, who share his belief in the importance of a more profound spiritual reality than any earthly conquest. Such vision and purpose can be seen in the behavioral patterns of all men, religious or not. Spirituality, in fact, is a much broader concept, and has the ability to unify individuals everywhere. Thus, those who identify an non-religious individuals can still walk away from reading Chesterton's Ballad with this message: that mankind can find hope, purpose, and drive in the pursuit of a common spiritual goal.

How does the Virgin Mary, in her role as messenger, affect Alfred and his men?

Mary affects Alfred twice in the ballad. In the wild wasteland of Athelney, she appears to the fallen king and transforms the spiritual state that leaves him reluctant to act. The most prominent lesson Mary leaves Alfred with is this: that although Alfred will never be able to escape the darkness of war, he can shift his focus to a more glorious, ethereal vision. Hence, it is the hope of heavenly victory that initiates Alfred to gather his forces and fight the Danes. The second time, Mary appears on the plains of Ethandune, the setting of the Christian forces' climactic battle. For the second time, Mary appears when the protagonist appears to be most defeated. However, when Mary reappears as the two-fold image of militant strength and feminine vulnerability, Alfred is in a spiritually different state. Hence, Alfred's men are the ones primarily affected by at Ethandune. Although he is inspired to vanquish the final Danish chieftain, Ogier, it is Alfred's weak and scattered armies who seem to rapidly gain strength through the Marian vision. It is this strength which reassembles the Wessex men in the most crucial moment of the battle-when the Danish lines are broken and scattered-and allows them to surge one, last time and lead the charge to victory.