The Book of Wonder · Chapter
The Quest of the Queen's Tears explained
Queen Sylvia of the Woods sets a unique quest for her suitors: whoever can move her to tears will win her hand.
What happens
Queen Sylvia of the Woods sets a unique quest for her suitors: whoever can move her to tears will win her hand. Ackronnion, a king in disguise, devises a plan to obtain the tears of the Gladsome Beast, a joyful creature whose tears can inspire weeping in others. With the help of his knight Arrath and guidance from the Old Man Who Looks After Fairyland, Ackronnion uses his music to make the Beast weep, then Arrath slays it. Ackronnion collects the tears, drinks them, and sings before the court, moving everyone to tears except the Queen herself.
Themes in this chapter
The Power of Art and Music
Ackronnion's music is central to the quest: his 'chaunt called Dolorous' moves the Gladsome Beast to tears, and later his song nearly moves the entire court to weep.
Beauty and Mortality
The Queen's cold, untouchable beauty is likened to a frozen mountain; the Gladsome Beast's death underscores the fleeting nature of joy and life.
Irony and Moral Ambiguity
The quest to make the Queen weep is both romantic and violent; the Gladsome Beast, a symbol of joy, is killed to produce tears, and the Old Man celebrates its death for selfish reasons.
Characters to notice
- Sylvia
Queen of the Woods who sets the quest of her tears, remaining unmoved by all suitors.
- Ackronnion
King of Afarmah, Lool, and Haf in disguise as a troubadour; he devises and executes the plan to obtain the Gladsome Beast's tears.
- the Gladsome Beast
A joyful creature whose tears can inspire weeping; it is slain by Arrath after being made to weep by Ackronnion's song.
- the Old Man Who Looks After Fairyland
Dwells in a windy thatched house at the edge of Fairyland; he guides Ackronnion and Arrath and is glad the Beast is killed because it spoiled his cabbages.
Key passages
“Only one 'crab' he has (if I may use slang for a moment to make myself perfectly clear), only one drawback, and that is that in the gladness of his heart he spoils the cabbages of the Old Man Who Looks After Fairyland—and of course he eats men.”
The Gladsome Beast has just one flaw: in its joy, it ruins the Old Man's cabbages and also eats people.
Describes the Beast's nature and the Old Man's grievance.
“He sang of the malignity of time. Two tears welled large in the eyes of the Gladsome Beast.”
Ackronnion sang about time's cruelty, and the Beast began to cry.
Shows the power of Ackronnion's song to evoke sorrow.
“And carefully they carried the bowl of tears away, leaving the body of the Gladsome Beast as a change of diet for the ominous crow; and going by the windy house of thatch they said farewell to the Old Man Who Looks After Fairyland, who when he heard of the deed rubbed his hands together and mumbled again and again, 'And a very good thing, too. My cabbages! My cabbages!'”
They took the bowl of tears and left the Beast's corpse for the crow; the Old Man was pleased because his cabbages would no longer be spoiled.
Highlights the Old Man's selfish relief and the Beast's disposal.