The King is Dead

J. Chr. de Vries

The story

The king is dead.

The king is dead, as the Lord Steward informs the queen.

The king is dead after a fall from his horse, as the Lord Steward informs the queen, who reacts frightened.

The king is dead after a fall from his horse, it appeared that he had broken his neck, as the Lord Steward informs the queen, who reacts frightened.

The king is dead after a fall from his horse, he had broken his neck, as the Lord Steward informs the queen, who reacts frightened, but yet seems not surpirsed.

The king is dead after a fall from his horse, he had broken his neck, the reins were broken, as the Lord Steward informs the queen, who reacts frightened, but yet seems not surpirsed.

The king is dead after a fall from his horse, he had broken his neck, the reins were broken, as the Lord Steward informs the queen, who reacts frightened, but yet seems not surpirsed, rather even relieved.

The king is dead after a fall from his horse, he had broken his neck, the reins were broken, and it seemed as if they were slit, as the Lord Steward informs the queen, who reacts frightened, but yet seems not surpirsed, rather even relieved.

The king is dead after a fall from his horse, he had broken his neck, the reins were broken, and it seemed as if they were slit, after further enquiry it was clearly an act of intent, as the Lord Steward informs the queen, who reacts frightened, but yet seems not surpirsed, rather even relieved, having been severely tyrannized for years by her husband.

The Plot

What is a ‘plot’? If it’s the quintessence of a story, then all the essential aspects of the story should be described in it. When the plot goes as follows: The king is dead, and the queen is shocked, we miss certain essential elements, for example, the fact that the queen appears to be involved in that death.

The plot of this story could then be improved as follows: The king, who tyrannized his wife, was killed by her in revenge. The queen’s responsibility for the death of the king, and her motive, are then specified. What elements are missing in this formulation? Are they essential to the story? If that is indeed the case, they should still be incorporated into the plot after all.

The fact that the Lord Steward informs the queen of the death of her husband doesn’t seem to be essential at first sight; it could have been told to her by anyone: a footman, a chambermaid, or anyone else. However, the fact that she reacts with shock though not with surprise, seems to be an essential part of the story; she pretends as though she knows nothing, and the Lord Steward’s perspective is how we understand this. The plot could then go as follows: The king is dead after a fall from his horse, he had broken his neck, the reins were broken, and it seemed as if they were slit, after further enquiry it was clearly an act of intent, as the Lord Steward informs the queen, who reacts frightened, but yet seems not surprised, rather even relieved, having been severely tyrannized for years by her husband.

Conclusion

It now seems like the story and the plot are one and the same, but that is by no means the case. The story is not just the ninth sentence of the story but all nine sentences together. The plot includes, except for the final sentence, also the narrative of how this outcome comes about.

At first sight it appears to be a simple, factual statement: the king is dead, and the queen is shocked. But gradually, it becomes apparent that the queen knows more, and ultimately, she is responsible for his death; her motive was revenge. The story is not just about that conclusion, but also about the fact that she apparently tried to conceal her guilt. In that sense, it is a typical detective story, a whodunit. (Of course, in the most rudimentary form.)

The question we are now facing is: To what extent should this element be formulated in the plot? Is it sufficient to construct a formulation that mentions this detective element? For example, as follows: The death of the king initially appears to be an accident; the queen, who pretended to be surprised by it, is ultimately responsible; it was an act of revenge because she had been tyrannized by her husband for years.

However, in this description, we are still missing an essential element, namely that of loyalty and justice. This element is represented by the Lord Steward, who must be loyal to both the king and his wife. Although he must be loyal to both, he ultimately chooses for justice and truth.

The conclusion is then finally, that the story and the plot ultimately align completely.

— Loosduinen, 27 april 2022