Name: Class:

Dragon, Dragon
By John Gardner
1962

John Gardner (1933-1982) was an American author, poet, and professor who was influenced by
medieval literature. "Medieval" refers to a period in Western history, namely in Europe, that
spans from the 5th century into the 15th. It is sometimes called "The Middle Ages." Gardner
wrote with the purpose of encouraging his readers to always do and be better. "Dragon,
Dragon" combines medieval fantasy and modern humor to teach a lesson. As a dragon ravages
the kingdom, who will step up to defeat him, and what will it take? As you read, take notes on
character traits of the cobbler’s sons and how the author uses them to develop the plot of
“Dragon, Dragon.”

[1] There was once a king whose kingdom was

plagued1 by a dragon. The king did not know
which way to turn. The king’s knights were all
cowards who hid under their beds whenever
the dragon came in sight, so they were of no
use to the king at all. And the king’s wizard
could not help either because, being old, he
had forgotten his magic spells. Nor could the
wizard look up the spells that had slipped his
mind, for he had unfortunately misplaced his
wizard’s book many years before. The king
was at his wit’s end.2 "Untitled" by Prawny is licensed under CC0.

Every time there was a full moon the dragon came out of his lair and ravaged3 the countryside.
He frightened maidens and stopped up chimneys and broke store windows and set people’s
clocks back and made dogs bark until no one could hear himself think.

He tipped over fences and robbed graves and put frogs in people’s drinking water and tore the
last chapters out of novels and changed house numbers around so that people crawled into
bed with their neighbors.

He stole spark plugs out of people’s cars and put firecrackers in people’s cigars and stole the

1. Plague (verb) to continually cause trouble or distress to (someone or something)

2. “At wit’s end” is a phrase that means puzzled, frustrated, and ready to give up.
3. Ravage (verb) to damage or harm very badly

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 clappers4 from all the church bells and sprung every bear trap for miles around so the bears
could wander wherever they pleased.

[5] And to top it all off, he changed around all the roads in the kingdom so that people could not
get anywhere except by starting out in the wrong direction.

“That,” said the king in a fury, “is enough!” And he called a meeting of everyone in the kingdom.

Now it happened that there lived in the kingdom a wise old cobbler5 who had a wife and three
sons. The cobbler and his family came to the king’s meeting and stood way in back by the door,
for the cobbler had a feeling that since he was nobody important there had probably been
some mistake, and no doubt the king had intended the meeting for everyone in the kingdom
except his family and him.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” said the king when everyone was present, “I’ve put up with that dragon
as long as I can. He has got to be stopped.”

All the people whispered amongst themselves, and the king smiled, pleased with the
impression he had made.

[10] But the wise cobbler said gloomily, “It’s all very well to talk about it — but how are you going to
do it?”

And now all the people smiled and winked as if to say, “Well, King, he’s got you there!”

The king frowned.

“It’s not that His Majesty hasn’t tried,” the queen spoke up loyally.

“Yes,” said the king, “I’ve told my knights again and again that they ought to slay that dragon.
But I can’t force them to go. I’m not a tyrant.”

[15] “Why doesn’t the wizard say a magic spell?” asked the cobbler.

“He’s done the best he can,” said the king.

The wizard blushed and everyone looked embarrassed. “I used to do all sorts of spells and
chants when I was younger,” the wizard explained. “But I’ve lost my spell book, and I begin to
fear I’m losing my memory too. For instance, I’ve been trying for days to recall one spell I used
to do. I forget, just now, what the deuce6 it was for. It went something like —

4. a small piece inside of a bell that makes it ring

5. a person who makes or repairs shoes and other leather goods

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 Bimble,

Wimble,

Cha, Cha

CHOOMPF!

Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, the queen turned into a rosebush.

“Oh dear,” said the wizard.

[20] “Now you’ve done it,” groaned the king.

“Poor Mother,” said the princess.

“I don’t know what can have happened,” the wizard said nervously, “but don’t worry, I’ll have her
changed back in a jiffy.” He shut his eyes and racked his brain for a spell that would change her
back.

But the king said quickly, “You’d better leave well enough alone. If you change her into a
rattlesnake we’ll have to chop off her head.”

Meanwhile the cobbler stood with his hands in his pockets, sighing at the waste of time. “About
the dragon...” he began.

[25] “Oh yes,” said the king. “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll give the princess’ hand in marriage to anyone
who can make the dragon stop.”

“It’s not enough,” said the cobbler. “She’s a nice enough girl, you understand. But how would an
ordinary person support her? Also, what about those of us that are already married?”

“In that case,” said the king, “I’ll offer the princess’ hand or half the kingdom or both —
whichever is most convenient.”

The cobbler scratched his chin and considered it.

“It’s not enough,” he said at last. “It’s a good enough kingdom, you understand, but it’s too much
responsibility.”

[30] “Take it or leave it,” the king said.

6. a phrase that expresses confusion, frustration, or surprise

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 “I’ll leave it,” said the cobbler. And he shrugged and went home.

But the cobbler’s eldest son thought the bargain was a good one, for the princess was very
beautiful and he liked the idea of having half the kingdom to run as he pleased. So he said to
the king, “I’ll accept those terms, Your Majesty. By tomorrow morning the dragon will be slain.”

“Bless you!” cried the king.

“Hooray, hooray, hooray!” cried all the people, throwing their hats in the air.

[35] The cobbler’s eldest son beamed with pride, and the second eldest looked at him enviously.7
The youngest son said timidly, “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but don’t you think the queen looks a
little unwell? If I were you I think I’d water her.”

“Good heavens,” cried the king, glancing at the queen who had been changed into a rosebush,
“I’m glad you mentioned it!”

Now the cobbler’s eldest son was very clever and was known far and wide for how quickly he
could multiply fractions in his head. He was perfectly sure he could slay the dragon by
somehow or other playing a trick on him, and he didn’t feel that he needed his wise old father’s
advice. But he thought it was only polite to ask, and so he went to his father, who was working
as usual at his cobbler’s bench, and said, “Well, Father, I’m off to slay the dragon. Have you any
advice to give me?”

The cobbler thought a moment and replied, “When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite
the following poem:

Dragon, dragon, how do you do?

I’ve come from the king to murder you.

Say it very loudly and firmly and the dragon will fall, God willing, at your feet.”

“How curious!” said the eldest son. And he thought to himself, “The old man is not as wise as I
thought. If I say something like that to the dragon, he will eat me up in an instant. The way to kill
a dragon is to out-fox8 him.” And keeping his opinion to himself, the eldest son set forth on his
quest.

[40] When he came at last to the dragon’s lair, which was a cave, the eldest son slyly disguised
himself as a peddler and knocked on the door and called out, “Hello there!”

7. Enviously (adverb) feeling or showing a desire to have what someone else has
8. a term meaning to defeat or trick someone by being more intelligent or clever

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 “There’s nobody home!” roared a voice.

The voice was as loud as an earthquake, and the eldest son’s knees knocked together in terror.

“I don’t come to trouble you,” the eldest son said meekly. “I merely thought you might be
interested in looking at some of our brushes. Or if you’d prefer,” he added quickly, “I could leave
our catalogue with you and I could drop by again, say, early next week.”

“I don’t want any brushes,” the voice roared, “and I especially don’t want any brushes next
week.”

[45] “Oh,” said the eldest son. By now his knees were knocking together so badly that he had to sit
down.

Suddenly a great shadow fell over him, and the eldest son looked up. It was the dragon. The
eldest son drew his sword, but the dragon lunged and swallowed him in a single gulp, sword
and all, and the eldest son found himself in the dark of the dragon’s belly. “What a fool I was not
to listen to my wise old father!” thought the eldest son. And he began to weep bitterly.

“Well,” sighed the king the next morning, “I see the dragon has not been slain yet.”

“I’m just as glad, personally,” said the princess, sprinkling the queen. “I would have had to marry
that eldest son, and he had warts.”

Now the cobbler’s middle son decided it was his turn to try. The middle son was very strong and
was known far and wide for being able to lift up the corner of a church. He felt perfectly sure he
could slay the dragon by simply laying into him, but he thought it would be only polite to ask his
father’s advice. So he went to his father and said to him, “Well, Father, I’m off to slay the dragon.
Have you any advice for me?”

[50] The cobbler told the middle son exactly what he’d told the eldest.

“When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite the following poem.

Dragon, dragon, how do you do?

I’ve come from the king to murder you.

Say it very loudly and firmly, and the dragon will fall, God willing, at your feet.”

“What an odd thing to say,” thought the middle son. “The old man is not as wise as I thought.
You have to take these dragons by surprise.” But he kept his opinion to himself and set forth.

When he came in sight of the dragon’s lair, the middle son spurred his horse to a gallop and
thundered into the entrance swinging his sword with all his might.

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 But the dragon had seen him while he was still a long way off, and being very clever, the dragon
had crawled up on top of the door so that when the son came charging in he went under the
dragon and on to the back of the cave and slammed into the wall. Then the dragon chuckled
and got down off the door, taking his time, and strolled back to where the man and the horse
lay unconscious from the terrific blow. Opening his mouth as if for a yawn, the dragon
swallowed the middle son in a single gulp and put the horse in the freezer to eat another day.

[55] “What a fool I was not to listen to my wise old father,” thought the middle son when he came to
in the dragon’s belly. And he too began to weep bitterly.

That night there was a full moon, and the dragon ravaged the countryside so terribly that
several families moved to another kingdom.

“Well,” sighed the king in the morning, “still no luck in this dragon business, I see.”

“I’m just as glad, myself,” said the princess, moving her mother, pot and all, to the window
where the sun could get at her. “The cobbler’s middle son was a kind of humpback.”

Now the cobbler’s youngest son saw that his turn had come. He was very upset and nervous,
and he wished he had never been born. He was not clever, like his eldest brother, and he was
not strong, like his second eldest brother. He was a decent, honest boy who always minded his
elders.

[60] He borrowed a suit of armor from a friend of his who was a knight, and when the youngest son
put the armor on it was so heavy he could hardly walk. From another knight he borrowed a
sword, and that was so heavy that the only way the youngest son could get it to the dragon’s
lair was to drag it along behind his horse like a plow.9

When everything was in readiness, the youngest son went for a last conversation with his
father.

“Father, have you any advice to give me?” he asked.

“Only this,” said the cobbler. “When and if you come to the dragon’s lair, recite the following
poem.

Dragon, dragon, how do you do?

I’ve come from the king to murder you.

Say it very loudly and firmly, and the dragon will fall, God willing, at your feet.”

9. a farm machine used to dig into, break up, and turn over soil

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 “Are you certain?” asked the youngest son uneasily.

[65] “As certain as one can ever be in these matters,” said the wise old cobbler.

And so the youngest son set forth on his quest. He traveled over hill and dale and at last came
to the dragon’s cave.

The dragon, who had seen the cobbler’s youngest son while he was still a long way off, was
seated up above the door, inside the cave, waiting and smiling to himself. But minutes passed
and no one came thundering in. The dragon frowned, puzzled, and was tempted to peek out.
However, reflecting10 that patience seldom goes unrewarded, the dragon kept his head up out
of sight and went on waiting. At last, when he could stand it no longer, the dragon craned11 his
neck and looked. There at the entrance of the cave stood a trembling young man in a suit of
armor twice his size, struggling with a sword so heavy he could lift only one end of it at a time.

At sight of the dragon, the cobbler’s youngest son began to tremble so violently that his armor
rattled like a house caving in. He heaved with all his might at the sword and got the handle up
level with his chest, but even now the point was down in the dirt. As loudly and firmly as he
could manage, the youngest son cried —

Dragon, dragon, how do you do?

I’ve come from the king to murder you!

“What?” cried the dragon, flabbergasted.12 “You? You? Murder Me???” All at once he began to
laugh, pointing at the little cobbler’s son. “He he he ho ha!” he roared, shaking all over, and
tears filled his eyes. “He he he ho ho ho ha ha!” laughed the dragon. He was laughing so hard he
had to hang onto his sides, and he fell off the door and landed on his back, still laughing, kicking
his legs helplessly, rolling from side to side, laughing and laughing and laughing.

[70] The cobbler’s son was annoyed. “I do come from the king to murder you,” he said. “A person
doesn’t like to be laughed at for a thing like that.”

“He he he!” wailed the dragon, almost sobbing, gasping for breath. “Of course not, poor dear
boy! But really, he he, the idea of it, ha ha ha! And that simply ridiculous poem!” Tears streamed
from the dragon’s eyes and he lay on his back perfectly helpless with laughter.

“It’s a good poem,” said the cobbler’s youngest son loyally. “My father made it up.” And growing
angrier he shouted, “I want you to stop that laughing, or I’ll — I’l l—” But the dragon could not

10. Reflect (verb) to think seriously and carefully about

11. Crane (verb) to stretch toward something
12. Flabbergasted (adjective) feeling or appearing very shocked or surprised

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 stop for the life of him. And suddenly, in a terrific rage, the cobbler’s son began flopping the
sword end over end in the direction of the dragon. Sweat ran off the youngest son’s forehead,
but he labored on, blistering mad, and at last, with one supreme heave, he had the sword
standing on its handle a foot from the dragon’s throat. Of its own weight the sword fell, slicing
the dragon’s head off.

“He he ho huk,” went the dragon — and then he lay dead.

The two older brothers crawled out and thanked their younger brother for saving their lives.

[75] “We have learned our lesson,” they said.

Then the three brothers gathered all the treasures from the dragon’s cave and tied them to the
back end of the youngest brother’s horse, and tied the dragon’s head on behind the treasures,
and started home. “I’m glad I listened to my father,” the youngest son thought. “Now I’ll be the
richest man in the kingdom.”

There were hand-carved picture frames and silver spoons and boxes of jewels and chests of
money and silver compasses and maps telling where there were more treasures buried when
these ran out. There was also a curious old book with a picture of an owl on the cover, and
inside, poems and odd sentences and recipes that seemed to make no sense.

When they reached the king’s castle the people all leaped for joy to see that the dragon was
dead, and the princess ran out and kissed the youngest brother on the forehead, for secretly
she had hoped it would be him.

“Well,” said the king, “which half of the kingdom do you want?”

[80] “My wizard’s book!” exclaimed the wizard. “He’s found my wizard’s book!” He opened the book
and ran his finger along under the words and then said in a loud voice, “Glmuzk, shkzmlp,
blam!”

Instantly the queen stood before them in her natural shape, except she was soaking wet from
being sprinkled too often. She glared at the king.

“Oh dear,” said the king, hurrying toward the door.

"Dragon, Dragon" from DRAGON, DRAGON AND OTHER TALES by John Gardner. Copyright © 1975 by
Boskydell Artists, Ltd. Reprinted by permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc., for the Estate of John
Gardner.

Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

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 Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete
sentences.

1. Which statement best expresses the moral of the story?

A. Be kind to elders who may have forgotten things in their old age.
B. Trust in your own abilities over the opinions of others.
C. Having confidence is more useful than being humble.
D. Listen to the wisdom and suggestions of your elders.

2. The characterization of the dragon in paragraphs 2-5 contribute to the story by —

A. revealing that the dragon is greedy.
B. describing how the dragon is a nuisance.
C. explaining why the dragon is angry with the village.
D. showing that the dragon only attacks when he is bored.

3. What does the word "tyrant" most likely mean as used in paragraph 14?
A. a trusted ruler
B. an unfair ruler
C. a powerful wizard
D. a talented craftsman

4. Which detail from the story provides the best clue for the meaning of the word
"reflecting?" (Paragraph 67)
A. The dragon wants to peek out but decides to be patient.
B. The dragon is not paying attention when the youngest son approaches.
C. The dragon pretends not to be paying attention when the youngest son
approaches.
D. The dragon is bored because none of the cobbler's sons provide a great
enough challenge.

5. Reread paragraph 72. How does this paragraph most contribute to the story's
theme?
A. It shows that the youngest son is cleverer than his father.
B. It shows that the youngest son values his father and his advice.
C. It shows that the youngest son cannot control his anger, much like the
dragon.
D. It shows that the youngest son is worried about another dragon seeking
revenge.

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6. How does the characterization of the cobbler's youngest son develop the plot of the
story? Use evidence from the story to support your answer.

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 Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be
prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In "Dragon, Dragon," the cobbler gives his sons advice on how to defeat the dragon.
Have you ever received advice from a trusted adult or friend? Did you follow that
advice? What was the result?

2. In "Dragon, Dragon," the cobbler's two elder sons decide not to listen to their father's
advice and later regret that choice. Why do you think the two sons reacted as they
did? What would you have done? What does this reveal about how we treat our
elders and what they have to say?

3. In "Dragon, Dragon," both the cobbler and his youngest son show humility. Do you
think it is important to be humble? Why or why not? What are some examples from
popular culture, literature, or your own life when being boastful or overconfident
caused problems?

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