Arthurian Legends Merlin
In the Arthurian legends Merlin is a key figure who not only guides and mentors Arthur, but also serves as a seer and a prophet to Arthur and the kingdom. Merlin views on life and humanity change over his lifetime, and change throughout time because of the views and preferences of that era and the factors that stress the people of that generation of literature. In “Merlin the Mad” written by Norris Lacy in the 21st century and Vita Merlini written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century, Merlin is portrayed with great difference due to the time period of Merlin’s life that the stories are written around and how different stressors affect him and his mental state.
In Vita Merlini Merlin is shown to be King of Briton rather than Arthur and …show more content…
In this adaptation Merlin is shown to be a much more powerful and wise magician, having known that he would be trapped by Niviene and actually planning the entombment himself to help King Arthur and his rule over the kingdom. Merlin’s decision is for the greater good of the country and is made so that Arthur may fully develop as king and is able to make decisions on his own, rather than just relying on Merlin’s abilities. While Merlin is trapped, he questions who he is and how people view him “so who am I? Merlin the Prophet? Or Merlin the Magician? Or just Merlin the Madman? Or Merlin in love with what he could never hope to have? And does it really matter now?”(Lacy). This reflects on our society in how that people have a pressure to fit into boxes and not be able to express themselves. This societal pressure plays a major role in how Merlin’s character was developed. After the entombment Merlin is shown to descend into madness because of the darkness and absence of other living things “people think of darkness as the absence of light, but this is not an absence: it is a terrible presence, almost a heavy, glutinous substance: Darkness”(Lacy). The darkness that Merlin feels is an absence of interaction with the outside world making him go crazy. Merlin’s insanity relates to how our modern society has such a dependence on …show more content…
These stressors shape Merlin as a character and are what change him over the different time periods that he is written into. Merlin’s changes over time are due to a shifting viewpoint on how we perceive the environment and society around
In Vita Merlini Merlin is shown to be King of Briton rather than Arthur and …show more content…
In this adaptation Merlin is shown to be a much more powerful and wise magician, having known that he would be trapped by Niviene and actually planning the entombment himself to help King Arthur and his rule over the kingdom. Merlin’s decision is for the greater good of the country and is made so that Arthur may fully develop as king and is able to make decisions on his own, rather than just relying on Merlin’s abilities. While Merlin is trapped, he questions who he is and how people view him “so who am I? Merlin the Prophet? Or Merlin the Magician? Or just Merlin the Madman? Or Merlin in love with what he could never hope to have? And does it really matter now?”(Lacy). This reflects on our society in how that people have a pressure to fit into boxes and not be able to express themselves. This societal pressure plays a major role in how Merlin’s character was developed. After the entombment Merlin is shown to descend into madness because of the darkness and absence of other living things “people think of darkness as the absence of light, but this is not an absence: it is a terrible presence, almost a heavy, glutinous substance: Darkness”(Lacy). The darkness that Merlin feels is an absence of interaction with the outside world making him go crazy. Merlin’s insanity relates to how our modern society has such a dependence on …show more content…
These stressors shape Merlin as a character and are what change him over the different time periods that he is written into. Merlin’s changes over time are due to a shifting viewpoint on how we perceive the environment and society around