Arthurian Medievalism in The Adventures of Merlin


(1) The introductory title of Merlin 

In a land of myth and a time of magic... 

The Adventures of Merlin is a TV adaptation of the Arthurian world which first aired on BBC in 2008 and ran for five seasons, ending in 2012 on Christmas Eve (1). In the reimagined Arthurian World of Merlin, rather than being Arthur’s wizened wizard mentor, Merlin is the young Prince Arthur’s agemate and his manservant. Their relationship to one another is the beating heart of the show, creating a major difference in the show versus the original tales: Merlin is, as the title suggests, entirely focused on the character of Merlin (and, by extension, Arthur), rather than jumping from knight to knight from episode to episode. For a little more context, here's the trailer for season one:




However, from a librarian character named Geoffrey of Monmouth to the episodic nature of the show’s format itself, Merlin is still chock-full of references to the original incarnations of the Arthurian World, both big and small. I could spend pages upon pages trying to unpack it all, but instead, I’ll focus on analyzing just a few episodes whose plotlines represent some familiar Arthurian tropes and concepts: the knight incognito, the denial of noble heritage to further elevate noble actions, and the love potion (well, a love-inducing magical object, at least).


Prince Incognito 


The majority of Merlin takes place during a time before King Arthur took up the mantle of king; Merlin is a coming-of-age story for not only the aged-down wizard, but for Arthur, as well. The first two seasons in particular feature many episodes whose plots revolve around Arthur proving himself as a prince and as a knight. The episode “The Once and Future Queen” (2x2) is based on this struggle: Camelot is hosting its annual jousting tournament, and Arthur discovers, through practicing with his fellow knights, that they’re taking it easy on him because of his rank. Naturally, he’s upset; being allowed to win is no way to prove your prowess, after all. Thus, he decides to go incognito.


(3) "The Once and Future Queen" (2x2): Merlin (left), Guinevere (right), and the face of Sir William (center)


In some ways, the concept of this episode is different from the classic knight incognito tale; it’s not that no one wants to joust Arthur because he’s talented so much as it’s because he’s princely. However, the result of Arthur’s discovery and the way he decides to handle it is familiar: he wears different armor of different colors and heraldry, goes by a different name (Sir William), wrangles a commoner into being the face of Sir William, and, thus undercover, he competes and wins in secret to prove himself without the confines of his real name and title. That said, in a display of humility, Arthur ultimately decides not to reveal himself and take credit for his actions, which isn’t generally how things go in the original tales, but most of the trappings of the knight incognito trope are still present. 


Noble(?) Sir Gwaine 


In episode “Gwaine” (3x4), the titular character makes his entrance. By all appearances, Gwaine is different from his original characterization in the Arthurian tales; most notably, he appears to be a commoner. But, while Merlin’s Gwaine isn’t Arthur’s nephew, we learn in the very first episode he appears in that Gwaine is, in fact, of noble birth. However, he has cast aside his title, and Gwaine’s narrative throughout the show becomes one of proving the nobility of his character without using his bloodline as an in.


(4) "Gwaine" (3x4): Gwaine (left) speaking to Arthur (left)


Gwaine’s narrative in Merlin bears similarities to that of his brother Gareth's in Le Morte d’Arthur: “The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney.” When Gareth arrives in Arthur’s court, he hides his heritage and proceeds to earn his knighthood and prowess entirely through his own actions, up to and including bearing a year working the kitchens. In a similar way, Merlin’s Gwaine refuses to invoke his birth title even when it would make his life easier. He doesn’t use it to get out of legal trouble or having to polish Arthur’s shoes, and he doesn’t use it to earn knighthood, though he is eventually knighted. Like Gareth (for most of his tale, anyway), he denies his heritage, bears demeaning tasks, and earns his perceived nobility through only his actions. 


The Lance of Love 


Merlin’s incarnations of Guinevere (shortened to Gwen) and Lancelot are distinctly different from those in the original tales. Both are of low birth and eventually achieve noble status through marriage and being knighted, respectively. That said, one key thing remains the same: a romantic subplot exists between them, which culminates dramatically in the episode “Lancelot du Lac” (4x9). As mentioned before, Gwen is a commoner by birth, and she still is in “Lancelot du Lac,” which makes me hesitant to call their affair a representation of courtly love. Instead, I feel there’s a stronger comparison to be made between Gwen and Lancelot’s circumstances in “Lancelot du Lac” and those of Tristan and Yseut in Beroul’s Romance of Tristan. 


(2) "Lancelot du Lac" (4x9): Gwen and Lancelot getting caught in the act

 

Gwen and Lancelot were once in love for reasons that aren’t magically induced, but they only rekindle and act on that love when their hands are forced by Morgana and an enchanted bracelet. Just as Tristan and Yseut, under the influence of magic, commit a crime for which death is considered a just punishment, so do Gwen and Lancelot, landing themselves lots of love-related suffering. This plotline of magic-induced love (and suffering) is used a few times throughout the show (such as in the seventh episode of the second season, “The Gates of Avalon”), but “Lancelot du Lac” is the only instance with lasting consequences, and it brings the conversation of the king’s two bodies into play as well. Ultimately, Arthur sentences Lancelot to death and exiles Gwen, both out of a lack of trust after her perceived betrayal and out of fear of looking weak to his kingdom, making his decision a political maneuver just as much as it is personal.


Okay, Get to the Point 


Now, you may be saying to yourself, “That’s great, Mad, glad you got to rant about your favorite show for a whole blog post, but is Merlin a good representation of the Arthurian World or not?” Well, as I said before, these episodes are just a few examples of very specific references out of an entire five-season show. But, after analyzing these very specific references, I’ve arrived at the opinion that, while many changes to the original tales were made, they weren’t made thoughtlessly. It’s a made-for-TV adaptation that was changed to appeal itself to a more modern audience, what with its added coming-of-age flavor and its general condensing of the story. Its representation of the Arthurian World, while not entirely (or even mostly) faithful, has clear knowledge of and some amount of care for the source materials behind it. 


Works Cited 


Jones, Julian, et al. “Merlin (2008 TV series).” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(2008_TV_series). (1) 

“"Merlin" Lancelot du Lac (TV Episode 2011).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2098296/. (2) 

“The Once and Future Queen | Merlin Wiki | Fandom.” Merlin Wiki, 26 September 2009, https://merlin.fandom.com/wiki/The_Once_and_Future_Queen. (3) 

“3x04 Gwaine - Merlin on BBC Image (16448601).” Fanpop, https://www.fanpop.com/clubs/merlin-on-bbc/images/16448601/title/3x04-gwaine-screencap. (4) 

Comments

  1. You did a great job presenting this blog and provided a great amount of detail. The overall aesthetic of the blog was very nicely done and it really looked like a blog I would find online. I have never heard of this television series so it was very interesting to read about and I can definitely make out the comparisons. I enjoyed reading the last paragraph of your blog the most and found that it pulled all of your ideas together. Overall your blog was a lot of fun to read and I feel like I was able to learn more regarding Merlin.

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  2. This was really interesting to learn about! I think it's really cool that the show decided to utilize a lot of the themes in Arthurian literature such as the incognito knight. I've never even heard of this show, but after watching the trailer you included, it reminds me of perhaps a lower budget Game of Thrones. I like that they also include a lot of the other characters we know of and put their own twists on to the stories. I'll have to give the show a watch!

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  3. Wow, Mad, I loved your blog! This is one that you can't deny has relation to the Arthurian world because even with the changes, it is essentially the same stuff we've been reading about in class. If anything, I think it would be boring if they had kept everything the same, and changing things allowed them to draw in an audience with no prior knowledge of any of the Arthurian stories as well. Very organized, very detailed, and I really enjoyed reading (:

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  4. You did such a great job with this blog! I love the amount of detail you put into this! I like how you acknowledged the differences but then also showed how it relates to what we have read. Doing that shows that of course there can be differences, but the story is still there and that is what matters. Overall, great job!

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