Chapter 2 really helped me understand the relationship
between King Arthur and Merlin. On page 222 Merlin says “and what is going to
happen there is nobody to tell you? Are you never going to think for yourself”?
I feel like this is a very significant quote to understand Arthur and Merlin’s
relationship because if someone else would have said this to Arthur they would
have been killed. Therefore, Arthur having someone like Merlin plays a huge
role in the success that Arthur has accomplished because Merlin keeps Arthur
grounded in his times of success. Another reason that this quote is significant
to the story is that it shows that Merlin is not only there for his own good but
he is also there to help Arthur and Camelot. This chapter also switched my view
on Merlin because before this chapter I didn’t understand why Merlin was so important
to Arthur's success and this chapter showed me that if it wasn’t for Merlin, I don’t
think that Arthur would be viewed as one of the most powerful Kings. Also makes
me respect Merlin because he could have just let Arthur fail and he could have been
the next person to take over Camelot but he put Arthur's success first.
I agree that this chapter helped us get a more intimate and developed look of Merlin and Arthur's personal relationship which in turn makes us more invested in the stories. Though, i disagree that if anyone else said that line to Arthur, they would be killed; he has not really proved himself to be that kind of King in the other stories we have read.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you here, Arthur is definitely not the mad king from game of thrones, so I do not think he would've killed someone else who said that to him. I do agree that we finally got a better look into Arthur and Merlin's relationship. This chapter made me think about the show we watched in class where Merlin really seems to guide Arthur.
DeleteThis is why (in my opinion) Merlin is the classic example of the "mentor" trope from the Hero's Journey. He's there to help Arthur through instruction and example. Other mentors might be crueler to their mentee or mentees might not listen to or respect the mentor and there is a battle of will between them. Through this example, White shows how teamwork helps the story's hero find success.
ReplyDeleteI agree that every mentor has a different way of expressing their teachings to the ones they are mentoring. I think Merlin is rough on Arthur because if he isn't then Arthur might not take his advice seriously. I also think its because he is older than Arthur and might not be as patient.
DeleteI also think that this chapter helped us understand Merlin a little better. I think that this is the best and only way we can get any insight into Merlin as a character. There will be no lineage story to fully see why Merlin is the way he is. The way that Merlin treats and acts towards Arthur is the only insight we get when looking at such an elusive character.
ReplyDeleteYes! Your example is perfect to understand Merlyn's exact motives: to guide Arthur to be the best king he can be. Through Merlyn's help Arthur can become the king we read about in stories. Without Merlyn, Arthur is almost completely on his own with no prior knowledge of how to run a kingdom, and Merlyn is there to teach him.
ReplyDeleteI always remain fascinated by Merlin's relative selflessness in this novel - as you say, Brandon, his whole job is to be there to cultivate Arthur and shape him into the king that Britain needs. To jump off of Esther's point, the idea of a mentor is key to so many stories (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Dumbledore, etc) that have been written since this novel was published. To be sure, the wise old man is an archetype much older than the Arthurian legends, but I think the way that we have come to think about wisdom and guidance is often wrapped up in a figure like TH White's Merlyn because he does such a good job of crafting the Merlyn we all wish we had guiding us!
ReplyDelete