At the beginning of The Lancelot-Grail Reader’s “The Story of Merlin,” a devil rapes a young woman, leading to the conception of Merlin and a repentance of her past sins. Though Merlin is half-devil, God recognizes his innocence and grants him both “the devil’s art of knowing things that are done, said, and past” (54) and the godly “power to know the future” (54). Equipped with these abilities, Merlin can now “turn to whichever side he wanted, for if he wished, he could give the devils their due, or else His to God just as well (54), definitively splitting Merlin’s path in two: the adoption of either the devil’s past or God’s future. Yet despite this foundation, The Story of Merlin’s anonymous Vulgate author(s) continuously presents the ineffectiveness …show more content…
In this episode, Merlin saves Guenevere from being kidnapped and disrupts the malevolent cycle of conception for the first time by preventing Arthur from sleeping with the false Guenevere. This moment of competence results from a knowledge of what has been done, as seen when the author describes, “As soon as [the kidnappers] had reached their agreement, Merlin knew it” (83). Here, it seems that the kidnappers making a decision solidifies them in the past, and in that instant, Merlin receives that knowledge. Because Merlin’s prophetic abilities are never fully explained, it’s difficult to say if the story’s future is set in stone or regularly shifting, but this moment indicates a clarity and assurance that comes with knowledge of the past, which in turn allows Merlin to react astutely and correct a potentially catastrophic situation. Moreover, the Vulgate author highlights the memory of Guenevere’s saviors as they wait to stop the kidnappers, detailing, “Bretel and Ulgin had not forgotten what Merlin had told them” (85). Once again, it was knowledge, or memory, of the past that led to their success. Granted, the ultimate outcome of this episode is complicated since Guenevere is the person being saved, and as Cawsey stresses, “Merlin arranges the marriage between Guenevere and Arthur, despite knowing Lancelot and Guenevere will be lovers” (95). However, Merlin at least prevents another deceitful sexual encounter; thus, the author exposes the potential power in possessing the devil’s
In movies, novels, and life, people are named as heroes. The heroes we establish and the heroes we recognize, however, may not meet the criteria for a mythic hero. A mythic hero ventures forth on his journey, and comes forth from the hero’s path to greatness. Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized, in studying these myths and tales, that there were certain steps that every hero went through. Campbell called this “The Hero’s Journey”; it is based on Carl Jung's idea that all human beings have an archetype. After Campbell studied a lot of the great myths and realized this pattern, he published his findings in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Ever since then, authors have used “The Hero’s Journey” as an outline to tell their stories. “It is important to note that not all of these individual steps are present in every hero’s tale, nor is it important that they be in this exact order” (Vogler 20). The Hero with a Thousand Faces gives a sense of significance as it looks into the inner mind and soul. The author, Joseph Campbell, performs two extraordinary accomplishments: compelling his readers that myth and dream, those are the most effective and everlasting forces in life and a unification of mythology and psychoanalysis with a gripping narrative. One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby.
The love triangle of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenever is a constant theme throughout every account of the Arthurian legend. Geoffrey Ashe's The Arthurian Handbook states that "We may say that these knights are expected to serve their King..."(81). The revelation of the affair finally comes when Sir Agravaine shouts, "'Traitor Knight! Sir Lancelot, now art thou taken'"(White 569). Lancelot was summoned to Queen Guenever's bedroom, and Sir Agravaine is finally exposing the affair and gaining revenge on Lancelot for unhorsing him many times in the past. The two people that Arthur trusts most are Guenever and Lancelot. Arthur is well aware of the affair between the two, but chooses to pretend that nothing is going on. Due to this naivety, Arthur earns the disrespect (and even hatred) of Agravaine and Mordred, who eventual...
Guenever’s dialogue with Lancelot shows signs of guilt, but an overall distinct feeling of love. On page 549, she states that “You (Lancelot) will be killed, and I shall be burned, and our love has come to a bitter end.” The love she has for Lancelot is obviously strong, enough for her to accept her own demise. This sad articulation of her love for him is quite powerful. She understands her actions, and also shows signs of paranoia. She claims, on page 567, that “Tristram used to sleep with King Mark’s wife, and the king murdered him for it.” Guenever is thoughtful of what’s to come, for both her AND her partner. It is obvious that she knew she could not always “have her cake and eat it too.” As a woman, suffering through the psychological battle of “what is right”, Guenever had an awareness of her love and it’s outcome.
He brings Guenevere here for protection after rescuing her from arthur’s knights when she is about to be executed for treason .The ungentle laws and customs touched upon this tale are historical / and the episodes which are used to illustrate them are also historical . Anxious to learn about the conditions of
When all the courtly love elements that flow through The Knight of the Cart are composed, in addition to a tale of love affair between Queen Guinevere and Lancelot of the Lake, a document revealing the enchanting history of the Twelfth Century Renaissance is created. Troyes, our powerful storyteller, was able to do this by taking us on a journey with Lancelot, not only though his exciting battles to Guinevere but, through his passionate and enamored thoughts and behaviors that yearns for his beloved.
Tragic and hero may not be words that easily reveal a relationship, but throughout literature the two have been linked to create an enthralling read. The emergence of the tragic hero seemed to take shape in ancient Greece where such works as Oedipus and Antigone were popular among all classes of people. Aristotle defined a tragedy as "the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself. It incorporates incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotions." Though Greece may be credited with the creation of tragic heroes, the theme is seen in literary works across many different cultures, including England. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one such English work where the development of the main character, Gawain, follows the pattern of the classical tragic hero. In this paper, we will explore the characteristics of the tragic hero and show how these traits are demonstrated in Gawain.
I argue that Merlin is a character with extreme extra worldly perception. Many would think extra worldly perception to be a privilege, but this essay serves to contradict the positive effects that extra worldly perception can have. I will show why he is perceptive, rather than mad, as well as explain why this type of perception can be detrimental to one’s life. When a person has too much perception, he can often live in a world of fear and discontent, one that is only curable by the restructuring of an entire society. To begin, Merlin’s reasons for leaving feudal society are too logical to call him “mad.”
In this romance, there is a battle between reason and love. Both try to thwart the paths of the other. When love is taking control, there is always a sense of reason that prevents Lancelot from doing what he wants, and when reason has the better of him, love makes him go in a different direction. Reason is the logical explanation behind each action taken or decision made by Lancelot. Love is the attraction that Lancelot feels for Gweneviere and it has a way of pushing aside reason, when he tries to make a judgment. These two elements are almost the devil and angel inside of Lancelot. Neither one can be described as good or bad, but can be considered opposites of each other. Also, most times, love is a stronger trait in Lancelot than the process of thought and reason.
Arthur and Guinevere now know everything Merlin had done (or attempted to do) for them during the years he hid his magic. It was a gradual, seemingly endless process, because just when Merlin thought he had remembered everything, he would remember something else.
As legends and myths are retold throughout the ages, stories begin to differ. This remains true for Arthurian myths and legends. The BBC Merlin series is bound to differ much more, considering it is a five season television series aimed towards teenagers and young adults who grew up or are growing up in the 90’s and the 21st century. It’s a show aimed towards the people who are trying to figure out life, and what they want to do for a living, to the people who are struggling to fit into society. With this in mind, what did BBC alter and what remained the same between most of the Arthurian legends and BBC Merlin? Many of the differences to be found were in the characters themselves.
Russell, J.B. 1986. Lucifer, the Devil in the Middle Ages. New York: Cornell University Press.
The oldest epic poem of the Anglo-Saxon period is the tale of good and evil. The crusade of heaven and hell, the bloody war that waged between our hero Beowulf and the infamous Grendel and his mother. But there seem to be two sides to this heroic and yet tragic story of these troubled and arrogant souls.
The Quest for the Holy Grail was the greatest and noblest of all quests for King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. The Holy Grail was believed to be the cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, and it was the cup that caught Christ's blood when he was thrust in the side with a spear at his crucifixion. Joseph of Arimathea, the wealthy man who allowed Christ to be placed in his tomb, is said to have brought the cup with him to Britain, but it was later lost. It was said that the cup disappeared because of the sins of the times, but many believed it to be hidden, and still in England. The Quest for the Holy Grail, led by King Arthur was to find this divine cup.
Weyer, J. (1563). De praestigiis daemonum [The Deception of Demons]. Basel, Switzerland: Per Joannem Oporinum.
"At one moment it seemed to him that he was in the cave of Montesinos and saw Dulcinea, transformed into a country wench, skipping and mounting upon her she-ass; again that the words of the sage Merlin were sounding in his ears, setting forth the conditions to be observed and the exertions to be made for the disenchantment of Dulcinea."