Geoffrey of Monmouth's Life of Merlin
Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “Life of Merlin” is a text that makes its readers struggle with finding criteria for madness. What does it even mean to be “mad?” Madness seems to define a person only when he or she does something to stray from the normality of any given group of people. Breaking societal norms often leaves people open to criticism and suspicion. In order to be sane and mentally healthy, one has to abide by all explicit and implicit rules of society. “Life of Merlin” is about a man that abandons feudal society, and all of its rules, in hopes of finding a better place to live. A better place to live, for him, is one that is purely good. Violent and deceitful people are ultimately the factors that drive him away, causing him to be termed as “mad.” 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.” One place where logic can be heard is where Merlin says, “Surely a malignant fate cannot have been so vindictive as to take from me all these my companions, men such that many a king and many a distant kingdom have stood in fear of them till now” (55). What Merlin is addressing is the fact that someone is to blame fo...
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...s left with after reading the text. While Merlin seems to have a good start towards creating a more peaceful society, it does not seem that it will prove to be completely peaceful. Of course anything is better to him than living in the city, and it only seems to get better when he is encountered with people much like himself. A text like “Life of Merlin” makes me question whether a peaceful society is within grasp. Even in current times, countries are at war and people lie to and cheat one another. Have we become more violent and deceptive with time? In order to create a peaceful environment, the idea of competition might have to be removed. Competition, one thing that is instinctive in all creatures, is a driving force of all human action. Merlin seems to strive towards the ideal, but it remains questionable as to whether or not his ideal is within grasp.
The Arthurian cycle shows a sporadic awareness of the impossibility of mere humans fulfilling all the ideals that Arthur and his court represent. The story of Lancelot and Guenevere, Merlin's imprisonment by Nimu‘, and numerous other instances testify to the recognition of this tension between the real and the unrealistic.
In Chapter 5, the role of social stratification and power struggle are shown. Social stratification is shown in the quote “Merlin, in his malice, had woven a spell about this dungeon, and there bides not the man in theses kingdoms that would be desperate enough to essay to cross it lines with you!” (Twain PG 22). This shows how Merlin is feared by many. A power struggle is also shown by the quote “He was frightened even to marrow, and was minded to give order for your instant enlargement, and that you be clothed in fine raiment and lodged as befitted one so great; but then came Merlin and spoiled it all.” (Twain PG 24). This shows the power struggle between Hank and Merlin, which will be more in later chapters.
King Arthur’s forgetful nature illustrates the fallacy of the feudal system which Mari de France refers to. Joseph and Francis Gies comment on this as they describe “[the real destroyer was not gunpowder but central government” (219). The political system in place proved ineffective as it favored certain elites. The nobility prospered while the commoners perished in anguish which is clearly presented in Lanval. Lanval fails to thrive while his comrades continue to gain wealth. Lanval’s distress stems from King Arthur which reflects the ineffective political system. Kings stabilize society as they dominate much of the politics and decisions made, yet kings frequently “forget” about the lower classes. Mari de France references this as two separate kings fail to reward Lanval. Lanval received “nothing from [his father]” (Mari de France 31) nor did Lanval receive “ample patronage” (Marie de France 13) from King Arthur. Those unfortunately in the third estate lack any political influence. Therefore, commoners have little control over the quality of their life. King Arthur, as any king should, must ensure the prosperity of his subjects especially the most loyal. Kings cannot deviate from this as the feudal system will not support this. France and Joseph Gies refer to this in their book Life in a Medieval Castle. France and Joseph Gies discuss the daily lives of the king and the subjects. The
The poem’s intricately balanced structure challenges the reader to seek out a resolution coherent with his or her own ethics. An admirable knight of King Arthur's renowned court, Sir Gawain is directed by a complex set of ethos, a collaboration of principles symbolized by the mystical pentangle. A five-pointed star composed of five interlocking lines; the figure represents a multitude of guiding tenets, representing both religious and knightly ideals. One can recognize that “the pentangle cognizance is explicated by the poet to signal Gawain’s complete Christian perfection, and for the reader to be aware of contemporary concerns about magical protective practices, hinting at human frailty” (Hardman 251).
From the power of persuasion to the value of honor and beyond, one can witness many facets of human nature played out among the pages of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. No theme of which can be seen more impeccably than the showcase of virtue verses sin. As Gawain is launched into tests of courtesy it is clear that much more is being examined than just his execution of courteous behavior, it is the nature of those around him that is also being taken into account. It is interesting how an author uses the combination of a negatively imbued foe and a positively inspired hero to highlight the traits most desirable for the mere mortals reading such a tale. In “Sir Gawain” the author uses some of the seven deadly sins to poetically draw their reader numerous and highly elaborate verbal pictures. For instance, in the opening passages of “Sir Gawain” the reader is told of rich and sumptuous clothing, decadent banquets hosted by Arthur and the lavish finery in his court. The reader might find that Arthur’s court is gluttonous in these displays of wealth while reading this section. Opulence, however, is laced thoroughly as reoccurring theme through many of the court and hall scenes in this particular romance. Another specific instance of the seven deadly being used is when the reader is shown that courtesy is a “big deal” for Arthur and his court. On display here is pride, chief of the seven deadly sins, which obviously reigns supreme when it comes to the reputation of courtesy in Arthur’s court. It comes into question here if these traits are entirely good or if they have a darker, more sinful nature attached to them. Thus as Gawain was tested for his diligence to courteous behavior, here and thence five of the seven deadly sins that a...
Throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the idea of shame is explored both through Gawain’s own experiences but also through the presentation of the contrasting courts of Arthur and Bertelak, both of which the reader is drawn towards questioning the morals of by the end of poem. As this essay will discuss, it is, ironically, the grief and shame that Gawain clearly expresses in this extract that highlights the depth of his integrity and moreover the deeply flawed integrity of the court, who in prizing renown and honor more than anything else have instead been shown to have very superficial and certainly
The passage (130-202) of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight describes the appearance of a strange knight in King Arthur's court. The anonymous author of the epic describes the rider in great detail, emphasizing the importance of this character. The passage is intended to arouse readers' curiosity, and at the same time, to introduce the mighty danger that the main character, Sir Gawain, will have to face. Furthermore, the strange knight is shown to be a test or trial for King Arthur and his knights. Finally, the passage presents the actual dynamics of Arthur's court as incompatible with the poet's initial praising of nobility, justice and chivalric ideals.
Sir Gawain is, undoubtably, the most varied of the Arthurian characters: from his first minor appearance as Gwalchmei in the Welsh tales to his usually side-line participation in the modern retelling of the tales, no other character has gone from such exalted heights (being regarded as a paragon of virtue) to such dismal depths (being reduced to a borderline rapist, murderer, and uncouth bore), as he. This degree of metamorphosis in character, however, has allowed for a staggering number of different approaches and studies in Gawain.
There are many varying supported views of the Prince of Denmark’s madness. People across the globe, despite being shown the same play, come to very different conclusions. If everyone wrote the same thesis and came to the same conclusion, these essays would become pointless. With so many different ideas and explanations, perhaps there is no right answer—the point of the play is to entertain, but also to make people wonder and
Riddled with ambiguity by its very nature, the text of William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been a commonly debated subject in literary circles since its first performance. The character Hamlet undergoes intense physical and emotional hardship in his quest for revenge against his despicable uncle. This hardship, some argue, leads to an emotional breakdown and, ultimately, Hamlet's insanity. While this assessment may be suitable in some cases, it falls short in others. Since Hamlet is a play, the ultimate motivation of each of the characters borrows not only from the text, but also from the motivations of the actors playing the parts. In most respects, these motivations are more apt at discerning the emotional condition of a character than their dialogue ever could. Thus, the question is derived: In Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of Hamlet, does the character Hamlet suffer from insanity? Giving halt to the response, this paper will first endeavor to establish what insanity is and will then provide sufficient examples both from the text, film, and Branagh's own musings on his motivations as proof that Hamlet's character, at least in Branagh's version of the play, is not insane.
SSociety has a set view of who is mad and who is sane, but are these people really mad? Sophocles’ play, The Oedipus Cycle, and Emily Dickinson’s poem, Much madness is divinest sense show their readers who the true madman is. Both of these literary works illustrate the phenomenon of a discerning eye in a society. In the Oedipus Cycle, Oedipus’ daughter Antigone stayed true to herself and did what was right, even if she was perceived to be a madman.
Skultans, Vieda. English Madness: Ideas on Insanity 1580-1890. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. 1979.
As Hamlet transforms from a motivated intellectual to an obsessed griever, Shakespeare evaluates the fluidity of sanity.The juxtaposition of Hamlet’s desire to act and inability to do so unveils Hamlet’s inner turmoil, for as Hamlet disconnects from family, distrusts his environment, and forms an obsession with perfection, the audience realizes his fatal flaw and watches him tumble into the grasps of insanity. This degeneration forces the audience to consider how equilibrium between thought and action influences the conservation of sanity, not only for Hamlet, but also for all of humanity.
Today had been a particularly awful day, and Merlin craved alone time far away from Prince Arthur’s grating voice and ceaseless demands. By now, he had grown used to Prince Arthur’s petulance, and most of the time, Merlin found the prince’s behavior amusing, but not today. Perhaps it was because Yule drew near, and Merlin missed his beloved home in Ealdor now more than ever.
The role that madness plays in The Spanish Tragedy and in Hamlet, indeed in all revenge tragedies, is a vital one; it provides an opportunity for the malcontent to be converted by the environment into the avenger.