Arthurian Legend Merlin Research Papers

“In a land of myth, and a time of magic, the destiny of the kingdom rest on the shoulders of a young boy. His name…. Merlin. Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure drama television program created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy, and Johnny Capps, starring Colin Morgan in the title role. In this twist on the Arthurian legend Merlin (Colin Morgan) is a young and powerful warlock who arrives in the kingdom of Camelot after his mother arranges for him to stay with the court physician, Gaius. He discovers that the king, Uther Pendragon outlawed magic twenty years earlier in an event known as the Great Purge and imprisoned the last Dragon deep under the kingdom. After hearing a mysterious voice inside his head, Merlin makes his way to the cavern beneath Camelot where the Great Dragon (voice of John Hurt) tells Merlin that he has an important destiny: to protect Uther's son, Arthur, who will return magic to Camelot and unite the land of Albion. When Merlin meets Arthur, Merlin believes that he is an arrogant bully and Arthur (Bradley James), likewise, has a less than stellar opinion of Merlin. After saving the prince's life Merlin becomes his servant and the two begin to respect and trust one another. Merlin eventually becomes close friends with Arthur, and another servant named Guinevere. But when Uther's actions eventually cause his ward, Morgana, to turn against Camelot, Merlin must work together with the Once and Future King (Arthur) to save Albion .

Merlin contains what every fantasy show needs to survive and pull in a variety of audiences; it has action, drama, romance and sci-fi intrigue all in the right amounts.

It doesn't overdo the swordplay to make it a mindless action romp, doesn't overdo the drama to make it a melodramatic bore, and keeps the magic weirdness down to a minimum not to turn off viewers. This show is great because of the development of the characters and their relationships, the creative writing, and the cheesiness of the

humor.
It’s the wonderful depiction, and development of the characters and their relationships that set it apart from the crowd. Every individual character and relationship has something special about it and has been given time and space on screen to develop and make us care. The chemistry between Arthur and Merlin. Their developing friendship is wonderfully played and is ultimately what draws you in to this excellent show and keeps you watching. It’s a story of friendship, it’s both very funny but very touching and very real. And to go from two characters who in many ways in the first series began hating each other to two characters who profoundly respect and care about each other. An example is when Arthur, chose to embark on a very dangerous journey in contravention to his father's stern prohibition – only to save his servant Merlin, a servant whom he earlier hated, a servant whom he often scolded and often disagreed with. And when Arthur successfully retrieved the cure, he did not mind at all if he was put in prison; all he was concerned about was to get the cure administered immediately to his servant Merlin.
When I said Merlin is cheesy, I meant it in a good way. Okay, sometimes the cheese factor can get a little out of hand, but for the most part, it's what gives this series its charm. The comedic timing of the actors never fails to amuse me. Whether it's the deliciously snarky banter between Merlin and Arthur (usually about how dense Merlin can be), the sometimes hilarious situations the characters (especially Merlin) get themselves into, or full-on childish humor that we all like to think we're above but really aren't.
The writing in Merlin is dramatic and funny. Merlin has the funniest of roles and sometimes even uses current language. This little bit of the fantastic is one of the main reasons why this show is so accessible while maintaining integrity as a fantasy. It's all well and good to have a fantasy show and never deviate, but Merlin subtly puts in some slang so that viewers can relate to jokes and not get lost in medieval jargon. A seamless incorporation of humor and drama and action in my opinion. The writers have put just enough humor to keep you happy and friendly to the characters. They have also included enough to drama to keep all us entertained with scandal and romance. Finally, the action is put in enough, and well enough, that you don't feel like we're watching a soap opera. This balance of humor, drama, and action is hard to achieve and Merlin achieves it.
Merlin does not follow the usual plot and sometimes directly contradicts it. This is no failure on the producer’s part, simply a license open to all who portray King Arthur and Merlin. I would definitely recommend this show to anyone who wants to sit down and enjoy a different take on the Arthurian Legend.