Merlyn In The Once And Future King

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THIS CHARMING MAN: THE ARGUMENT AGAINST MERLYN AND HIS INTENTIONS TOWARDS ARTHUR

A Paper Presented to Mr. Davenport
Regis Jesuit High School

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course Honors British Literature

by
Miranda Moll
November 29, 2015

“Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many.” - Phaedrus.

This quote applies to the character Merlyn in The Once and Future King by T.H White. Merlyn is a major character who is a bit absent minded and has already lived the future. While Merlyn is perceived as someone who helps Arthur throughout his reign, he is actually hindering the protagonist. Some examples are the education Merlyn gave Arthur. While they did their job of teaching him life lessons, they also restricted Arthur and his …show more content…

As Donald Hoffman explains, "The relations between Merlin and Arthur are unlike those ever held towards a king even by an enchanter in any legend. Even in Homer there is no one described, except the gods, as having such authority over a ruler" For example, when Arthur walked up to the top of the castle to ask Merlyn for some advice, Merlyn refuses to speak to him unless he is summoned. When Arthur met Merlyn, it was when he was a vulnerable child who had just realized that he has no upward mobility. Merlyn shows up and gives him a distraction until it comes time for him to be a slave to his brother. This created a sort of attachment for Arthur making Merlyn Arthur's childhood friend. When he pulled the sword out of the stone he needed guidance and Merlyn was there for him. Having Merlyn for Arthur to lean on never gave Arthur the motivation he needed to take responsibility and be king. As a result of this when Merlyn left and Arthur had to make some decisions, he ended up sleeping with his sister and killing babies which ultimately led to an angry Mordred, who eventually kills his own

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