Arthurian Legends Merlin

In the Arthurian legends Merlin is a key figure who not only guides and mentors Arthur, but also serves as a seer and a prophet to Arthur and the kingdom. Merlin views on life and humanity change over his lifetime, and change throughout time because of the views and preferences of that era and the factors that stress the people of that generation of literature. In “Merlin the Mad” written by Norris Lacy in the 21st century and Vita Merlini written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century, Merlin is portrayed with great difference due to the time period of Merlin’s life that the stories are written around and how different stressors affect him and his mental state.
In Vita Merlini Merlin is shown to be King of Briton rather than Arthur and
is set after the events between Arthur, Uther, and Merlin. The Merlin in Vita Merlini is more of an archetypal model of the Merlin we know in the Arthurian legends and is based off the ancient Welsh legend of Myrddin Wyllt. After witnessing the wars and battles fought over England, Merlin decides to seclude himself in the woods of Calidon because of his madness due to watching men fight. Merlin’s madness is brought about due to mankind, but men trying to use Merlin for his prophetic abilities try and bring Merlin out of the woods to give his prophecies, so reluctantly Merlin emerges from the woods to meet with the men “but when Merlin saw such great crowds of men present he was not able to endure them; he went mad again”(Monmouth). Merlin’s madness is not brought about by a lost love, or by seclusion from the outside world and living beings, but in Vita Merlini it is awoken by the cruelty of men. Merlin’s differences come from human interactions and the way he reacts to them. Merlin's reactions are the way they are because of Merlin being a pagan magician who was driven mad by witnessing a battle being fought. This version of Merlin though had roots in history rather than fiction and “from the twelfth through the sixteenth century Merlin was a real historical figure first and foremost, whose magic and prophecy were both also real. This, however, did not make him unproblematic”(Goodrich). Merlin’s changes come from him being viewed as not some mystical made-up sorcerer whose power is stuff of fairy tales, but a real living, breathing human who had existed in the real world as well as the feats of magic that he accomplished. Though after the sixteenth century people began to realize that Merlin was a fictional character rather than a long dead sorcerer. This changes in mindset about Merlin changed how his character was perceived and allowed for him to change and adapt to the times his story was written in to be more relatable.
In the post-modernist source “Merlin the Mad” Merlin is shown in his later years of his life when he is trapped in the chamber that Niviene put him in.
In this adaptation Merlin is shown to be a much more powerful and wise magician, having known that he would be trapped by Niviene and actually planning the entombment himself to help King Arthur and his rule over the kingdom. Merlin’s decision is for the greater good of the country and is made so that Arthur may fully develop as king and is able to make decisions on his own, rather than just relying on Merlin’s abilities. While Merlin is trapped, he questions who he is and how people view him “so who am I? Merlin the Prophet? Or Merlin the Magician? Or just Merlin the Madman? Or Merlin in love with what he could never hope to have? And does it really matter now?”(Lacy). This reflects on our society in how that people have a pressure to fit into boxes and not be able to express themselves. This societal pressure plays a major role in how Merlin’s character was developed. After the entombment Merlin is shown to descend into madness because of the darkness and absence of other living things “people think of darkness as the absence of light, but this is not an absence: it is a terrible presence, almost a heavy, glutinous substance: Darkness”(Lacy). The darkness that Merlin feels is an absence of interaction with the outside world making him go crazy. Merlin’s insanity relates to how our modern society has such a dependence on
technology and constantly being entertained all the time that we are unable to go without all our sense being stimulated without going insane. This disconnect from human interaction is similar to how the Merlin of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini goes insane due to the disconnect of relating to the ways of humans, and understanding the reasons for battles to be fought. In both Norris Lacy’s “Merlin the Mad” and Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini Merlin has environmental and societal pressures that make him go insane, whether it be the interactions of man, or the lack of all of his senses.
These stressors shape Merlin as a character and are what change him over the different time periods that he is written into. Merlin’s changes over time are due to a shifting viewpoint on how we perceive the environment and society around
us.