Merlin In The Crystal Cave

After the book The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, the reader is shown Uther Pendragon’s true colors when Merlin fulfills his wishes. First, the reader must remember that King Ambrosius wanted Merlin and Uther to rule the kingdom together when he passed, but why would this be so? Isn’t Merlin or Uther capable of running the kingdom by themselves? King Ambrosius knows that Merlin does not seek power or would want the title of “King”. He also knows his brother Uther, and how his ruthless nature would be damaging for the kingdom. Like his father, Merlin steps back from the situation at hand and thinks everything through before making a decision. Meanwhile, Uther is unpredictable and acts on emotions. Uther is a soldier, who is trained to be cruel and severe. His ruthless nature makes him a good soldier because he refuses to back down from a challenge or a fight. Although these qualities make him a good soldier, these qualities cloud his judgment on decision making. King Ambrosius knew that it would take both of them to balance each other out and rule the kingdom. When King Ambrosius dies, Uther takes his place as
Merlin has no control over his power. Merlin only knows what his god wants him to know. Merlin can only see the big picture and not the small details. Merlin knows that the plan will be fulfilled, but he does not know “how” it will be. For example, he does not foresee killing King Gorlios. As much as Merlin is a prophet, he is still mortal. Merlin has faults like everybody else. Uther blames Merlin for how the plan happened, but Uther quickly forgets that Merlin never guaranteed anything. The problem is everyone expects more than Merlin can deliver. Nobody can deny that Merlin is a great prophet, but people get mad when Merlin cannot fulfill every whim. They do not understand that his power does not work on command. People expect more than what Merlin can