The first noticeable difference in Sir Thomas Malory’s version of the
Arthurian legends from the previous existing accounts is the pervasive
influence of Merlin. Although Merlin has been given a prominent place in the
modern notions of the Arthurian tradition, Malory’s is the first text to truly
establish Merlin as a crucial player in the accession of Arthur to the throne
as well as a character. Because Merlin only seems necessary in a few points in
earlier texts, he is given little description or attention. In fact, Geoffrey
of Monmouth seems to have spent the most time on Merlin’s character, and then
only in a small anecdote of Merlin as a child and the discovery of him and his
prophecies. However, the prophecies are set apart from the rest of the account
and only a few seem to be truly integrated. Malory, on the other hand, creates
a much more prominent as well as integrated Merlin, undetachable from the rest
of the plot. Malory’s Merlin becomes, in Le
Morte Darthur, the motion of God’s Providence.
It seems unclear, in the
beginning, why Arthur must not be brought up by his father, Uther, but instead
by the lower Sir Ector aside from the fact that Merlin orders it so. Malory
does not seem to elaborate on this much; however, it is clear that in this way,
Arthur is brought up in such a way that he does not know his royal heritage. Therefore,
Arthur has the opportunity to fill his later inherited role as a good and
righteous king, sympathetic to the common people and naturally kind to his
former equals. This is shown first when Sir Ector witnesses Arthur pull the
sword from the stone and recognizes Arthur as his superior, and not his son.
Arthur, of course, swears to be his foster family’s “good and gracious lord,”
and to have his “foster broder Syre Kay” as “senceall of alle [his] landes”
(9-10). It seems that the peasants also desire one of their closer peers to
take the throne (especially after they see the sign of “Goddes wille”): “[A]lle
the comyns cryed at ones, ‘We wille have Arthur unto our kyng” (11). In this
way, Merlin has created a good and desirable king (even though some see his
youth negatively) by influencing Arthur’s upbringing.
Of course, it is also
Merlin who devises the sign for everyone to see that it is Arthur who should be
king. It is Merlin who advises the Archbishop of Canterbury to make sure all
lords and “gentilmen of armes” go to London to see “somme myracle who shold be
rightwys kynge of this reame” (7). Because this was all “counceilled” and
“devysed” by Merlin, it also seems clear that Merlin is responsible for the
“miracle” supposedly from “Jesu” (7). However, rather than completely
undermining God’s Providence, Merlin seems to almost be enacting it, instead.
Merlin does recognize God’s will as is seen before Uther’s death, but puts
himself alongside the workings of God stating, “God and I shalle make hym to
speke” (7). This is seen also when Merlin acts through the Archbishop of Canterbury,
a representative of God. Malory even describes this as the Archbishop acting
according to “Merlyns provydence”
(italics mine 11). Yet, Merlin’s providence still seems to be under God’s
Providence
Merlin’s many
prophecies, though made by Merlin, are still foreseeing what will happen. Even though Merlin aids in
the creation of certain ends, his prophecies (and especially the ones that are
seen fulfilled) prove that there is a predestined future, inevitable in one way
or another. For example, Merlin foretells both his and Arthur’s deaths, saying
it is “Goddis wylle” that Arthur “be punysshed for [his] fowle dedis,” but yet
he will have a “worshipfull dethe” while Merlin will only have a “shamefull
dethe, to be putte in the erthe quycke” (31). Even so, knowing his fate, Merlin
cannot change it as it is later fulfilled through his hopeless love for Nenyve,
a damsel of the Lady of the Lake. Even though she only uses Merlin for the
“wondyrs” he can teach her, he continues to follow her anyway, until “by hir
subtyle worchyng she made Merlyon to go undir that stone to latte hir wete of
the mervayles there; but she wrought so there for hym that he come never oute
for all the craufte he coude do” (79). Merlin may help along and help devise
some of the pieces along God’s Providence, but the end is still out of his
control.
However, Merlin’s end is
not the end of his devices. Merlin plants certain things for the future to let
them play out as they will. One such “device” is set up after the burial of
Balyn and Balan when Merlin puts Balyn’s sword
into a marbil stone
stondynge upright, as a grete mylstone, and hoved always above the water, and
dud many yeres. (And so by adventure hit swamme downe by the streme unto the
cité of Camelot . . . And that same day Galahad the haute prynce com with Kynge
Arthure; and so Galaad brought with hym the scaberde and encheved the swerde
that was in the marble stone hovynge upon the water. . .) (61)
Merlin also leaves the scabbard “on thys side the ilonde, that Galaad
shole fynde hit” (61). In this way, Merlin both prophecies what will happen and
helps to make it happen without his being there to guide events in that future.
Even though here Merlin is devising God’s Providence, God is left to oversee
that these events happen.
Perhaps the reason for
including Merlin so much more thoroughly is Malory’s way of playing off of what
had become a much more popular figure in the Arthurian legend and creating a
more solidly memorable character. Perhaps Malory meant to attempt a more concrete
explanation for the random and ungrounded supernatural events that must happen
in his encyclopedia according to the previous romances, accounts, or
compilations. Whatever the case, Malory does seem to be mixing the traditional
explanation that sufficed at one time—simply that of “God’s Providence”—with a
more realistic means for the events within Malory’s reinvented Arthurian world.
Works Cited
Malory,
Sir Thomas. Le Morte Darthur. Ed.
Stephen H. A. Shepherd. New York: Norton, 2004. Print.
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