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Sir Launcelot du Lake
A sorcerer who arranges for Arthur to be brought up outside the royal court, in exchange for providing Uther with the means of attaining Igraine as his wife. Merlin’s powers include foretelling the future and enchanting mortals to follow his command. But his powers are also partial and limited, and ultimately he succumbs to the very mortal weakness of desire, which leads to his death.
Merlin Quotes in Le Morte d’Arthur
The Le Morte d’Arthur quotes below are all either spoken by Merlin or refer to Merlin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 14 Quotes
Merlin made the Round Table in tokening of roundness of the world, for by the Round Table is the world signified by right, for all the world, Christian and heathen, repair unto the Round Table; and when they are chosen to be of the fellowship of the Round Table they think them more blessed and more in worship than if they had gotten half the world; and yet have seen that they have lost their fathers and their mothers, and all their kin, and their wives and their children, for to be of your fellowship.
Related Characters:
King Arthur, Merlin
Related Symbols:
The Round Table
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Vol 2, 276
Explanation and Analysis:
Merlin has been rather absent in the story for a long while, since he was trapped in a cave by a woman’s magic. Now a bit of background information clarifies the origin of the Round Table, which was created by Merlin. The narrator explains the importance of the symbolism of the table, which is meant to represent not just a particular corner of England and the fellowship of the knights, but the entire world. The Round Table is technically limited to those who are Christian and who show enough prowess to prove themselves worthy of being a part of this limited group; however, part of their task in joining the Round Table is to defend all who need defending, and thus to truly represent all others who are absent from the Table.
In addition, the narrator stresses that despite all that the knights of the Round Table gain from their fellowship, they also lose a great deal as well. They must abandon their parents and their wives and children in order to live a life that is in some ways more artificial, restricted to the purely physical challenges of battle and jousting.
Get the entire Le Morte d’Arthur LitChart as a printable PDF.
Merlin Quotes in Le Morte d’Arthur
The Le Morte d’Arthur quotes below are all either spoken by Merlin or refer to Merlin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 14 Quotes
Merlin made the Round Table in tokening of roundness of the world, for by the Round Table is the world signified by right, for all the world, Christian and heathen, repair unto the Round Table; and when they are chosen to be of the fellowship of the Round Table they think them more blessed and more in worship than if they had gotten half the world; and yet have seen that they have lost their fathers and their mothers, and all their kin, and their wives and their children, for to be of your fellowship.
Related Characters:
King Arthur, Merlin
Related Symbols:
The Round Table
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Vol 2, 276
Explanation and Analysis:
Merlin has been rather absent in the story for a long while, since he was trapped in a cave by a woman’s magic. Now a bit of background information clarifies the origin of the Round Table, which was created by Merlin. The narrator explains the importance of the symbolism of the table, which is meant to represent not just a particular corner of England and the fellowship of the knights, but the entire world. The Round Table is technically limited to those who are Christian and who show enough prowess to prove themselves worthy of being a part of this limited group; however, part of their task in joining the Round Table is to defend all who need defending, and thus to truly represent all others who are absent from the Table.
In addition, the narrator stresses that despite all that the knights of the Round Table gain from their fellowship, they also lose a great deal as well. They must abandon their parents and their wives and children in order to live a life that is in some ways more artificial, restricted to the purely physical challenges of battle and jousting.
