Essay Questions

Why is Merlin against teaching woman magical arts? How does Nimue get Merlin to teach her?

Merlin does not feel that women have the strength to withstand the pain of the visions that he experiences. He sees woman as delicate and is unwilling to subject them to the pain of learning the magical arts. Nimue pretends to be a boy to learn from Merlin. Merlin sees what he wants to see so does not realize that Nimue is a girl until Arthur points it out to him. When he does realize it, he knows that she is the one who will replace him at Arthur’s side. He trusts her strength and intelligence to deal with the pain and ability to decipher the visions.

How does Arthur’s Kingdom view religion? How does this differ from other Kingdoms' customs?

Arthur is not religious. His Kingdom follows the Christian faith, but he respects all religions. He does not force his people to adhere to a specific religion. He lets his people worship as they wish whether that is in the Christian faith or the faith of the ancestors. This differs from other Kingdoms that force their people to have the same faith as their King. Wars are fought due to this strict adherence. Arthur’s Kingdom does not have this religious strife and leads the people to follow him no matter their religious leanings.

How does Merlin view his death? Is he frightened of death?

Merlin knows how he is going to die. This would make most people apprehensive, but Merlin is able to put it to the side and help Arthur become a great King. He finds it hard knowing how he will die, but knows that he will have a full life before his death. Merlin sees death as part of life and inevitable. He fights against death as anyone would. He knows that it is not time for him to die when he wakes up in Bryn Myrddin on his funeral bed. This leads him to do anything he can to escape his funeral bed. Knowing when he will die, makes him fight when anyone else would give up.