User blog comment:Lolcano11/Camelot: History, Geography, Politics and Culture. Discuss./@comment-4623180-20120416024502

Just a note, in Beauty and the Beast, when the enchanted Uther ordered Arthur to implement new taxes, Arthur said they're barely just living off what they have.

Most of the people in Camelot are poor! Merlin isn't, because Gaius is the Court Physician and a friend of Uther and Arthur, so they would make sure they're well off. Gwen isn't that well off (see the start of the episode To Kill The King). She probably was after her father died (no offense to poor old Tom), because she took what her father had earned and most likely, as an orphan, got some kind of allowance. Maybe Uther, who said he regretted killing Tom to Morgana, gave her more money. I noticed her dresses got better in Series 4, but I think this would've been Arthur who helped her out. Uther couldn't have not allowed it, as he was broken from Morgana's betrayal.

It surprises me how Merlin can read! Ha! I would say no one else in the lower town and so on can read.. but I remember bandits leaving notes around the place and so on.. maybe in that magical period reading was just a standard for everyone, whether you lived in a cave or not!

I hope I cleared some things up, but that's all I have to say!