Board Thread:(Re)Writing "Merlin"/@comment-5674726-20141115233659/@comment-25789046-20141201043837

I don't like the concept of fate, either. We have free choice and responsibility for our own decisions. But I like the way Mary Stewart talks about Merlin's prophecy in The Wicked Day when Mordred questions why he would harm Arthur, a great king and his father. Mordred argues that something written in the stars implies that people are sheep driven by blind fate without any free will of their own. Nimue (Merlin) explains that the prophecy was that Mordred would be Arthur's doom simply by his existence, regardless of his actions. If Mordred killed himself to avoid eventually killing Arthur then that act might trigger Arthur's fate in some other way, such as a fall from his horse riding to Applegarth after hearing the news or Mordred's brothers blaming the king and bringing ruin on the kingdom etc.

The older, wiser Merlin knows that great good can come out of seeming evil and that good intentions can lead to bane and death. Nimue's advice to Mordred is to live what life brings and die when death comes, which is a much more passive role than the Merlin we know in the show. But Mary Stewart's Merlin, besides being a Seer/prophet, does take action whenever he feels the need to bring about the great kingdom he prophesied for Arthur.

So how would I handle this theme if I were writing Merlin? The characters are responsible to do what they think is right, although they make mistakes just like we do, because regardless of the outcome we are still responsible for the choices we make.