Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24691863-20140413080351/@comment-24629321-20140428014700

Okay, continuing with Morgana and her lust for revenge and her power as her fatal flaws. They do seem to indicate in the show that magic corrupts, and s he certainly thinks that Uther would have her killed for it, though I agree with Fimber that there is no way this would have happened given all that Uther proves he is willing to do for Morgana later on. I also agree that Morgana revealing her magic to Uther (especially after she'd been missing for a year and he was basically wrapped around her little finger) might have done more for legalizing magic in Camelot than Merlin ever could have.

Merlin After, you also touch on Morgana's arrogance and self-confidence, and I think those are what I would identify as her main flaws, because those things were always with her, not just parts of her personality that emerged later. We see those traits continue even once she learns she has magic, and she becomes increasingly destructive and violent, spiraling out of control always believing that she is in the right: that she has the right to the throne, that she is fighting for freedom for magic users—which she is, but it's likely her arrogance in believing in the righteousness of her cause that enables her to feel that she can sacrifice innocents and still be better than Uther. (It could also be that, after the events of "The Witchfinder", she sees how strongly the citizens of Camelot also fear and hate magic and sees even the 'innocents' as enemies.)

As for Arthur and Merlin, I think the discussion has already covered them quite well. I do like Fimber's idea of Merlin's cowardice as his fatal flaw. I found him a bit arrogant as well. From very early on, he always thought that using his magic to solve something was the best way, ignoring the possibility of consequences (like nearly getting Gwen executed in "The Mark of Nimueh"). But it's obvious that this comes from a place of compassion as well, a desire to help his friends—he's just very shortsighted and has trouble considering consequences, and unfortunately he never did learn how to handle getting a vision of the future! But I see his trouble with prophecy as more of a simple shortcoming than a fatal flaw. As for his arrogance, it may even be a necessary evil to fulfill his side of the coin to Arthur's inferiority complex, especially since it translates into unwavering confidence in Arthur and the world they're trying to build together, whenever Arthur (frequently) loses self-confidence.