1
Lawson
Michele N. Lawson
Professor Gayford
English 105.66
February 23, 2004
An Analysis of Arthurian Mordred in Literature & Art
In my readings to date there have been many characters that are worthy of greater scrutiny and review, but there is only one character to which I find myself drawn, and that character is Mordred. In my Child & Adolescent Psychology class we learned a great deal about nurture vs. nature and how these factors are the greatest influence on the development of an individual. Mordred is a prime example of this theory and I believe that he is very representative of the characterization of individuals in our own society that we consider “having gone wrong.”
In the chapters I have read of Steinbeck, Mordred has not yet played a great role except that he is distinguished as being the ultimate downfall of Arthur and his grand plan for the unity of England. It is interesting that the initial revelation of prophesy detailing the downfall of Arthur and his kingdom are foretold in various manners; but the sole character responsible is always the same, Mordred. In the Steinbeck telling, Arthur is visited by Merlin in the guise of a young childwho relay bits and pieces of his future through a dream sequence; in I am Mordred, Mordred is told of his fate by Nyneve; and in A Dragon’s Son Nimue is told by Myrddin how Mordred and Arthur will battle each other. No matter whom the author is Mordred is portrayed as the eventual destroyer of the dream of Camelot.
But it was not Mordred who was the catalyst for these events, but the incestuous relationship between Arthur and his half-sister Morgause, that instigated the chain of events, that would manufacture the prophesy that would shadow Mordred’s entire life. Why was this relationship so over dramatized considering the period of time in which Mordred was conceived? In many royal families, marriage within close bloodlines, brother/sister or father/daughter was acceptable and even encouraged. Within the Roman society, which previously had controlled much of England and whose influence was still very dominant in society, it was not uncommon for the nobility to marry within close relations to maintain superior bloodlines and political strength. Even Christianity, which was spreading throughout England, had many stories of incestuous relationships and how it was considered acceptable in biblical days. So one has to ask why Arthur, in the times in which he was living, feels so terrible about something that was common in that period of time?
A suggested hypothesis could be that Merlin used the burgeoning spread of Christianity and its associated moralities to stigmatize Arthur and Morgause’s relationship and the conception of Mordred to secure his own role in the backroom politics of controlling Arthur and the destiny of Camelot. In the Steinbeck novel, Mordred is not even identified by gender or name, only as “the child” (Steinbeck, 36) because Merlin could not be truly certain that the child would be male and so the odds were in his favor either way. As we have seen from these stories, a female of the bloodline could be as destructive as any male to the kingdom. In The Dragon’s Son, Myrddin reveals that Arthur and his son will battle each other and that “each had a sword” (28). This revelation in itself means very little as it was not uncommon for sons to battle their fathers for their inheritance and one to kill the other. Also, in the novel, I am Mordred page vi, Mordred learns that Arthur had attempted to kill him because “Merlin had spoken.” If Merlin was “all seeing” and had so much power, as Nimue asks later in the book, why did Merlin seek to kill Mordred in this way? “If fate is all powerful” (41) Merlin would have realized that neither he nor Arthur could change their destinies and that this was in fact another means to exert his control over Arthur.
Utilizing these various interpretations, the reader can now determine to believe the words of the author and accept the author’s interpretation, or the reader can take what they know of the character from many different sources and thereby establish a new perspective about the circumstances surrounding the nature of a character in a story? As Culler stated inLiterary Theory, literature “invite[s] all readers to become involved in the predicaments and thoughts of their narrators and characters (36) and it is hoped thereby gain a broader viewpoint of the character above the initial groundwork laid by the author.
As important to the development of the character of Mordred, is how we respond to the written language and its meaning and interpretations used to develop and describe Mordred. If we take the one word that overshadows Mordred’s entire existence, the word “fate” and delve into its true meaning, Mordred’s eventual life can take on new meaning. Taken at face value, the common meaning of the word fate implies that Mordred’s life events are predetermined and cannot be changed; however, if we look at another definition of the word, it means that in “philosophic and religious views…human beings have some control over their destinies and fate is determined by a combination of human intelligence and divine will” (“Fate”).
Applying elements sociology, psychology and historical relationships, Mordred’s “fate” has little to do with a prophesy expressed by an individual, but more with the beliefs of others and how they respond to this prophesy (nurture vs. nature) and the resulting combination of events that develop over time to influence Mordred development. So this one word “fate”, can therefore be interpreted, as stated by Culler on page 56 of Literary Theory at “different levels of meaning: the meaning of the word, of an utterance, and of a text.” It is therefore, this one word, and its various meanings, that influenced the development of Mordred and the mythical scope of his characterization in Arthurian tales.
In the realm of mythology there are three types of stories: sagas, legends, and folktales. A saga is a story that is based on supposedly historical events; a legend is a fictional story that is associated with a historical person or place; and a folktale is a simple narrative of adventure that contains elements delving into moral aspects of life (“Mythology”). The Arthurian tales can actually be associated with all three of these elements, and thereby laying the foundation for the conclusion that these characters actually lived and that these events occurred at some point in time.
So then, if one accepts that these characters may have once existed, than Mordred, with all his faults can represent very real problems that the reader may themselves associate with their own life. Issues that Mordred deals with in the story, i.e. the hatred of select individuals in his life; emotions such as hatred, envy or the desire to be loved; or even the elements that fate and destiny played in his life, become the facilitator for the reader to resolve their own personal issues. When this occurs, the author has achieved the ultimate level of reader-response criticism obtainable in literary works.
In itself, the Arthurian tales and the character of Mordred asks us to answer questions such as what is the nature of love, what is the relationship between might and right, and other moral and philosophical questions. In viewing the development of Mordred in these stories, we see not only the characters asking themselves these questions, but we ourselves question what these aspects of humanity mean and how we apply them in our own lives. Good literature is not determined by what the author teaches us, but what we teach ourselves through the vicarious study of the characters we encounter and if, as a result of encountering these characters in literature, we come away a better person from the experience.
From the formation years of learning to read, art and literature have worked hand in hand to help the reader understand the written word. Books from Dr. Seuss, Caldecott novels and other early reader text all utilized large, colorful illustrations to correspond picture to word. In this manner, words developed visual meaning and points of reference for the early reader. Unfortunately, as the ability of the reader progressed, the use of illustrations in books diminished until most advanced reader novels contained little if any illustrations. In some novels, the only illustration to give a visual representation of the story and its characters was the picture on the front cover. Multi-dimensional development of a character was therefore limited as the cohesive harmony between literature and art was lost.
If illustrations are not available within the body of the story, one must draw on other avenues to develop a visual reference of a character. If one were to view a wide variety of artwork on the internet on Mordred, the majority of the depictions illustrate a brooding, knife/sword wielding man with dark eyes and one can only suppose from the depiction, a dark heart. Another favorite depiction is the final battle between Mordred and Arthur for control of England. In viewing over 100 different illustrations, the artwork on the Springer novel I am Mordred by Gary Bernal was one of the few that depictsa young, non-threatening Mordred. The Bernal artwork shows a boy, who through the use of body language of stooped shoulders and sad eyes expresses not malevolent intent, but the weight of the world bearing down on him.
In conclusion, even though the majority of the literature and artwork depicts Mordred as the antagonist in Arthurian legends, I believe that Mordred’s character was not shaped by mystical destiny, but the wishes, desires, and yes, evil intentions of those who encircledhim which eventually condemned him to the role as the mythical destroyer of Arthur and Camelot.
Works Cited
Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford UP, 1997.
“Fate.” Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Standard. 2003 ed.
“Incest.” Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Standard. 2003 ed.
“Mythology.” Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Standard. 2003 ed.
Springer, Nancy. I am Mordred. New York: Philomel Books, 1998.
Steinbeck, John. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. Canada: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd, 1976.
Thomson, Sarah. The Dragon’s Son. New York: Orchard Books, 2001.