Gawain, A Commoner or Nobility?

 The Secret Life of Gawain

Arthurian Characters and Object

The main characters in this episode are Merlin, Prince Arthur, Gawain, Gwenivere, and King Uther.

Merlin's Powers glow in his eyes [1]

Merlin is the servant of Prince Arthur and King Uther still reigns over Camelot. Guinevere and Arthur are not together at this point in the TV show, however, it is obvious that there are feelings between them but they do not directly interact within this episode. Gawain is not shown as a knight as we are used to seeing. In the stories we have read Gawain is a noble knight who serves King Arthur loyally. In this adaptation, Gawain does have ties to a knightly background through his father, but he does not capitalize on it. In fact, he is very against any ties or relationship to the Crown. Gawaine comes to Prince Arthur's defense multiple times in this episode. The first time Gawain does not know who Arthur is, but later after he learns the truth, he still aids in Arthur's defense when two men are trying to kill him. There is an element of magic with Merlin, which is true to the Arthurian stories. When they are being attacked at the pub he is able to move a bench with his eyes, as seen in the picture above. It is important to note that Merlin is more of a servant to the Prince than an advisor. In the stories we have read, Merlin is a strong advisor to the King. In this show, Merlin is a servant and although he does give his advice to the Prince it is not yet valued as much. The attire of the show does have some Arthurian elements. You can see knights and guards wearing silver armor and carrying swords with them, giving a medieval backdrop to the show. People who were not nobles wore simpler outfits, as shown below with Merlin and Gwenivere, whereas the nobles had more regal dresses and armor, as seen with Morgana and Prince Arthur. 

From left to right: Morgana, Gwen, Merlin, and Prince Arthur [1]

Young and Unchallenged

Gawain in Merlin [2]

 In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is King   Arthur's nephew. When Gawain takes up the battle of the Green Knight he is seen as young, naive, and inexperienced in battle. He decides to agree to the Green Knight's challenge as a way to gain experience and prove his prowess through his actions. In Merlin, Gawain is roughly the same age or older than Arthur who is not King yet. The image on the left shows Gawain not as an inexperienced boy, but as older. In the TV show, Gawain seems to already be established in his fighting skills and does not feel the need to battle or fight to gain the respect of other townspeople or knights. However, in a similar sense, when Gawain helps defend Arthur, he proves to King Uther that he should not be killed and shows Arthur his fighting skills. I think that this was changed in the TV show very tactically. Depicting Gawain as older already establishes to the audience the expertise of Gawain. The audience is unlikely to question the validity of how good Gawain is in battle because he is not a young boy. I think they also did so because Arthur is young in the TV show. It is King Uther who still reigns over Camelot. If Gawain was even younger than Arthur, he would be a child at this point in the story. This allows the TV writer to introduce the important character of Gawain and keep the story to before Arthur becomes King. It is a more modern take to introduce an older character as a "hero" because it appeals to the trust of the audience and gives Gawain a likable element. He does not appear to be an arrogant boy who is taking on a battle that might be over his head. 

Anti-Nobility

As seen in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is very loyal to King Arthur. He is a member of the Round Table and serves the King. In Merlin, Gawain continues to show his disdain for nobles. He

Prince Arthur Defends Gawain to Save His Life [3]

tells Merlin that he would not have saved Prince Arthur if he knew who he was because he believes that none of them are worth dying for. Throughout the episode, it is a common theme that Gawain does not believe that nobility is simply who you are but what you do. Gawain tells Merlin that his father was a knight, but his death left his mother penniless and asking King Uther for help. He turned her away and left the family to struggle for years. As the episode progressed, Prince Arthur defended Gawain, telling the King he is a good man, even though Gawain did not reveal his noble bloodline. The image on the right shows Gawain being held captive by King Uther. I think that the TV writers chose to add this detail about Gawain so that his loyalty to Arthur is established. Because it is established that Gawain does not want to be a part of the noble life, when he later chooses to defend Prince Arthur it is a big deal. It shows that his loyalty to Arthur is genuine because he is perfectly fine staying away from nobility altogether. I think that it also shows the likeability of Arthur. He defends who he thinks is a commoner, showing his true character and how he will be as a King. In today's society a lot of people no longer blindly follow those who lead. Having Gawain not fall at the feet of Arthur is more like today's society where trust is earned not just expected. This allows the audience to connect to Gawain and relate to this idea of not blindly trusting someone in power. 

Some things Stay the Same

Gawain Helps Arthur during Battle [4]

One thing that has stayed the same about the character of Gawain is his humility. In the stories we read it was important for Gawain to not speak ill of the other Knights of the Round Table. Gawain also let his actions speak louder than his words. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain forever wears the green girdle to show that he recognizes his faults and remembers to remain humble. In Merlin, Gawain repeatedly stays humble. When Merlin asks him why he would help defend Prince Arthur when Gawain thought he was a stranger, Gawain says he liked the odds that they would lose. The stories and the TV show depict Gawain as a character of good morals, a defender. Gawain's humility is the root of his character and is essential to keep the same in the TV show. Another element that was the same was the use of unmarked armor. We have seen many times that a character uses armor that is unmarked so they remain unrecognized. This is shown in the show when Gawain helps keep Prince Arthur alive. Gawain does not want to be recognized because King Uther has banished him from Camelot so he uses armor that no one will recognize. This is also coupled with Gawain's loyalty to Arthur being the same. As mentioned before, this episode establishes the report between Gawain and Arthur. However, once both parties have proved themselves to the other, Gawain risks his life to defend Arthur. Previously, Gawain said that nobles weren't worth dying for, but later he thinks that Arthur is the exception. The loyalty Gawain has for Arthur is carried into the show as it is the base for Arthur's ruling. The humility Gawain possess is not necessarily a modern take on his character but the root to why he is loved by audiences in every adaptation and time period this story is presented.  

Continuing the Legacy

It is clear that the life of King Arthur has stood the test of time. However, with a modern adaptation

Gwen in Merlin [5]

come modern changes. It is important to keep changing and modernizing the story to keep it cycling through. Although not a key player in this episode it is important to note the appearance of Gwenivere, she is represented as a Black Woman. This is an expansion of the white characters we are used to associating this time period with. Another thing is the interaction with Gawain and Guinevere. He is polite, flirting with her, but when she shuts down his advances, he respects her. The stories we have read have depicted women as men's property, however, this interaction is far more modern. I would like to think that in the 21st century, men are more inclined to respect when women say no. It is also noteworthy that just this one interaction with Guinevere shows her as a strong female character whose sole purpose is not to be the object of Gawain's gaze. This addition of female strength adds another element to the Arthurian stories and helps appeal to modern women who love to see a story with a strong feminine character. Updating the representation in Merlin is essential to connect to modern society. The world around us is not as white as the Arthurian stories depicted and representing all backgrounds allows the story to adapt and change with the times, giving the stories a new audience although it has a long way to go. 

Modern Arthurian World

One episode can not encapsulate the knight and person that Gwaine was. Below is a video of highlights of Gwaine throughout his stint on "Merlin". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC9smra5t5Y

As discussed, the continuation of modernizing the Arthurian story and gaining a new perspective is imperative for the continuation and success of these stories. One of the most modern stories is "Legendborn" by Tracy Devonn. Here we will continue to see the growth and evolution of the premise of King Arthur through minority perspectives. 

Legendborn [6]

Work Cited

[1] Wiki, Contributors to Merlin. “Magic.” Merlin Wiki, Fandom, Inc., merlin.fandom.com/wiki/Magic. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.

[2] “Gwaine by Twilightxgirl on Deviantart: Gwaine Merlin, Merlin, Actors.” Pinterest, 26 Aug. 2013, www.pinterest.com/pin/242138917438626443/.

[3] Wiki, Contributors to Merlin. “Gwaine.” Merlin Wiki, Fandom, Inc., merlin.fandom.com/wiki/Gwaine. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.

[4] YouTube, YouTube, 19 Oct. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uy2cDd0k-Y&t=2246s. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.

[5] “Merlin - Gwen: Merlin, Merlin Gwen, Merlin Characters.” Pinterest, 19 Dec. 2016, www.pinterest.com/pin/565272190714176965/.

[6] “Legendborn.” Tracy Deonn, www.tracydeonn.com/legendborn. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.