Lancelot du Lac Merlin Season 4, Episode 9

 Lancelot du Lac

Morgana and Lancelot 

In this episode of BBC's Merlin, Morgana derives a plan to resurrect Lancelot in attempt to alienate Guinevere from Arthur. The episode opens with King Arthur stating his intentions to marry Guinevere, making her his queen, to his uncle Lord Agravaine, who then goes to reveal this information to Morgana. Fully intending to stop this union, Morgana pays a visit to a woman known as the Dochraid and seeks information regarding reviving Lancelot's lost soul, which we later find out (thanks to Merlin!) to be the act of necromancy. She holds no doubt in her mind that Lancelot's presence, even as a Shade*, will cause Guinevere to forget all about Arthur, effectively putting a stop to the wedding before it could even take place. His re-entering into society occurs during a jousting tournament held in honor of Arthur and Guinevere's engagement. Everyone seems completely convinced that the true Lancelot has returned, everyone except for Merlin that is. Much to Morgana's displeasure, Guinevere may seem relieved to see Lancelot alive and well, yet there is no trace of the previous romantic feelings she held for him. This puts no stop to her plans, as she simply changes direction and has Lancelot trick Guinevere into putting on a bracelet enchanted with a love spell. The effects of the love spell are shown during the second day of the tournament as Guinevere's affection towards "Lancelot" only grows. 

Shade Lancelot gives Guinevere bracelet with love spell

In spite of Merlin's efforts to reveal the true nature of the recently-reappeared Lancelot, Morgana's wish to be rid of Guinevere comes true as Arthur discovers Guinevere and "Lancelot" together. Both are immediately sent to the dungeons, where Guinevere removes the enchanted bracelet, effectively getting rid of any love she had believed herself to have had for Lancelot. Arthur's love for Guinevere held strong over Agravaine's attempts to convince him to have Guinevere executed. The episode ends with Guinevere being banished from Camelot by Arthur as well as the discovery of Shade Lancelot's death, presumed to be suicide although he had been commanded, yet again by Morgana, to do so. 

Merlin vs. Le Morte D'Arthur

This episode in specific depicts a slightly different perspective on what the catalyst to Camelot's downfall was. It is similar enough to what is described in Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur in the sense that Arthur's discovery of the betrayal of Lancelot and Guinevere had been what cause Camelot to crumble. However, the show's depiction of the characters provides the element of true love between Arthur and Guinevere that was not present in Malory's version. Instead of Guinevere and Lancelot being the true courtly lovers, Arthur and Guinevere's relationship had been built upon within the seasons to show a genuine love connection between them. 

Arthur discovers Guinevere and Lancelot

Along with this, the affair between Lancelot and Guinevere had not been because of the strong love they held for each other, as told by Malory, and instead because of the meddling of an outside party using spells.  As a result, this certain adaptation of the arthurian story adds characters not seen within Malory's text, the Dochraid being a valid example of this, as well as depicting certain characters in a different light, again going back to the relationship dynamic between Guinevere and Arthur prior to what he had seen. The added elements of Lancelot having to be resurrected, the spelled bracelet, and Merlin's discovery of Shade Lancelot using magic also give the show's version a further depth in magic that was not emphasized as much in Malory's version. 

Contributions to the Arthurian World

Overall, the episode "Lancelot du Lac" from BBC's Merlin adds an emotional depth to both Arthur and Guinevere's characters. Their marriage within the legends had mostly been a business deal, the actual beginning of their relationship not even being described, only mentioned briefly. Along with this, any love Arthur may have held towards her had been one-sided because of her feelings for Lancelot. Merlin's adaptation of the royal couple followed the complete development of their relationship, even providing us with Arthur's reasons for choosing her as his bride in the beginning of this episode. Malory's Guinevere had been justified in her reasons for straying from her husband while Merlin's Gwen had truly wanted to be with her Arthur, forced apart only by outside interference.

If you wish to see the beginning of the end of Guinevere and Arthur at Morgana's hand, here is the link to Season 4 Episode 9 of Merlin "Lancelot du Lac" 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7u9ht5

(Citations)

1. “‘Merlin’ Lancelot Du Lac.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 26 Nov. 2011, www.imdb.com/title/tt2098296/.

*souls summoned through necromancy that appear as their old selves before death yet hold no recollection of who they once were