Merlin (BBC TV Series)

So, I started watching the Merlin TV series the other day (only through season 2) and something about the first episode, after seeing it once already, stuck out to me.

And that was the witch that casts the curse on Uther, though I shouldn't say the witch I should say the witches circumstances. Now when you look at things from the witch's perspective you see a mother who just had seen her son executed before her eyes for practicing witchcraft, the way the show goes anything practicing or possessing magic related is punishable by execution.

Now it may seem as if I am rambling, but I do have a point. What brought the witch to curse Uther was human emotion; anger and the desire for revenge. Those emotions were caused by Uther himself, when he banned all magic which led to the execution of her son.

Which makes me wonder if magic was not outlawed would the witch have still tread the path she did? Would she have still sought revenge or expressed malice against Uther where there would be no reason to do so?

A French Rapunzel

When I was browsing the internet I ran across an alternate telling of Rapunzel that had French origins. Now anyone that has read Rapunzel will easily be able to see the similarities between these two stories.

Here is a link to the French version - http://talesoffaerie.blogspot.com/2012/04/french-rapunzel.html

A few differences that stand out from even a quick look are

-The husband takes a side role in place of the wife
-The wife makes a deal with a faerie, rather than a witch
-The faerie seems rather generous compared to the witch
-The faerie punished Rapunzel because of her constant lies
-There really wasn't a happy ending

I found it an interesting read, as it shows how a few simple changes to a story can give the story a completely different viewpoint to the reader. Because this version of Rapunzel paints the faerie in a kinder light than that of the witch, in our book. This also seems to be one of those stories that is meant to teach a person that they should not tell lies to their parent figure, in this case the godmother faerie.

Prospero's Forgiveness

I think a lot of people had an issue with how easily Prospero gave up on his revenge and attempted pursuing forgiveness. I can easily see why people would think that Prospero choosing forgiveness was poorly conceived, as Prospero spontaneously chose the path of forgiveness without any insight really being given on why he decided to choose that path. 

I myself went though that exact same thought process until I began to think of Prospero as an actual person, in the real world, rather than a character on a piece of paper. The reason that changed my thoughts on how easily Prospero offered forgiveness is that people  are not rational, even in real life. Sometimes they spontaneously do things or say things that do not fit with how they've been acting or what they've been saying previously. Sometimes you can know a person inside and out and they can find new ways to surprise you, both good and bad. 

Taking that line of thought and applying it to Prospero and I could see that it was certainly possible for him to give up on revenge and pursue forgiveness. He just did something surprising.