Comparing Silence and Merlin

Since we talked a little about Merlin on Thursday, I wanted to talk a little bit further on Merlin’s relationship to Silence. At first, the two just seem like rivals. Silence is supposed to capture Merlin and bring him back to the king. However, the two have similar qualities, and their actions mirror one another through the course of the poem.

First, both have innately superior qualities hidden by a more mundane front. Silence is the most beautiful creature that Nature has ever created, and her disguise, although it doesn’t hide all of her beauty, does dull it down a little, making her beauty less noticeable but her nobility still apparent. Merlin possesses magical powers which allow him to predict the future. The divine gift of foresight is hidden within the human exterior. Both characters have divinity, beauty or power, disguised by “normal” appearances.

Silence and Merlin both inhabit worlds which are not their own. Silence moves of her own volition, from being a minstrel to jousting tournaments to court. The masculine world in which Silence can move about freely is not the natural world her nature would have her inhabit. Similarly, Merlin also makes a crossover into a world he does not normally inhabit, which is the society of people. In both cases, they are able to display a unique understanding about their surroundings. Merlin, although not appearing to understand much about the social reactions appropriate to the different social situations he views, makes an appearance at court and shows more loyalty to the king than anyone else. Silence excels in every aspect of court life despite the unnaturalness of her being there.

Also, the two both reveal a truth about themselves that contradicts what we originally think about them. Merlin reveals that he knows more about the goings-on at court despite his being so cut off from court society. Despite his perhaps beastly appearance, Merlin understands more about the court than the authority, the king. Silence also reveals a truth about herself which no one else knows. That is of course, her relationship to Gorlain.

Silence and Merlin act similarly, and it makes me wonder what exactly Heldris was trying to accomplish with their similarities. Is it that despite their somewhat “deceitful” exteriors, they both act in the best interest of the king? Both Merlin and Silence, in their subversive actions, are both legitimized and not othered? Heldris certainly presents some strange views on Othering with Silence and Merlin.

Also, just in case anyone is interested, I found some neat links. One’s to an online beastiary: The Aberdeen Bestiary

And some other information on illuminated manuscripts: guided manuscript tours