Now, the cup scene: it's funny, my take on this is very different from yours. To me, it is MORE impressive for Arthur to sacrifice himself this way for Merlin than in battle. Battle is easy for Arthur, where everything is about the heat of the moment and being noble. This is very different; it's a deliberate action to save Merlin, and, to be fair, to accept responsibility for the misfortunes of the kingdom. His stated purpose in drinking the poison is that the situation is his fault, and he has to take the consequences. I certainly believe that added to that is that he can't bear to be responsible for Merlin's death in particular, but I also believe that he's truly doing the noble, right thing and not letting someone else take the fall for his actions. He really would die in defense of Camelot, especially when he's at fault. So to me it wasn't contrived, but rather kind of just. Like the test was partially "you screwed Camelot, can you take the hit instead." One of the noblest things about Arthur, is that he truly believes there's no point in being king if you can't be a true steward of your people's well-being. We know, of course, that it did also come down to him being willing to die for Merlin, even though it wasn't a heat-of-battle-I-get-the-glory type situation. In fact, when Merlin is begging the sorcerer for Arthur to have another shot at proving himself, he says "I would trust Arthur with my life," at which point the sorcerer looks thoughtful. So probably the real test with the poison was that Arthur was willing to die for Merlin. But from Arthur's perspective, I think both motivations were at play: he would've been willing to die for Camelot and he would have been willing to die for Merlin. What's to think about?
Wow, did I ever write a ton about this. I did not mean to be so over-the-top in my earnest explanation! But you made me think about stuff. I hope my thoughts are not completely lost in the length of this explanation! It sounds like one thing we can agree on: the episode where Arthur finds out, (and the angry sex that ensues), will be awesum fer shur! -- S
other part (geesh)
We know, of course, that it did also come down to him being willing to die for Merlin, even though it wasn't a heat-of-battle-I-get-the-glory type situation. In fact, when Merlin is begging the sorcerer for Arthur to have another shot at proving himself, he says "I would trust Arthur with my life," at which point the sorcerer looks thoughtful. So probably the real test with the poison was that Arthur was willing to die for Merlin. But from Arthur's perspective, I think both motivations were at play: he would've been willing to die for Camelot and he would have been willing to die for Merlin. What's to think about?
Wow, did I ever write a ton about this. I did not mean to be so over-the-top in my earnest explanation! But you made me think about stuff. I hope my thoughts are not completely lost in the length of this explanation! It sounds like one thing we can agree on: the episode where Arthur finds out, (and the angry sex that ensues), will be awesum fer shur! -- S