"The Wart burst out with all his thoughts aloud, 'Oh but I should have liked to be born with a proper mother and father, so that I could be a knight errant." (White 60) Arthur thinks that knights have the best lives, and are incredibly honorable. Hearing this, Merlyn shows Arthur how mindless knights are, just fighting each other for no reason, and as he grows older, his idealistic view of war changes slightly. He starts to see it more realistically, and sees the sacrifices involved. However, although Merlyn thinks that war should be avoided at all costs, no matter what argument people have gotten into, Arthur still sees war as necessary sometimes. "'If one side was starving the other by some means or other then the starving side might have to fight its way out- if you see what I mean?' 'I see what you meanbut you are wrong. There is no excuse for war, none whatever" (White 233) Merlyn stresses the importance that there is no reason for war, and Arthur begins to get interested in the idea of power and force versus virtue and reason. By the end of his reign as king, he has fully turned his ideas about war around, instead believing that war is not the way to solve problems. He believes one must use the power and might coming from a warrior, and instead of putting that energy towards war, use it to enforce peace and kindness. Merlyn's influence on Arthur throughout the years turned him into a king who desperately fought for goodness and amity. .
Merlyn's influence extends beyond the pages of the novel, demonstrated by JK Rowling's character Albus Dumbledore. All through my childhood, one of my favorite characters in literature was the headmaster Albus Dumbledore. His silly speeches were one of the most enjoyable parts to read of the Harry Potter novels, often because of the unexpectedness of them.
