# Merlin — Idylls of the King character guide

> Merlin in Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** mage Merlin, old Merlin, bygone Merlin

**First appearance:** 0002-the-coming-of-arthur

## Snapshot

The great Enchanter of the Time, Arthur's wise counselor, who walks with dreams and darkness and finds a doom that ever poises itself to fall.

## Who they are

Merlin serves Arthur through magic art and ancient counsel, but a great melancholy falls on him, an ever-moaning battle in the mist where death lies in all life and lying in all love. He leaves Camelot for the beach and the wild woods of Broceliande, where Vivien follows him, seeking the charm he once described that walls a man in a hollow tower forever. His weariness and his fatal knowledge of his own doom make him the story's most haunting figure of wisdom undone.

## Relationships

### [Vivien](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/characters/vivien)

_psychological_

Vivien seduces and entraps Merlin, using his love for her to learn his secrets and imprison him.

### [Vivien](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/characters/vivien)

_psychological_

Vivien seduces and entraps Merlin, using his love for her to learn his secrets and imprison him.

### [Vivien](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/characters/vivien)

_psychological_

Vivien seduces and entraps Merlin, using his love for her to learn his secrets and imprison him.

## In the story

### [Idylls of the King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/idylls-of-the-king)

The wise mage who aids Arthur's rise but is ultimately ensnared by Vivien.

### [The Coming of Arthur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/the-coming-of-arthur)

Mentioned as one of the two old men who know Arthur's birth.

### [Merlin and Vivien](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/merlin-and-vivien)

The great enchanter, growing melancholy and withdrawn, is targeted by Vivien for his magical knowledge.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/characters/merlin
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/characters