Merlin has existed for centuries as the quintessential imaginary magical figure. Recognizable by name even before Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur was written, the figure of Merlin permeates art throughout time, presented in numerous books, paintings and films. Although the general consensus on Merlin's behavior persists as being a wise and mysterious advisor, a second version of the character has emerged through animated children's films, particularly Walt Disney's The Sword in the Stone. This film's depiction of Merlin as a bizarre and strange hermit who sometimes borders on madness has influenced many other adaptations of the character, including the one depicted in DreamWorks' Shrek the Third. As an eccentric and strange Merlin bucks his traditional characterization, the medium emphasizes the need to present Merlin in this way. Since the target audience for animation is usually children, the realistic and dark aspects of the character are abandoned in favor of entertainment and appeal. This opposing characterization both adds to and diminishes the canonical Merlin, encroaching on the legendary perception of him while adding more depth and arguably more mystery to the character. J. Hillis Miller's "Narrative" argues that society craves repeating the same story, so skewing traditional aspects of the cultural figure not only adds a form of entertainment but also forces the new Merlin to act in conjunction with the old one. Due to animated films modifying the character of Merlin, a dual characterization has arisen that both adds to and diminishes the original Merlin depicted in the Arthurian legends and alters the character's overall canonical personality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Merlin dans la Morte D'Arthur offers an example of the traditional figure of "Merlin". The wizard character of Sir Thomas Malory is mysterious, wise and moves the plot forward. During his first introduction, it seems that Malory assumes that his reader already understands who Merlin is because he offers no exposition about the character and simply immediately thrusts him into action. Merlin then appears occasionally in the story, giving advice to King Arthur and displaying magical powers. Even when not directly in the story itself, other characters refer to Merlin with respect and remember his power. Although Malory never explores the extent of Merlin's personality or power, he is stated to possess powers of disguise and prophecy as well as extensive knowledge of both magical and real elements. Merlin himself never reveals aspects of his character beyond being a wise advisor who obeys his king, and little about Merlin's own history is written in Malory's work. Unlike other versions of Merlin, Malory's character acts solely as the sagacious and mysterious wizard, static and one-dimensional, who is sometimes necessary to further the plot. While Malory's Merlin offers the traditional perception of the character, Walt Disney's film, The Sword in the Stone presented a different version of Merlin. Unlike the unexpected visitor role that Merlin plays in La Morte D'Arthur, Disney's Merlin plays a much larger role in Arthur's life, guiding him through virtually the entire film. Although this Merlin also acts as an advisor to Arthur, he is both a friend and holds more power over Arthur and his decisions. He also possesses great wisdom, however,Unlike the disturbing and stiff Merlin Malory presented, Disney's Merlin is idiotic, clumsy and absent-minded. Although he possesses the power of prophecy, this ability, as well as many others, is not entirely proof. This Merlin offers little mystery, instead playing the role of a crazy old man. Despite the extreme discrepancies between Malory and Disney's characterizations of Merlin, the Disney version of the character became very popular, enough to be included in the Arthurian parody. Shrek the Third from DreamWorks, a children's film which parodies Arthurian legends, takes up the two versions of Merlin mentioned above, usurps the original and reinforces the ridiculousness of the character introduced in The Sword in the Stone. DreamWorks' Merlin plays little role in the plot itself, existing in what appears to be solely an opportunity to spoof another Arthurian aspect of the legends. While the aforementioned Merlins played the role of Arthur's mentor, this aspect of Merlin is unnecessary in the film as the main character Shrek fulfills this role. Instead, the film parodies this aspect of Merlin by portraying him as crazy and mentioning that he was once a teacher before his "nervous breakdown" (Shrek the Third). This Merlin eats stones, is quite dramatic and carries clichés? Merlin's outfit – the wizard's hat and robes, however, is also spoofed. The DreamWorks version of Merlin is not the great and powerful wizard depicted in previous lore, but instead possesses poorer "special effects" type magic and doubts about himself and his abilities. Even when he performs more advanced magic, it only partially works to add to the comedic elements of the film. DreamWorks' insane characterization of Merlin shows how much the idea of ​​who Merlin is has changed over time, particularly thanks to children's films. The change in Merlin's characterization over time is mainly due to the need to adapt the character to the films' target audience. Typically made for children, these films rely on stereotypical tropes to allow juvenile audiences to understand the plot and characters. If the character of Merlin was the powerful and mysterious character that he is in Morte D'Arthur, he would not fit into a children's film where the "good guys" are generally lighter and more open. Since children's films appeal to certain types of characters, Merlin's personality must be modified to appeal to the target audience. Likewise, the animated style of the films requires a specific character type that differs from the traditional characterization of Merlin. Since animation removes the realism of the story, the realistic aspects of the characters must also be removed. Consequently, the original version of Merlin is abandoned in favor of a more fantastical adaptation, adapted to the medium; the loss of the realism associated with the dark and mysterious figure allows for more comic and imaginative aspects of the character to be added. Plus, if Merlin were similar to his Morte D'Arthur counterpart, there would be no shock factor for those in the know. the canonical version of the character thus removing some of the comedy linked to him. It would also detract from entertainment, making the targeted audience bored and unamused by the sight of an adult as normally seen in everyday life. As this man is an elderly wizard, an authority figure in society, he must have a sense of absurdity to appeal to children while appealing to adults who know what the character is normally like and add to the comedy/parody of the film(s). Therefore, silly adaptations of Merlin appeal to all audiences, young and old, which also allows the characterization to become popular. By making a, 1963.