The Rise of Guinevere [SPOILERS for Series 4]
Please be aware that I both discuss and show pictures that feature SPOILERS for the fourth series of Merlin.
The Rise of Guinevere: Gwen’s Status Elevation and a Discussion of the Evolution of her Clothing
Introduction
All of the characters of Merlin were given a starting point when the show first began. Arthur was a spoiled brat and a bully, bearing little resemblance to the good and noble man he is remembered for in the legends that bear his name. Merlin was a clumsy, often clueless, young man, and hardly the wise, wizened sorcerer that he is remembered as being. Morgana was a kind, if troubled, young noblewoman, hardly the monster she is portrayed as in much of the legends - and in the later series.
Perhaps the most unusual starting point for the principle characters is for that of Guinevere. Although the legends remember her as a noblewoman, or even the daughter of a king, here in Merlin she begins her story as the personal servant of Morgana. The motivations for such a placement are rather obvious - to provide a seemingly insurmountable divide between Guinevere and Arthur, to give them something almost impossible to overcome in order for them to be together. Class differences in a medieval-based society like that of Camelot are theoretically supposed to be set in stone, so the idea that the Crown Prince of Camelot would fall in love with and wish to marry a servant would set the world - and the more conservative people of this society, such as Arthur’s father, Uther - on its ear. A good ingredient for a pretty little love story.
All of the characters have grown and changed since the show started, but Gwen’s growth and change has perhaps been one of the most remarkable, and well-chronicled in a surprisingly simple way - her clothing. The show has related the elevation of her status throughout all three of the aired series, and appears to be continuing to do so as we move into the fourth. In this article, I will attempt to articulate that rise and as well as the evolution of her clothing, from her humble beginnings to the glimpse that has been caught of the woman of legend - the Once and Future Queen.
Series One: We All Start Somewhere
The first series opens with the arrival of the young sorcerer, Merlin, in the city of Camelot, where magic is expressly forbidden and punishable by execution, as decreed by Camelot’s king, Uther Pendragon. Merlin, who is shown lacking quite a bit in self-preservation skills, sets himself up as being one of only a small handful of people willing to stand up to the king’s only son, a rather snobby little bully named Arthur. Such encounters inevitably lead to trouble for Merlin. However, he is still fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of one of the royal servants, Guinevere, or Gwen, as she is called by those closest to her.
Gwen is more than a simple servant, she is the personal servant and companion to King Uther’s ward, the Lady Morgana. From the beginning of the show, the producers referred to Gwen as Morgana’s handmaiden. Her primary responsibilities all seem to involve serving Morgana, whether that be helping her dress or undress, or even comforting Morgana through her increasingly frequent terrible nightmares. Over the course of the first series, however, she is also shown sometimes helping Merlin in his quest to save Uther, Arthur, and/or Camelot from a magical or other kind of treasonous plot to destroy them or it, albeit unknowingly. It is Gwen who provides Merlin with the sword that will be re-forged into Excalibur, the legendary sword meant to be wielded by Arthur and Arthur alone. It is Gwen who rides off to Ealdor, Merlin’s home village, with Morgana and Merlin to defend it against ruthless bandits.
A handmaiden is defined simply as ‘a woman or girl servant’, and yet Gwen’s duties to Morgana seemed to extend beyond that of such a basic definition. If she were such a simple servant, then Gwen would have been relegated to the background, and certainly would not have been permitted to stand up with her mistress in formal state occasions, such as officially welcoming a visitor to Camelot or standing beside Morgana during a formal court session. Duties such as those would have been left for a lady-in-waiting, which is an attendant who is noble born herself, looking after a woman of higher status, most often a princess or queen. As a result, Gwen would be seen scrubbing floors in one scene, and yet in just a few scenes later, would be standing a step behind Morgana in the throne room for an official state occasion.
Because of this mixing of duties, one would have expected that Gwen would be attired appropriately. In the first series, however, that did not appear to be the goal.
Over the course of the first series, we most often saw Gwen wearing what I refer to as the yellow sack dress. As beautiful as Angel Coulby is, the dress was not all that flattering on her, fitting her only in the loosest manner, and made from seemingly rough spun materials meant more for being a servant rather than a lady-in-waiting to a woman of high status. Such a dress, though, was perfectly acceptable for Gwen’s more drudging duties, such as cleaning and keeping up after Morgana.
On other occasions, Gwen would wear an orange dress with a pattern stitched in gold thread along the front. One might think that was supposed to be something worn for more formal occasions, but it was still worn in less formal occasions, such as when Gwen nursed Arthur after he was wounded by the Questing Beast. Neither dress was all that aesthetically pleasing, and didn’t live up to the subtext of being more than just a simple servant to Morgana.
Series Two: Inching Up the Chain
With the beginning of the second series, change was in the air for Gwen. To start off, she found herself embroiled in more of the plots that abound in Camelot. She continued to aide Merlin in the midst of various crises, such as when the Witchfinder, Aredian, targeted Gaius and forced the older man to confess to sorcery, or when she was kidnapped and forced by her captors to impersonate Morgana to their overlord. Another of these plots in particular, where he wishes to fight and win a tournament without the backing of his title, brings her closer to Arthur, setting off a chain reaction for her feelings toward him, though these changes hardly come without their own hurts and challenges.
However, as Gwen grows closer to Arthur, a side-effect manifests itself - Gwen drifts apart from Morgana. With Gwen’s feelings for Arthur and the emerging of Morgana’s magical gifts even beyond her seer abilities, secrets begin to come between the two women, slowly cracking their friendship. However, Gwen also receives a wardrobe update in the second series which, while nowhere near as extensive as the one Morgana receives, has the effect of her moving up the social status chain.
This lavender dress and its flowery corset fits more closely with what viewers would expect of a woman who acts as a lady-in-waiting to a woman of status, as Gwen often does with Morgana. It is pretty and well-fitting, which would allow Gwen’s appearance to supplement Morgana’s, without attempting to outshine her.
Series Three: The Prince’s Beloved
The third series continued Gwen’s elevation and evolution. A full year has passed since the end of the events of the second series. Morgana has been missing for over a year, leaving Gwen without a mistress to serve. The show provides no clues for what Gwen did in that time, but there are indications that she and Arthur have grown closer, even in light of the hurt they caused each other in the second series with Lancelot and Lady Vivian. Gwen also continues to assist Merlin in his protecting of Camelot from magical threats, even at risk of her own life, such as in Goblin’s Gold, when she hides Merlin in her home while he is pursued by the guards and knights of Camelot after being exposed as a sorcerer by a possessed Gaius.
The third series also saw the definitive end of Gwen’s friendship with Morgana, pushing Gwen into the same camp as Merlin and Arthur for good. After Merlin and Gaius, Gwen was the first principle to ascertain the changes in Morgana, eventually discovering Morgana’s use of magic as well as seeing for herself the satisfaction that Morgana took in Arthur’s misery after Uther sentenced Gwen to death. Both women have changed from the people they were in the first series, Gwen no longer the meek young woman who stuttered and tripped over her words whenever she became nervous, and Morgana no longer the fiery and compassionate lady but a sinister and dangerous enemy of Camelot and all its citizens.
In scattered moments throughout the third series, we still see Gwen in the lavender dress from the second series, but again, her wardrobe continues to expand. We begin to see her in a pale blue dress with a decorative corset. That dress, however, does not remain in view overly long before it is replaced with a pink dress that she continues to wear for the rest of the series, most memorable being in The Changeling, when Arthur is almost pressured into marrying another woman, and Queen of Hearts, when Morgana manipulates Gwen and Arthur into a romantic picnic in the forest so they can be discovered by Uther.
Series Four: What is Still to Come
The filming of the fourth series has begun in recent months, and fans have turned out in droves at the various filming locations to catch glimpses of the stars in their new costumes for the series and hopefully gain some insight into what might be coming for the show’s viewers.
Angel Coulby has been spotted in two different dresses so far since the filming began again - a grey-blue dress with sleeves that appear to be made of a quilted type of material, and a purple dress with a silver chain hanging about her waist. The occasional spoiler has also slipped out, leading many people to speculate that the early episodes of the new series, at the very least, will feature Gwen playing the part of Uther’s nurse, as he has been revealed to not yet be recovered from the revelation of Morgana’s true loyalties.
Also, with the beginning of the second block of filming at Pierrefonds, Angel Coulby has been photographed in a purple dress that bears a faint resemblance to the coronation gown seen in Queen of Hearts, though by no means as luxurious. It is still seems like the garment of someone in service, but is far more elaborate than anything that she has worn in previous series. That and also with the silver chain that is seen wrapped around Angel’s waist leads me to speculate that Gwen might be elevated in status again, this time to the position of chatelaine. A chatelaine is first defined as ‘a mistress of a large household’, but also refers to a ‘chain and clasp worn at the waist to hold keys and other small items’. While the chain that Angel is wearing doesn’t look like it could hold much weight, the symbolism of it still points to the idea that Gwen may well become one of the most senior servants in Camelot. She could be the one who stands as the hostess at official banquets, who welcomes official guests, and basically does all the things that Morgana theoretically did when she remained Uther’s ward in Camelot.
Conclusion
Guinevere’s elevation in Camelot’s society has been fairly steady with each and every series that has thus far so aired, and has been characterized by the evolution of her wardrobe. From the yellow sack dress to the purple ‘chatelaine’ dress that she has just appeared in during the filming of the fourth series, the quality of her clothing has progressively risen higher. As she is elevated, she becomes more and more qualified to one day sit on a throne beside Arthur and rule as the Queen of Camelot, at least in the eyes of a medieval society. What is more important to the viewers and her devoted fans is that Gwen still remains, at heart, the principled and good-intentioned person that she has been from the beginning, even as she grows into a woman whose legend is as every bit as inspiring as the men and other women that she shares the screen with.
Sources
Series 1 pictures: Merlin’s Keep
Series 2 pictures: Merlin’s Keep
Series 3 pictures: chaosmaka, killcolor
Series 4 pictures: yavannauk, MerlinHypnoWeb*
*Picture posted on website, where it came from beyond that unknown - if someone *does* know, please drop me a note and I can alter the credit info accordingly.
The Rise of Guinevere: Gwen’s Status Elevation and a Discussion of the Evolution of her Clothing
Introduction
All of the characters of Merlin were given a starting point when the show first began. Arthur was a spoiled brat and a bully, bearing little resemblance to the good and noble man he is remembered for in the legends that bear his name. Merlin was a clumsy, often clueless, young man, and hardly the wise, wizened sorcerer that he is remembered as being. Morgana was a kind, if troubled, young noblewoman, hardly the monster she is portrayed as in much of the legends - and in the later series.
Perhaps the most unusual starting point for the principle characters is for that of Guinevere. Although the legends remember her as a noblewoman, or even the daughter of a king, here in Merlin she begins her story as the personal servant of Morgana. The motivations for such a placement are rather obvious - to provide a seemingly insurmountable divide between Guinevere and Arthur, to give them something almost impossible to overcome in order for them to be together. Class differences in a medieval-based society like that of Camelot are theoretically supposed to be set in stone, so the idea that the Crown Prince of Camelot would fall in love with and wish to marry a servant would set the world - and the more conservative people of this society, such as Arthur’s father, Uther - on its ear. A good ingredient for a pretty little love story.
All of the characters have grown and changed since the show started, but Gwen’s growth and change has perhaps been one of the most remarkable, and well-chronicled in a surprisingly simple way - her clothing. The show has related the elevation of her status throughout all three of the aired series, and appears to be continuing to do so as we move into the fourth. In this article, I will attempt to articulate that rise and as well as the evolution of her clothing, from her humble beginnings to the glimpse that has been caught of the woman of legend - the Once and Future Queen.
Series One: We All Start Somewhere
The first series opens with the arrival of the young sorcerer, Merlin, in the city of Camelot, where magic is expressly forbidden and punishable by execution, as decreed by Camelot’s king, Uther Pendragon. Merlin, who is shown lacking quite a bit in self-preservation skills, sets himself up as being one of only a small handful of people willing to stand up to the king’s only son, a rather snobby little bully named Arthur. Such encounters inevitably lead to trouble for Merlin. However, he is still fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of one of the royal servants, Guinevere, or Gwen, as she is called by those closest to her.
Gwen is more than a simple servant, she is the personal servant and companion to King Uther’s ward, the Lady Morgana. From the beginning of the show, the producers referred to Gwen as Morgana’s handmaiden. Her primary responsibilities all seem to involve serving Morgana, whether that be helping her dress or undress, or even comforting Morgana through her increasingly frequent terrible nightmares. Over the course of the first series, however, she is also shown sometimes helping Merlin in his quest to save Uther, Arthur, and/or Camelot from a magical or other kind of treasonous plot to destroy them or it, albeit unknowingly. It is Gwen who provides Merlin with the sword that will be re-forged into Excalibur, the legendary sword meant to be wielded by Arthur and Arthur alone. It is Gwen who rides off to Ealdor, Merlin’s home village, with Morgana and Merlin to defend it against ruthless bandits.
A handmaiden is defined simply as ‘a woman or girl servant’, and yet Gwen’s duties to Morgana seemed to extend beyond that of such a basic definition. If she were such a simple servant, then Gwen would have been relegated to the background, and certainly would not have been permitted to stand up with her mistress in formal state occasions, such as officially welcoming a visitor to Camelot or standing beside Morgana during a formal court session. Duties such as those would have been left for a lady-in-waiting, which is an attendant who is noble born herself, looking after a woman of higher status, most often a princess or queen. As a result, Gwen would be seen scrubbing floors in one scene, and yet in just a few scenes later, would be standing a step behind Morgana in the throne room for an official state occasion.
Because of this mixing of duties, one would have expected that Gwen would be attired appropriately. In the first series, however, that did not appear to be the goal.
Over the course of the first series, we most often saw Gwen wearing what I refer to as the yellow sack dress. As beautiful as Angel Coulby is, the dress was not all that flattering on her, fitting her only in the loosest manner, and made from seemingly rough spun materials meant more for being a servant rather than a lady-in-waiting to a woman of high status. Such a dress, though, was perfectly acceptable for Gwen’s more drudging duties, such as cleaning and keeping up after Morgana.
On other occasions, Gwen would wear an orange dress with a pattern stitched in gold thread along the front. One might think that was supposed to be something worn for more formal occasions, but it was still worn in less formal occasions, such as when Gwen nursed Arthur after he was wounded by the Questing Beast. Neither dress was all that aesthetically pleasing, and didn’t live up to the subtext of being more than just a simple servant to Morgana.
Series Two: Inching Up the Chain
With the beginning of the second series, change was in the air for Gwen. To start off, she found herself embroiled in more of the plots that abound in Camelot. She continued to aide Merlin in the midst of various crises, such as when the Witchfinder, Aredian, targeted Gaius and forced the older man to confess to sorcery, or when she was kidnapped and forced by her captors to impersonate Morgana to their overlord. Another of these plots in particular, where he wishes to fight and win a tournament without the backing of his title, brings her closer to Arthur, setting off a chain reaction for her feelings toward him, though these changes hardly come without their own hurts and challenges.
However, as Gwen grows closer to Arthur, a side-effect manifests itself - Gwen drifts apart from Morgana. With Gwen’s feelings for Arthur and the emerging of Morgana’s magical gifts even beyond her seer abilities, secrets begin to come between the two women, slowly cracking their friendship. However, Gwen also receives a wardrobe update in the second series which, while nowhere near as extensive as the one Morgana receives, has the effect of her moving up the social status chain.
This lavender dress and its flowery corset fits more closely with what viewers would expect of a woman who acts as a lady-in-waiting to a woman of status, as Gwen often does with Morgana. It is pretty and well-fitting, which would allow Gwen’s appearance to supplement Morgana’s, without attempting to outshine her.
Series Three: The Prince’s Beloved
The third series continued Gwen’s elevation and evolution. A full year has passed since the end of the events of the second series. Morgana has been missing for over a year, leaving Gwen without a mistress to serve. The show provides no clues for what Gwen did in that time, but there are indications that she and Arthur have grown closer, even in light of the hurt they caused each other in the second series with Lancelot and Lady Vivian. Gwen also continues to assist Merlin in his protecting of Camelot from magical threats, even at risk of her own life, such as in Goblin’s Gold, when she hides Merlin in her home while he is pursued by the guards and knights of Camelot after being exposed as a sorcerer by a possessed Gaius.
The third series also saw the definitive end of Gwen’s friendship with Morgana, pushing Gwen into the same camp as Merlin and Arthur for good. After Merlin and Gaius, Gwen was the first principle to ascertain the changes in Morgana, eventually discovering Morgana’s use of magic as well as seeing for herself the satisfaction that Morgana took in Arthur’s misery after Uther sentenced Gwen to death. Both women have changed from the people they were in the first series, Gwen no longer the meek young woman who stuttered and tripped over her words whenever she became nervous, and Morgana no longer the fiery and compassionate lady but a sinister and dangerous enemy of Camelot and all its citizens.
In scattered moments throughout the third series, we still see Gwen in the lavender dress from the second series, but again, her wardrobe continues to expand. We begin to see her in a pale blue dress with a decorative corset. That dress, however, does not remain in view overly long before it is replaced with a pink dress that she continues to wear for the rest of the series, most memorable being in The Changeling, when Arthur is almost pressured into marrying another woman, and Queen of Hearts, when Morgana manipulates Gwen and Arthur into a romantic picnic in the forest so they can be discovered by Uther.
Series Four: What is Still to Come
The filming of the fourth series has begun in recent months, and fans have turned out in droves at the various filming locations to catch glimpses of the stars in their new costumes for the series and hopefully gain some insight into what might be coming for the show’s viewers.
Angel Coulby has been spotted in two different dresses so far since the filming began again - a grey-blue dress with sleeves that appear to be made of a quilted type of material, and a purple dress with a silver chain hanging about her waist. The occasional spoiler has also slipped out, leading many people to speculate that the early episodes of the new series, at the very least, will feature Gwen playing the part of Uther’s nurse, as he has been revealed to not yet be recovered from the revelation of Morgana’s true loyalties.
Also, with the beginning of the second block of filming at Pierrefonds, Angel Coulby has been photographed in a purple dress that bears a faint resemblance to the coronation gown seen in Queen of Hearts, though by no means as luxurious. It is still seems like the garment of someone in service, but is far more elaborate than anything that she has worn in previous series. That and also with the silver chain that is seen wrapped around Angel’s waist leads me to speculate that Gwen might be elevated in status again, this time to the position of chatelaine. A chatelaine is first defined as ‘a mistress of a large household’, but also refers to a ‘chain and clasp worn at the waist to hold keys and other small items’. While the chain that Angel is wearing doesn’t look like it could hold much weight, the symbolism of it still points to the idea that Gwen may well become one of the most senior servants in Camelot. She could be the one who stands as the hostess at official banquets, who welcomes official guests, and basically does all the things that Morgana theoretically did when she remained Uther’s ward in Camelot.
Conclusion
Guinevere’s elevation in Camelot’s society has been fairly steady with each and every series that has thus far so aired, and has been characterized by the evolution of her wardrobe. From the yellow sack dress to the purple ‘chatelaine’ dress that she has just appeared in during the filming of the fourth series, the quality of her clothing has progressively risen higher. As she is elevated, she becomes more and more qualified to one day sit on a throne beside Arthur and rule as the Queen of Camelot, at least in the eyes of a medieval society. What is more important to the viewers and her devoted fans is that Gwen still remains, at heart, the principled and good-intentioned person that she has been from the beginning, even as she grows into a woman whose legend is as every bit as inspiring as the men and other women that she shares the screen with.
Sources
Series 1 pictures: Merlin’s Keep
Series 2 pictures: Merlin’s Keep
Series 3 pictures: chaosmaka, killcolor
Series 4 pictures: yavannauk, MerlinHypnoWeb*
*Picture posted on website, where it came from beyond that unknown - if someone *does* know, please drop me a note and I can alter the credit info accordingly.