History Series / Camelot

%%* TheChosenOne: Arthur.

** After Guinevere has sex with Arthur in the finale, [[FiveSecondForeshadowing she wakes up with a nosebleed]] and runs out of the room while he's still asleep. Seconds later she's revealed to be Morgan, and the bloody side-effects of her using magic had been shown throughout the whole season.

* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: The parentage of Morgan’s baby (implied to be Mordred) falls under this trope. While it seems as though that the unborn child that Morgan is shown to be carrying in the season finale is meant to be Arthur’s, several fans have noted that it’s actually far more likely that the child is actually Merlin’s, conceived when Morgan bedded Merlin barely a week prior. If the child is Arthur’s, then it’s an easy case of TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot in terms of the drama that could arise from Mordred being Merlin’s child.[[note]] Take note that it actually wouldn’t be strange at all for Mordred to be Merlin’s child in this adaptation as prior to the movie Excalibur, Morgan was never Mordred’s mother. It could also come across as a case of ShownTheirWork as in older tales Arthur was nothing more than Mordred’s uncle before he was bastardised by Thomas Malory into being Mordred’s father; likewise, the idea of Morgan and Merlin being lovers was an element in older tales until Thomas Malory made them nothing more than student and teacher.[[/note]]

** Arthur's dreams about Guinevere. [[spoiler: They probably aren't about how they get together, because they already did that, but are probably warnings about how Morgan will take her form and conceive Mordred with him.]]
** Except Arthur started having dreams about Guinevere ''before'' they got together, so it was probably just a foreshadowing of his relationship of her, [[spoiler: not necessarily about a liaison with Morgan.]]
* GirlOfMyDreams: Arthur encounters Guinevere in a dream prior to meeting her.

* AdaptationalSympathy: Morgan le Fay once again gets this treatment here, though only to a certain extent as she's still firmly the villain. Morgan was abused and all but disowned by her father Uther; after he murdered her mother to marry Igraine - who did little to intervene in the abuse - Morgan was sent away to a convent. When she returns to reconcile with Uther, he brutally rejects her, so she poisons him to finally claim the throne she believes is hers by right. Then at her moment of triumph she finds out she has a secret half-brother and he’s ahead of her in the succession purely because [[HeirClubForMen he's a male heir]].

* BlackVikings: Vivian, Morgan's servant, is black. However, Vivian tells Morgan her ancestors were brought over as slaves from Africa by the Romans, which is actually possible, as some British archaeological findings show that people of African descent (both free and slaves) [[TruthInTelevision really did come from Roman Africa to Roman Britain]]. This could also explain Sir Ulfius, Arthur's black knight. So it's remotely plausible, although the writers probably didn't know that.

* BlackVikings: Vivian, Morgan's servant, is black. However, Vivian tells Morgan her ancestors were brought over as slaves from Africa by the Romans, which is actually possible, as some British archaeological findings show that people of African descent (both free and slaves) [[TruthInTelevision really did come from Roman Africa to Roman Britain]]. This could also explain Sir Ulfius, Arthur's black knight. So it's remotely plausible, although the writers probably didn't know that. There was even a black knight in earlier versions from the 1300s, Sir Morien.

* SiblingRivalry: Morgan and Arthur take this UpToEleven, though Arthur tries to mend the rift at first. It was Morgan who started this since he was a sudden rival heir to the throne.

%%* BaldOfAwesome: Merlin again.

* StuffedIntoTheFridge: To show that Arthur's plight is SeriousBusiness, [[spoiler:Arthur's adoptive mother is murdered by King Lot.]]

After King Uther Pendragon’s sudden death, the sorcerer [[TricksterMentor Merlin]] brings his unknown son and official heir, the [[ChivalrousPervert young and impetuous Arthur]], into the limelight. However, Arthur's [[SiblingRivalry elder half sister Morgan]] [[SuccessionCrisis believes the throne is rightfully hers]]. Morgan battles Arthur with dark arts which may be beyond her control. Meanwhile Arthur has to deal with his feelings for [[LoveInterest Guinevere]], who is betrothed to another man (a man who on at least one occasion saved his life, no less).

%%* OracularUrchin: Merlin.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: Merlin and Igraine. Morgan exploits this by taking Igraine's form, then having sex with him.

%%* {{Seer}}[=/=]OracularUrchin: Merlin.

[[caption-width-right:213:SiblingRivalry [[UpToEleven taken to its natural extreme]]]]

* [[TakingTheBullet Taking The Arrow]]: [[spoiler: Leontes]] for Arthur in season finale, as he leaps into the path of an arrow shot by enemy soldiers.

** Then there is the episode "Igraine" featuring an impostor Igraine (Morgan) and Merlin.

* ArrangedMarriage: Guinevere and Leontes.
* BadassBookworm: Kay. Also, Merlin.
* BadassLongcoat: Merlin.
* BaldOfAwesome: Merlin again.

** How Arthur was conceived.
** Then there is the episode "Igraine" featuring an impostor Igraine and Merlin.

* BigBad: Morgan.

* BloodBrothers: Arthur and Kay.

* ChildByRape: Arthur, due to his father using magic to [[BedTrick impersonate his mother's husband]] (in keeping with the original legends often). Unlike in most examples, it's actually called rape as well (by Arthur himself, when he finds out). Even so, no one else seems to mind, and he doesn't bring it up again (to be fair, he's quite busy). It later comes up in another episode that the head man of a village takes his "tithe" through raping the women [[DroitDuSeigneur before they've been married]]. One of the girls who's a result of this was going to be next, leading to her father (not by blood, but she still considers him this) killing the head man when he comes. It's also likely that in the series finale [[spoiler: Morgan's rape by fraud of Arthur-they had sex while she was transformed into Guinivere-caused Mordred to be conceived.]]

* ChivalrousPervert: Arthur.
* TheChosenOne: Arthur.

* DeadpanSnarker: Arthur and Merlin.
* DealWithTheDevil: It is implied that Morgan made one at the end of the second episode.
* {{Demythification}}:
** While the show has overt magical elements, some parts of the legend are given mundane equivalents.

* DualWielding: Gawain.

* GoSeduceMyArchnemesis: Morgan and Merlin.
* HeroicBSOD: Merlin has a big one after "Lady of the Lake".
* HeroicSacrifice:
** [[spoiler:Ector gladly gives his life in order to eliminate Lot.]]
** [[spoiler:Sybil]] for Morgan and [[spoiler:Leontes]] for Arthur in the season finale.
* HollywoodAtheist: Merlin says on two occasions that "There is no God". With the implied deaths of his family in the past and the context for when he makes these statements, it seems likely he believes this based on the misfortune he along with other people suffer.

* IOweYouMyLife: Arthur towards Leontes.

* LongLostSibling: Arthur to Morgan.

* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: The parentage of Morgan’s baby (implied to be Mordred) falls under this trope. While it seems as though that the unborn child that Morgan is shown to be carrying in the season finale is meant to be Arthur’s, several fans have noted that it’s actually far more likely that the child is actually Merlin’s, conceived when Morgan bedded Merlin barely a week prior. If the child is Arthur’s, then it’s an easy case of TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot in terms of the drama that could arise from Mordred being Merlin’s child. [[note]] Take note that it actually wouldn’t be strange at all for Mordred to be Merlin’s child in this adaptation as prior to the movie Excalibur, Morgan was never Mordred’s mother. It could also come across as a case of ShownTheirWork as in older tales Arthur was nothing more than Mordred’s uncle before he was bastardised by Thomas Malory into being Mordred’s father; likewise, the idea of Morgan and Merlin being lovers was an element in older tales until Thomas Malory made them nothing more than student and teacher.[[/note]]

* TheMentor:
** Merlin to Arthur.
** TricksterMentor
** EvilMentor: Sybil to Morgan.

* MoodWhiplash
* MyGirlIsNotASlut:
* NippleAndDimed

* PlayingWithFire\AnIcePerson: Merlin.
* ThePlan: Morgan is particularly gifted with these.

* PrettyBoy: Arthur.

* PsychoLesbian: One way of looking at Sybil.

* RedOniBlueOni: Arthur and Merlin. Arthur and Morgan.

* RightfulKingReturns

* {{Seer}}[=/=]OracularUrchin: Merlin.

* SlippingAMickey: Morgan did this to Merlin in third episode.
* SmugSnake: Merlin is a rare heroic example.

* [[SuspiciouslySmallArmy Suspiciously Small Armies]].

* [[TakingTheBullet Taking The Arrow]]: [[spoiler: Leontes]] for Arthur in season finale.

* TeamMom: Igraine, unlike in the medieval texts where she disappears after Arthur's birth.

* TokenMinority: Ulfius on Arthur's side and Vivian on Margan's.

* WeaponTwirling: So, so much.

* RapeAsDrama: A guard demands Igraine have sex with him in return for allowing her to escape. She uses his own dagger to stab him during the act, and escapes that way instead.

* TheirFirstTime: Arthur and Guinevere have sex on a beach, echoing a recurring dream he had of this before they'd even met. She's very worried afterward that [[YourCheatingHeart her soon-to-be husband]] will know she's no longer a virgin though.

* YourCheatingHeart: The first time Arthur is shown he is sleeping with Kay's (then) girlfriend. The time after that, he sleeps with Guinevere, Leontes' betrothed. We ''only'' see him sleeping with women that have other attachments.

* {{Demythtification}}:

* ChildByRape: Arthur, due to his father using magic to [[BedTrick impersonate his mother's husband]] (in keeping with the original legends often). Unlike in most examples, it's actually called rape as well (by Arthur himself, when he finds out). Even so, no one else seems to mind, and he doesn't bring it up again (to be fair, he's quite busy). It later comes up in another episode that the head man of a village takes his "tithe" through raping the women [[DroitDuSeigneur before they've been married]]. One of the girls who's a result of this was going to be next, leading to her father (not by blood, but she still considers him this) killing the head man when he comes.

* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: The parentage of Morgan’s baby falls under this trope. While it seems as though that the unborn child that Morgan is shown to be carrying in the season finale is meant to be Arthur’s, several fans have noted that it’s actually far more likely that the child is actually Merlin’s, conceived when Morgan bedded Merlin barely a week prior. If the child is Arthur’s, then it’s an easy case of TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot

* AlmostKiss: Merlin and Igraine. [[spoiler: And then came Morgan i n the guise of Igraine...]]

A series co-produced by Starz and GK-TV, ''Camelot'' is an adaptation of the Myth/ArthurianLegend. The show claims to be based on Sir Thomas Malory's ''Literature/LeMorteDArthur'', though many liberties have been taken and Arthur, Myth/{{Merlin}} and company are characterized differently from [[TheThemeParkVersion common perceptions.]]

A series co-produced by Starz and GK-TV, ''Camelot'' is an adaptation of the Myth/ArthurianLegend. The show claims to be based on Sir Thomas Malory's ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur'', though many liberties have been taken and Arthur, Myth/{{Merlin}} and company are characterized differently from [[TheThemeParkVersion common perceptions.]]