How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He was not a man one could love easily, certainly not a man to like, but a man either to hate or to worship. You either fought him, or followed him. But it had to be one or the other; once you came within reach of him, you had no peace. (II.5.33)
Merlin describes his first impression of his dad, Ambrosius. It sounds to us like he's describing a real leader: a person who doesn't invite close relationships, but one who demands total devotion. Merlin chooses total devotion. He never speaks in terms of affection about his dad, but he's certainly dedicated to him. It's Ambrosius' personal power that leads Merlin to prophesy about his foundation of a mighty Britain.
Quote #2
"She saw only women's things, to do with love. Then she began to fear the power, and let it be."
"Do you fear it?"
"I shall be a man."
"And a man takes power where it is offered. Yes." (II.5.100-103)
So, okay. We learn here that power has gender, at least in Stewart's opinion. Female power, according to Merlin, has sparkles and lipstick—it's all about love and hooking up and whatnot. It's implied that when Niniane felt her power go in other directions (like politics, perhaps?), she shied away from it. The manly thing to do, Merlin thinks, is to grasp on to power, even when it's scary or taboo. Ambrosius agrees: Men are from Mars, women from Venus. Well, these are the so-called Dark Ages…
Quote #3
I would have liked to say, "Not if you wrapped my guts round every tree in the forest," but I held my tongue. Take power where it is offered, he had said, and—remembering my vigil by the ash tree—there had been power there, of a kind. (II.10.51)
Merlin really really hates Belasius and everything he stands for, so he's understandably annoyed when his tutor tells him he'll be initiated into druidic practices. But in the middle of his hatred, he remembers the convo with his dad: take power where you find it. He knows that the druids are creatures of darkness, but they do have access to some deep, ancient power. And access to that power is worth getting over his hatred.
Quote #4
"[…] what I am looking for, you have to look in strange places. Men can never look at the sun, except downwards, at his reflection in things of earth. If he is reflected in a dirty puddle, he is still the sun. There is nowhere I will not look, to find him." (II.12.93)
Merlin makes it his mantra to seek power wherever he can find it. That means chasing knowledge no matter how hard, how hateful, or how frustrating it might be. By using the comparison of the sun reflected in the dirty puddle, Merlin makes it clear that partial knowledge is still knowledge—and that knowledge is power.
Quote #5
But I had begun to learn that in fact power made nothing smoother; when it came it was like having a wolf by the throat. Sometimes I had felt like that boy in the old myth who harnessed the horses of the sun and rode the world like a god until the power burned him to death. (III.5.55)
Power, according to Merlin, is like having the tiger by the tail (or wolf by the throat). Whichever wild animal you want to use for comparison, the outcome is the same: Merlin will end up on the toothy end of it. He also uses the myth of Phaeton to make things crystal clear: power is all very well and good, but it consumes the person who has it. And yet Merlin is still compelled to seek it wherever he can find it. That's in part because he knows he has a duty to fulfill—to bring King Arthur into the world.
Quote #6
There was something here. I paused. Nothing I could put a name to, but the old, black stone itself might have been some dark creature hunched there over the pit's edge. I felt the shiver run over my skin, and turned away. This, I would not disturb. (IV.10.8.400)
Merlin finds himself at the stone dance inside Killare looking for the king-stone to take back to Stonehenge. The king-stone has phenomenal supernatural power, but it's not, it seems, as frightening as this other ancient stone. Merlin won't touch that creepy thing. It represents a deep, ancient power that Merlin can't name, which makes it dangerous and frightening to him. Those are things that a wise man doesn't handle.
Quote #7
It was massive, oblong, uncarved, simply a great natural stone on to which now the moonlight poured. It hardly needed the cold at my hands, the hiss of the bleached grasses under the sudden run of wind, the scent of daisies, to tell me that this was the stone. All round me, like dancers drawing back from a center, the silent stones stood black. (IV.10.9)
Merlin doesn't have to do a huge forensic investigation into the nature of this stone to know that it's the king-stone, the powerful object from Killare that must be transported back to Stonehenge to complete the circle of stones there. He knows that this will be the stone to cover the grave of his father, who's about to die. Of note here is the fact that nature speaks up to help Merlin identify the stone, even though his senses have already figured it out.
Quote #8
His battle with the Saxons, his near defeat and subsequent sharp, brilliant victory, was all that the reign needed. Men forgot the bale of Ambrosius' death, and talked of the new King like a sun rising. His name was on everyone's lips… (V.1.4)
Finally, some earthly power. With all the supernatural stuff going on in this work, it's easy to forget that there's a battle for national identity going on as well. Uther's victory against Hengist's kinsmen means that he's won the hearts and swords of the Britons at a pretty dicey time. He's no Ambrosius, but he's a good soldier. The Britons will have to be happy with his ability to protect them on the battlefield.
Quote #9
"As to how this will be, it is with God. I can only tell you what I know. What power is in me now is from him, and we are in his hands to make or to destroy. But I can tell you this also, Ygraine, that I have seen a bright fire burning, and in it a crown, and a sword standing in an altar like a cross." (V.5.72)
Merlin convinces Ygraine to let him act on her behalf and to bring Uther to her bed. He tries to sway her by telling her that their impending hookup is written in the stars. Note that Merlin doesn't tell her everything that he knows. He just needs to tell her enough to get her to go along with the task he has at hand. So now, Merlin isn't just wielding supernatural power; he's using his powers of manipulation to bring everything to its fated conclusion.
Quote #10
"Do you think Uther is a king, Cadal? He's but a regent for him who went before and for him who comes after, the past and future King. And tonight, he is even less than that: he is a tool, and she's a vessel, and […] I am a spirit, a word, a thing of air and darkness, and I can no more help what I am doing than a reed can help the wind of God blowing through it." (V.6.62)
This is the last time Merlin speaks with Cadal before entering Tintagel, and he gives him a heaping of perspective about the whole situation. Merlin's speech here could be considered traitorous, considering that Uther is High King of Britain now, but Merlin doesn't care—he's operating on a different level, which means he has the power and authority to make such observations. What we know from the legends verifies Merlin's description of Uther here: he's only around to father the future King Arthur. That's really his only claim to power and authority. And, comparatively speaking, it isn't that much.