Arthurian ThesisMerlyn taught Arthur many lessons to help make Arthur a better king. Each of these lessons is used to make Arthur a better ruler. Transforming into a fish teaches Arthur that all beings deserve help and that to avoid becoming a dictator you must treat your people with kindness. The badger teaches Arthur to love his kingdom while caring for his people and that war is man's chief flaw. Finally, the transformations into different birds taught Arthur proper etiquette among nobles and the correct way to approach territorial boundaries. With the help of magic, Merlin was able to teach Arthur many important lessons that helped him become a great king. When Arthur was first transformed into a fish, he learned that even the gentlest creatures deserve help and that to achieve absolute power, cruel nature accompanies him. Merlin turns Arthur into a fish and they swim into the castle moat. Here, a weak fish approaches Merlin and asks for help for his sick mother. Merlin replies: “Here, here, take me to your dear mother, and we will see what we can do.” (The present and future king, 44). Merlin's sympathy towards the fish shows Arthur that even the simplest creatures deserve help, no matter how strange their problems seem. Arthur also learns an even more important lesson from his encounter with the old fish who runs the moat. Arthur learns that to gain absolute power, cruel nature must accompany him. The fish monarch said: “Power belongs to the individual mind, but the power of the mind is not enough. The power of the body ultimately decides everything, and only Strength is Right.” (The Once and Future King, 47-48) This quote is important because it was Arthur's first exposure to the... medium of paper......g dedicated to their profession, like an order of chivalry or something. ” (The Once and Future King, 171) At first it seems that Merlin is simply instructing Arthur on how to behave when he is around other birds, but what Merlin is actually doing is showing Arthur the proper etiquette between nobles and knights. This information will be very useful once that Arthur will become king. Arthur will learn many valuable lessons from Merlin, the great wizard. Through transformations into many different animals, Arthur slowly learned how to become a great king capable of ruling his great kingdom. Arthur learns from a fish the evils of power absolute, care for his people and love for his kingdom, the boundaries of comparison with humans and bird etiquette, among others. All the lessons Merlin taught Arthur are used to transform Arthur into a very powerful king.