Morgan Le Fay Character Analysis

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Jill M. Hebert considers the duality of Morgan Le Fay in her book Morgan Le Fay, Shapeshifter. Hebert explains that the contradicting characterizations of Morgan stem from authorial manipulation; in each story that mentions Morgan, the author has slightly changed her character traits and personality to fit the author's vision of who she should be. Morgan is a complex legend and that is exactly why Hebert claims that to limit her as either a witch or a goddess would be undermining who she is. Her wide range of behaviour is what makes her a three-dimensional myth, and it makes her more relatable to the reader of the stories. Because she is from Celtic origins, her complexity should be expected, as Celtic culture embraced versatility and opposition. …show more content…
She focuses on all of the different perspectives of Morgan’s character, but mainly how she is portrayed in modern media. Perez observes that Morgan has shifted from being a benevolent goddess in Latin literature to a sultry witch in modern media. Whenever Morgan is in any modern or postmodern books, movies, and tv shows, she is often automatically deemed as being evil because of her superpowers. Her powers are often used for evil, such as harming King Arthur or cursing people. Another thing that diminishes Morgan’s character, is how often she uses her sexuality to persuade and manipulate her male allies. Many contemporary authors will make her a temptress who preys on innocent men to get them to do her bidding; Perez believes that Morgan is often persuaded by Morgause, who is Morgan’s half-sister. Perez is the only author to make the claim that Morgan Le Fay and Morgause are separate characters. Perez not only differentiates Morgause from Morgan, she also concludes that being knowledgeable about Morgause is pertinent to understanding Morgan’s character; Morgause houses all of Morgan darker qualities. One similarity between Morgan La Fey and other works is Morgan’s continued role as a maternal figure. Perez notes that while Morgan is seen as being motherly, she does not always be motherly towards other people; she argues that Morgan is more of a symbol of fertility. This argument is unique to Morgan La Fey and it causes the reader to think about Morgan Le Fay in a different

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