A character in Merlin
Played by John Hurt
Merlin · 285 quotes
9th most-quoted character in Merlin: in 12 of its 285 quotes
Most scenes with: Merlin (5)
The Great Dragon(voice-over) No young man, no matter how great, can know his destiny. He cannot glimpse his part in the great story that is about to unfold. Like everyone, he must live and learn. And so it shall be for the young warlock arriving at the gates of Camelot. A boy that will in time father a legend. His name... Merlin.
The Great DragonNone of us can choose our destiny, Merlin. And none of us can escape it.
The Great Dragon(to Merlin) I have lived for over a thousand years. Do not believe that you can lie to me.
The Great Dragon(to Merlin) The old prophecies speak of an evil alliance between Mordred and Morgana. Together they will bring great evil. This alliance must be stopped. Whatever the cost.
The Great Dragon[about Morgana] She is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love.
Where are you? I just came to tell you, whatever you think my destiny is, whatever it is you think I'm supposed to do, you've got the wrong person! That's it. Goodbye.
The Great DragonIf only it were so easy to escape one's destiny.
How can it be my destiny to protect someone who hates me.
The Great DragonThe half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole. Very soon, you shall learn that.
Oh, great. Just what I needed. Another riddle.
The Great DragonThat your and Arthur's path lies together is but the truth.
What is that supposed to mean?
The Great DragonYou know, young warlock, this is not the end. It is the beginning.
Just give me a straight answer!
The Great DragonHow old a man can become and yet change so little.
You have not changed either.
The Great DragonTwenty years. Almost a lifetime to make the short journey back to where you began.
I'm not here for myself.
The Great DragonThe boy?
You know about Merlin?
The Great DragonYou have struggled against his destiny but you can no more prevent it than he can.
So it is true then?
The Great DragonOh yes. He and the young Pendragon one day will unite the land of Albion.
But he is in danger.
The Great DragonNo, it is my jailer who stands in peril.
Must Uther be sacrificed for the boy?
The Great DragonTheir time cannot come until his is past.
But is that time now?
The Great Dragon(chuckling) That is of your choosing.
I will not choose between them.
The Great DragonThen turn a blind eye. That is, after all, your talent.
Great DragonThe young warlock. No doubt you're here about the Druid boy.
How did you know?
Great DragonLike you, I hear him speak.
Why does he call me Emrys?
Great DragonBecause that is your name.
I'm pretty sure my name's Merlin. It always has been.
Great DragonYou have many names.
Do I? How does the boy know who I am? I've never even met any druids.
Great DragonThere is much written about you that you have yet to read. You should not protect this boy.
Why? He has magic. He's just like me.
Great DragonYou and the boy are as different as day and night.
She's my friend!
The Great DragonShe cannot be trusted!
(Merlin goes to see The Great Dragon, who is pretending to sleep)
Hello! Oh, no. Not you too. Come on. I know you're listening.
The Great DragonI don't need to listen to you, Merlin. You always say the same thing; 'Help me'. However you fail to help others. You failed to heed my words before. Camelot's fall is nigh, and there is nothing you can do about it.
I swear on my mother's life, that I will free you. (hesitant)
The Great DragonCareful what you say, Merlin! You care for your mother more than your own life. I believe this is a promise you'll keep. You will need more than words to break this magic. It takes powerful magic to create this disease, but to maintain it, you need a vessel. You must eradicate the source of the disease. Only then will the spell be broken.
(Merlin knows the vessel is Morgana and leaves)
The Great Dragon[To Merlin] Who is your friend?
I am Lancelot.
The Great DragonOf course, Sir Lancelot. The bravest and most noble of them all.
I'm not sure that is true.
The Great DragonWe shall see.
Arthur intends to sacrifice himself to heal the veil. It is my destiny is to protect him, you taught me that.
The Great DragonMerlin, you must not do this.
I have no choice. I must take his place.
The Great DragonFrom the moment I met you, I saw something that was invisible. Now it is there for all to see.
A lot of what you see, old friend... is what you taught me.
The Great DragonIt will be an empty world without you, young warlock.
MerlinColin Morgan · 173 quotes
Arthur PendragonBradley James · 119 quotes
GaiusRichard Wilson · 51 quotes
Morgana PendragonKatie McGrath · 39 quotes
GwenAngel Coulby · 29 quotes
Uther PendragonAnthony Head · 27 quotes
LancelotSantiago Cabrera · 19 quotes
GwaineEoin Macken · 14 quotes
FreyaLaura Donnelly · 7 quotes
MordredAlexander Vlahos · 6 quotes
MorgauseEmilia Fox · 6 quotes
Sir LeonRupert Young · 6 quotes
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Merlin pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.