In the intro of Wicked the musical, Glinda poses a question, "Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" (Schwartz Scene 1). In Mordred’s case, it is the latter; Mordred does some wicked things in his life, however he is at his core a good person. For example, Mordred overcomes his hatred for his father, spends his adolescent life trying to earn King Arthur’s love and respect, and is misunderstood. All of thoose reasons combine to form why mordred is good.
Primarily, Mordred is able to overcome the hatred for King Arthur, his father. Mordred says in Nancy Springer’s I am Mordred, “When I was a baby, my father tried to kill me” (fourth cover). If Mordred is an evil person, he would choose to wallow in his anger and plan to get even with King Arthur. Mordred, however, chooses to overcome his hatred towards his father, becoming an honorable knight.
Once he decides that he doesn’t hate King Arthur, Mordred’s entire adolescent life is spent trying to earn his love. It says so in the book, “All [Mordred] wants is for his father to love him” (Springer fourth cover). Mordred is good, even though his father casts him out when he is a baby he still loves him and longs for him to reciprocate that love. Mordred at the end of the book, in an effort to save his father’s life, tries to give up his soul. Someone is to blame for Mordred’s life, and it is neither Mordred nor King Arthur.
