MERLIN: How does this extract construct representations of class

At the beginning of the extract we are introduced to Merlin who's costume is very scruffy and clothes which look very cheap. From this we can straight from the start understand what type of class he is part of. From what he is wearing we can tell Merlin is represented as a lower class person. The cross cutting between the woman in purple and Merlin represents the different types of class in the Kingdom. The woman is represented as a very upper class woman due to her costume being a luxurious purple to represent her wealth compared to Merlin's costume which is brown and is represented as a completely different class to show contrast between the characters.

The tracking shot of Merlin walking through the market shows that he is free compared to the static camera shot of Merlin in the castle. This implies that that Merlin feels free when in the market as it represents that he belongs there. The market is very cheap looking compared to the nice kingdom he walked through before the tracking scene. Also the Asynchronous sound of sheep in the background represents the type of work the lower class people would have to do in the kingdom, this also represents Merlin as an "animal" compared to Arthur.

Arthur is represented as extremely arrogant due to his body language as he walks as if he is superior to everyone else. Also, his costume represents him as very wealthy which shows contrast between him and Merlin. The diegetic sounds represent Arthur as superior to Merlin as the dialogue quotes "You shouldn't address me like that". This portrays that Arthur is represented as powerful. However, Merlin responds with more dialogue. "I told you, you was an arse" which contradicts the representation of Arthur's upper class being superior. The shot reverse shots between Arthur and Merlin gives the audience and idea of the different classes however this contradicts the stereotype that classes do not mix as from the dialogue we can tell that they know each other.

The Mise en scene and in particular the props portray the contrast in classes when Merlin and Arthur are about to battle. Arthur is carrying a mace for him and Merlin to battle. The props he owns portrays he is from a higher class as servants would not carry weapons around as they would not be able to afford them. When fighting there is a slow motion edit used of Arthur to show he is superior and he is trained in what he does and there is no slow motion of Merlin to represent him as clumsy and untrained which sows the upper class is stronger and better at fighting compared to the lower class. The fast paced editing also shows him as clumsy compared to the slow motion of Arthur. During the battle, the cutaway to the old man in the tower portrays that he is worried. This is because he knows that the two different classes shouldn't be fighting as their will only be one outcome with Arthur winning as he is trained due to him being wealthy and from an upper class.

The asynchronous sound of the chicken portrays the Merlin is a "chicken" himself compared to Arthur which represents his class as cowards compared to Arthur and the upper class. The High angle shot and low angle shots nearer to the end of the extract portrays power. This is shown through a high angle shot of Merlin to show he is inferior to Arthur and there is a low angle shot of Arthur to portray his power compared to Merlin and this represents upper class as superior to Merlin's class.