MBTI Type: ESFJ

Igraine easily expresses her feelings and attempts repeatedly to establish a relationship with Merlin by getting him to confide in her, and assisting him whenever she can. She provides her son with support, Guinevere with advice and counsel, and an orphan child with love, affection, and toys, including time spent playing together. She is a warm and winning woman, but also tends to shepherd people, by cautioning them against things that might cause emotional disruptions. She warns Guinevere to stay away from Arthur, because “I see how you two look at each other.” Igraine reads the emotional dynamics between them, senses something is happening or has happened, and knows it could disrupt the peace at Camelot, so warns them off it. When captured and held prisoner in Morgan’s castle, she falls into inferior Ti – aggressively asking “why” they are doing this, why no has come for her, why she sees herself in the courtyard, etc, over-analyzing. She feels kind of stuck in “how things are.” When Uther killed her husband and took her as his wife, she says she was lucky to survive and not die—this is just the brutal, male-driven world she lives in, and she often abdicates her authority within it through acceptance rather than a desire to actively shape it. Igraine is practical and down to earth. She notices the attachment between Arthur and Guinevere – the looks they give each other, and it reminds her of being in love. She is curious about Merlin and asks him detailed questions, trying to probe his thoughts and get to better know him. Igraine compares how he looks now to how he looked twenty years ago, and notices nothing has changed in his physical appearance, which leads her to suspect he may be much older than he pretends to be—even immortal. She uses her Ne to consider the future and the potential consequences to her decisions, and in her occasional idealism and desire for a better life.

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Igraine likes to be liked, to feel included, and to have an important role in her son’s life. She was a popular and beloved queen, who when she comes to Arthur’s court, sets about doing things to earn his affection. She offers to assist Merlin, as a means of building a relationship between them. She councils and is affectionate to Guinevere, including offering unsolicited advice. When imprisoned, she tries to persuade the guard and appeal to his emotions by acting innocent and willing to do whatever he wants her to do, to help her escape (but then she stabs him, when he tries to rape her, and runs away). She tries to appeal to others through personal connections and what she has done for them (saving Morgana’s life as a child by sending her away) rather than hands-on helping them.