Okay so I’ve got a problem and I figured I’d ask the opinion of everyone on this board.
In one of my stories, I am writing there is a scene heavily inspired by Arthurian Literature. Effectively a character is presented with a way to have another man’s wife by being disguised as that man. In some ways, it is a retelling of the story of Uther and Igraine.
The catch is that rather than a King pressuring a Wizard into providing him the spell, the Uther is a Lord being actively tempted by a Demon who plays the role of Merlin, who asks only for the resulting child in return. Moreover, when the Uther character eventually enters the Castle in question, he runs into all kinds of problems because he doesn’t know his way around the castle and eventually just goes to hide in the person he’s impersonating's office.
There he finds proof of treason. He escapes the castle and delivers the proof to the King, arranging for the arrest of his rival and being given a position of authority over the castle in question, though he never actually gets the girl. As a result of this, he makes an enemy of the Demon, who was neatly cheated.
The key question I have is this: Is this story too similar to the story of Uther and Igraine, making it plagiarism? Or has it altered enough elements of the story to stand on its own and merely count as a homage?
In one of my stories, I am writing there is a scene heavily inspired by Arthurian Literature. Effectively a character is presented with a way to have another man’s wife by being disguised as that man. In some ways, it is a retelling of the story of Uther and Igraine.
The catch is that rather than a King pressuring a Wizard into providing him the spell, the Uther is a Lord being actively tempted by a Demon who plays the role of Merlin, who asks only for the resulting child in return. Moreover, when the Uther character eventually enters the Castle in question, he runs into all kinds of problems because he doesn’t know his way around the castle and eventually just goes to hide in the person he’s impersonating's office.
There he finds proof of treason. He escapes the castle and delivers the proof to the King, arranging for the arrest of his rival and being given a position of authority over the castle in question, though he never actually gets the girl. As a result of this, he makes an enemy of the Demon, who was neatly cheated.
The key question I have is this: Is this story too similar to the story of Uther and Igraine, making it plagiarism? Or has it altered enough elements of the story to stand on its own and merely count as a homage?