The Evil of King Joffrey

Welcome to my final entry in my Month of Thrones series. Don't forget to check out my other articles covering the people, places and events in the world of Game of Thrones. And thank you for reading!!!!!

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While there are many people in the Game of Thrones series that are reprehensible, none is more hated than King Joffrey, First of His Name, King of the Iron Throne. Unlike other evil and terrible characters like Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane and Ramsay Snow, Joffrey doesn't actively participate in violence or torture that those characters do. Like we saw in Season Two, he can easily order anyone to be beaten or maimed, which makes him worse than the other two previously mentioned because of his perceived infallibility as a king and a young one at that. Not to mention the actor Jack Gleeson, who has been doing a fantastic job convincing millions of people to hate him.  Joffrey has truly become the uniting factor amongst different parts of the fandom as everyone can agree of their hatred of him. There's even a statue of Joffrey in Auckland, New Zealand whose purpose is to get a large enough Internet following/tweets to bring down the Joffrey. This way viewers can finally bring down the most hated character in the series and become 'kingslayers' themselves.

The viewers opinion has also become very important to the popularity of the show. Joffrey has become the character we all love to hate and his continued presence infuriates the majority of people as he is the one who has ordered the death of Ned Stark and the physical abuse of Sansa Stark. Joffrey is the kind of sadist, evil character that has no redeeming character traits, as he didn't have a difficult childhood or the need to want for anything (which can oftentimes be the cause of bad behavior). I believe that Joffrey's tendencies arose from his lack of love from his father, his result of being a product of incest, and his relationship with his mother (a monster in her own right).

As he is one of the key characters of the show/book, he has had many scenes. Most of the scenes depict him more as a sadist than anything else. In Season One, there was the incident with Mycah/Arya and the ordered death of Ned Stark, which lead directly to the war with the North. Season Two showed his cruelty to Sansa as he regularly had her beaten and forced her to look at her father's decapitated head while he watched gleefully on. He also turned coward during the battle of the Blackwater, diminishing moral and forcing his uncle Tyrion to do something to try to save everyone. Then he of course took the credit (and gave some to his grandfather) and no further mention of his cowardice was made. He continued his reign of terror in Season Three, showing his immaturity/incompetence at ruling and making not-so-subtle threats to Sansa. These actions and his general disposition make it easy for people to loath this stereotypical type of evil character.

By looking at the history of the books and his background, we can try to understand how he got his sadistic tendencies. The first important thing to mention is that he is a product of incest (mother and brother). Not only that but his biological parents are the offspring of a first cousin pairing (which wasn't shunned), so the double incest is present in him. In this world incest causes extreme dichotomies of personality, either madness or genius/effective leadership. This was seen in every generation of the Targaryen family, which practiced this exclusively (only sometimes marrying out due to lack of siblings). Two characters that can be contrasted are Daenerys and Viserys as examples of the result of incest.

Going forward we will see the continued manipulation of Joffrey by Margaery and we will also see their relationship grow. I'm not sure how this pairing will fair as I like Margaery (she's like Sansa with a backbone) and I'm not sure how she will handle Joffrey as a husband, even if she firmly establishes a positive (in his twisted way) relationship. His continued spats with Tywin and Tyrion will surely keep the viewers entertained as we see this family inter-argue and possibly implode despite being the ones on top (for now, at least). Joffrey as an evil character has had some important moments that have progressed the story and it will be interesting to see where it takes us from here.

Arya Stark

Welcome to my final character biography in my  Month of Thrones series. To keep everything fair, I decided to only discuss events up to Season 3 for non-book readers

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"Ser Gregor Clegane, Dunsen, Raff the Sweetling, Ser Illyn, Ser Meryn, Queen Cersei. Valar Morghulis"

 

A very spirited girl, Arya is very independent and not interested in anything involving being a lady. Compared to her aunt Lyanna, Arya pursues swordfighting unlike her sister Sansa, who takes more after their mother. The youngest daughter of Ned Stark and Catelyn Tully, Arya feels like an outcast for her interests and rejection of normal expecation and with that feels a kindred spirit with her half-brother Jon Snow. Throughout Arya's journey she shows her resillence and her strength despite all of the odds against her, which truly shows her mettle.

 

Her idyllic life ends when her father accepts the position of Hand of the King and she heads down to King's Landing along with her sister. Her playfighting with the butcher's boy, Mycah leads to his death after a confrontation with Joffrey and Sansa. Arya is also forced to leave her beloved direwolf Nymeria behind in the Riverlands as to save her life. This further ruptures the relationship between the two sisters as Arya turns away from the Baratheon/Lannisters and Sansa embraces it, not knowing their true intentions. During her life in King's Landing she receives training from Syrio Forel as her father realization her desires. She uses these skills to save herself and escape from the city after her father gets captured. She is present at her father's execution, which leads her to start creating her revenge kill-list that persists through the seasons.

 

She is then smuggled out of the city and disguised as a boy so she can make it back to the North to her mother and brothers, but they get intercepted, captured and taken to Harrenhal. She spends most of her time making friends with Gendry (a secret bastard of Roberts) and Hot Pie who stay with her for her journey through season 2 and 3 before separating at different points. She also comes into contact with and saves Jaqen H'ghar, who turns out to be a Faceless Man who gives her 3 deaths in return. She tests this by killing off undesirables at Harenhal before tricking Jaqen into killing more people to let her escape from the castle, which he does. Once her identity becomes known amongst he BWB, she becomes an asset as a negotiation tool for her brother and mother, but then gets taken by the Hound so he can get all of the money for himself instead of the Brotherhood without Banners. She ends up feet away from reuniting with her family at the Twins but unfortunately this occured during the Red Wedding. So again, she witnesses the death of more family members.

 

The show leaves off with her feeling truly alone in the world as she is far from Jon and assumes the rest of her family is dead. The next step would probably show her trying to enact some of her revenge killings and figure out a safe place to be since she is still wanted by the Iron Throne to serve as a negotiation tool/hostage. She is one of my favorite characters because of her spirit and drive and her will to keep living, which can be difficult with the destruction of her family. I hope that through all of experiences, she will eventually come to a place where she can forgive her sister and come to a place of understanding with her. She is still a young character, so her growth will be something to watch as she is now forced to take a different path than the life she was trained for.

 



Eddard "Ned" Stark

*this is a continuation of my Month of Thrones series. Note that there are no spoilers past season three for my non-book readers*



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"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives"

 

Eddard (or Ned as he is more commonly known) is probably one of the most popular and tragic characters to fans of both the books and television series. In his life, he was always very trusting and honorable despite all of the circumstances around him. Although he can come off as cold as normal with the population of the North, he is very kind and caring to his family and instills many values in his children, while also raising his bastard child. Known as "the quiet wolf" he is more reserved than more typical Stark traits that Arya and Rickon exhibit.

 

As a child he was fostered at The Eyrie with Robert Baratheon under Jon Arryn due to his father's southern ambitions. This also including betrothing his brother (the heir) Brandon to Catelyn Tully. With the "kidnapping" of Lyanna Stark at the hands of the Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Brandon took a some men and went to King's Landing to challenge Rhaegar. The Mad King Aerys had them arrested and call their father's in to answer for their crimes but then he just had them all executed (he had Rickard Stark roasted alive in his own armour and had Brandon strangle himself by leaving a sword just out of reach with a cord around his neck), which affected Ned greatly as the second-born (and now oldest son), he became the Lord of Winterfell. Ned also dealt with the loss of his sister, who died in his arms with a promise on her lips.

 

To shore up alliances, he married Catelyn Stark and then headed off to war. After it was over, Ned returned a year later with a young bastard child name Jon Snow. Due to Ned's nature Catelyn never felt comfortable askingNed about the mother and he never brought it up except once (that was promptly squashed by Ned). With his only surviving brother Benjen in the Night's Watch and his other siblings dead, Ned had 5 trueborn children to help the Stark line, Robb (after Robert), Sansa, Arya, Bran (after his brother), and Rickon. Over the years he only left the North once to fight in the Greyjoy Rebellion and spent most of his time dealing out justice (like the death sentence on Jorah Mormont for selling slaves).

 

At the beginning of the season he has to kill a deserter from the Night's Watch despite their claims of seeing the dreaded Others, which troubles him. He then finds a dead mother direwolf with antler from a stag in its throat (foreshadowing) and allows his children to keep the pups, as there is one for each. With the visit from the King, need is offered to be second in command and also to have their children marry (Joffrey and Sansa). Ned becomes involved with the investigation of the death of Jon Arryn (the previous Hand of the King). During his time in the capital he learns of Robert's numerous bastards and the traits they all share (black hair) while also learning of his wife's capture of Tyrion Lannister. After resigning and then beng forced back into the position, he learns of Cersei's incest and that her children are not with the King. Because of his honorable nature, he tells Cersei of his knowledge, which gives her time to make a plan herself. He also trusts Baelish and his connections when he should have taken up with Renly Baratheon when it was offered. As soon as Robert dies, Ned is accused of treason and i suprisingly beheaded by the new King, Joffrey despite a previous agreement.

 

Ned's death was a shock to both the characters in the story and the viewers/readers. The impulsiveness of Joffrey would lead to a devastating war that affects the entire continent and leads to Tywin taking over as he finds Cersei incapable of controlling her son. As of now, all hope seems lost for the remaining Starks but there is still much of the story left to tell.



Lysa Arryn

*this is a continuation of my Month of Thrones series. Note that there are no spoilers past season three for my non-book readers*



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Lysa was a key character in the first season as she held the fate of Tyrion for a time while he was the prisoner of hers and she was also the catalyst to many decisions of her sister during season one. She hasn't been seen since season one but her family has been prominently featured on the show. Now would be a good time to bring her back as the Tully line is further extinguished with the death of the father Hoster, and Catelyn/Robb along with the presumed deaths of Arya, Bran and Rickon. All that is left are Lysa, her son, her brother who is a presumed captive of the Freys and her uncle who has gone missing. She is not discussed but it is presumed that she intentionally did not go to the funeral of her father for some reason, probably involving her paranoia of leaving the safety of her home. She will be featured in season 4 in some capacity as we know for sure that Petyr Baelish is headed to the Eyrie to marry Lysa.

For a little background, Lysa was born the second child/daughter of Hoster Tully (previous Lord Paramount of the Riverlands and Minisa Whent. She was raised with Petyr Baelish (Littlefinger) as he was fostered there, despite his lower status. Like something from Shakesphere, Lysa fell in love with Petyr and he fell in love with Catelyn, who did not return his advances. This probably caused jealously in Lysa as Catelyn got the better match marriage wise and was able to have healthy children.

To shore up alliances during Robert's Rebellion, Hoster had the lords marry his daughters to assure his loyalty. So Catelyn was set to marry Brandon Stark and Lysa, the much older Jon Arryn (who had married twice but hadn't fathered children). It's unknown about how the marriage faired but it can be assumed that Lysa mental state suffered through a large amount of miscarriages and then finally giving birth to a sickly child, Robert. Once her husband died prior to the series beginning, she fled with her son to The Eyrie, out of fear of the Lannisters fostering her son (probably to use him a hostage for her allegiance).

Lysa is the one who sends the letter accusing the Lannisters of the death of her husband which then convinces Ned to accept the position of Hand to investigate the murder and also later leads to Catelyn imprisoning Tyrion and sending him to Lysa for judgment. After Tyrion wins his trial for combat, she reluctantly lets him go free but refuses her sister to aid in the fight against the Lannisters. She leaves her relationship with her sister on a bad note and it can be assumed that she never kept touch with the rest of her family. I'm sure once we get another look at her in the new season, she may be even more paranoid-protective of her son and maintaining neutrality, so it will be interesting to see what Littlefinger will be able to acheive.


Rhaegar Targaryen

* this is a continuation of my Month of Thrones series. Note that there are no spoilers past season three for my non-book readers*

 

"There was a melancholy to Rhaegar, a sense... of doom"

"Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died."

I'm doing things a little differently today by discussing a character who is not only dead long before season three, but also one that never makes a direct appearance in the books/show. Despite this, I believe that he is one of the most important characters in the entire series as his actions snowballed into the current events coming into season 4. The first we hear of Rhaegar Targaryen, Robert is vehemently bashing his character out of hatred while Ned doesn't exactly agree despite the circumstances. We also hear bits of his character from Daenerys, who as his sister, would want to know the most about her famed brother.

He was born out of grief, during the Tragedy of Summerhall where his great-grandfather (the renowned Aegon V) and his great uncle (the heir, Duncan) died, in which then his grandfather, the sickly Jaehaerys II was raised to the throne. He always carried around the melancholy attitude through his life and it was said he was more thoughtful and sad. He was said to be a beautiful man with lilac eyes, long silver hair and sad eyes. He was also a skilled musician and bard. A bookish boy initially, he read something that inspired him to become a warrior. He then excelled and became well known for his skills at jousting and sword-fighting, besting many of the greats (Ser Arthur Dayne, Barristan Selmy) of the time during tournaments in the realm. The tournament that he is most infamous for is the Tourney at Harrenhal, where he beat the competition and as the winner was able to crown a Queen of Love and Beauty. Instead of choosing his wife, Elia Martell, he choose to crown the beautiful Lyanna Stark, which caused a scandal.

In the year following the tourney, it is said Rhaegar "stole" Lyanna (who was betrothed to Robert Baratheon), which led to the beginning of Robert's Rebellion. This event was the steppingstone of the the entire story, as Robert wouldn't have rebelled against the Targaryens, they wouldn't have been wiped out and Ned's father and older brother would still be alive, changing many things for all involved. He still has a strong presence in the story as Daenerys tries to emulate his good traits while also naming one of her dragons after him. He also inspires hatred in Robert, who accepts the brutal murder/rape of the remaining Targaryens (Rhaegar's wife, his daughter and his infant son), which causes his falling out with Ned. The most interesting thing about Rhaegar was that on the way to what would be his final battle, he told Jaime Lannister that things were going to change, which would hint towards a coup against his crazy/paranoid father, Aerys. This may have also been one of the deciding factors for Jaime to kill Aerys rather than have him destroy the city in madness.

Rhaegar was a key factor in the story affecting lives, marriages, kingdoms and alliances and his presence will always be felt as his remaining sister seeks revenge for his death and for the rest of her family (also for the nomadic life she was forced to live).

Daenerys Targaryen

*this is a continuation of my Month of Thrones series. Note that there are no spoilers past season three for my non-book readers*



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Dany is one of the characters in the story that has experience amazing growth through her story. The book started when she was 13, so hopefully that will help people understand certain decisions she has made during her rule. When she first began she was very timid and shy, possibly as a result of her overbearing and unsettling brother, Viserys (the only family she has). Her brother and Illyrio Mopatis sell her to Khal Drogo to hopefully insure the Dothraki (his troops) will fight for Viserys' crown. Despite initially being a commodity, she gains a sense of independence from her brother and begins to appreciate and love her warrior husband and embrace her role as queen/khaleesi.

During a storm that raged and destroyed most of the Targaryen Fleet, Dany was born (giving her the nickname of Stormborn). Her and Viserys were whisked away by loyalist to escape from Stannis and his fleet coming up the coast. She spent a lot of her childhood moving a nomads as it was dangerous for Dany and her brother to be alive, as they represent the old regime of the kingdom and threatened Robert. An important memory for Dany is the though of the "red door", one of the places in Braavos where she spent a significant amount of time and it also represents her lost childhood.

At her wedding ceremony to Drogo, she gains Jorah Mormont as an advisor/translator and also receives three petrified dragon eggs (a rare gift). Her first weeks of being in the khalasar are difficult as she has to spend most of her time on horseback alone since she couldn't speak the language. During this time she is able to gather her strength and stand up to her bully of a brother, impression the Khal and gaining more of his love. Dany soon discovers she is pregnant with the Stallion who Mounts the World, a person prophesied to unite all khalasars under his rule. After Viserys threatens Dany and her child, Drogo grants him his wish of a golden crown (with a twist) that results in his death.

After an attempt on her life. Drogo begins to rally to start an assault on Westeros in her honor by pillaging lands to get ships for crossing the Narrow Sea. After he gets injured, Dany seeks the help of a maegi name Mirri Maz Dur for her help in healing him. He doesn't take the advice and his would grows ever worse and causing him to not be able to ride his horse (a huge shame in he community). Dany then pleads to save Drogo at any cost and then goes into labor and has a stillborn. When she wakes, she discovers Drogo is only but a shell of a person so she euthanizes him and gets abandoned by most of the khalasar. Instead of joining the crones at Vaes Dothrak, she decides to make her own destiny. She then has Mirri burned at the stake in Drogo's funeral pyre along with the dragon egg and walks into the flames. From this the dragons(Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion) are born and it changes everything around her.

The second season/book has her ambling around the desert unsure of where to go next but aware that her people that remained are becoming dehydrated and starving. After sending out scouts, she heads out to Qarth to seek refuge with her people. She later discovers that many of the inhabitants only want her dragons and steal them from her (this did not happen in the books). Nevertheless, she ends up going to the House of Undying where she hears many prophecies. The Undying warlocks try to keep Dany in the house but with Drogo they destroy the location and leave Qarth.

Season Three has Dany gaining another advisor/protector in Barristan Sely (former Kingsguard) and also she purchases (then free) the Unsullied, a group of elite eunuch soldiers that can't feel pain. After she has the 8,000 she then has them conquer the city of Astapor and kill the slave-owners. This begins her crusade to end slavery in a part of the world that is renowned for it, which will be great to watch.

Throughout her journey, she has grown very strong and sure of herself. Her next steps are to use her soldiers to conquer all cities in Slaver's Bay area that refuse to follow her crusade against slavery. We will hopefully see her fully embracing her many roles as Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains and as a ruler in general. Of course the elephant in the room is if and when she will ever make it to Westeros and what kind of impact that will have on the people there (as there may still be loyalists). Plus her dragons keep growing and that means that they will need riders once they get big enough...so who knows?



Stannis Baratheon

*this is a continuation of my Month of Thrones series. Note that there are no spoilers past season three for my non-book readers* 

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"I ask you, why did the gods inflict me with brothers?"

More affectionately known as 'Stannis the Mannis' to some in the fandom, he is the archetype for the middle child. He doesn't get the automatic lordship and titles as his older brother, and he also isn't as charismatic and handsome as his older brother and this greatly affect his personality. He is a very serious man that has a strong sense of honor and justice.When we first see Stannis, he leaves for Dragonstone after feeling slighted for being overlooked by his brother again, this time for Hand of the King.

When he was 13,  he witnessed his parents dying of the coast of Storm's End, which probably caused the coldness that he more outwardly portrays. He then promptly gave up his religion (The Gods of the Seven) out of anger, which proves interesting later to see him take up the the R'hllor so easily (though it is only for the power that is promised). He is most known for holding against the Siege at Storm's End during Robert's Rebellion (with the aid of Davos Seaworth, which easily could have changed the tide of the war with the Tyrell forces spending all of the time in the war with this siege. Despite this, he was given Dragonstone even though his younger brother hardly contributed to the war.

Before the events of the show, Stannis had been investigating Cersei's children for legitimacy with Jon Arryn but he died before that could go further. After this happens, he goes back to Dragonstone to plan his next moves as legally and biologically he would be the rightful heir to the throne with Cersei's incest/infidelity. He then declares himself heir and king and sends letters announcing the bastardy of Cersei's children to the rest of the realm. He soon comes under the influence of Melisandre, who is a priestess serving the Red God. Stannis takes up her religion and starts doing sacrifices to bring luck and fortune to his cause. Then he goes to Storm's End to treat/parley with Renly (who also declared himself king) that ends in the death of Renly (through Meliandre's magic) and the influx of more troops. Next he moves to King's Landing, where he and his troops fight through wildfyre to try to take the city but are then promptly defeated when the newly allied Tyrell/Lannister forces show up. Now dejected, he returns to Dragonstone not sure of what to do next. The combined forces of Davos and Melisandre convince him to take he forces to help the Wall against the Others.

Stannis still has a large role to play in the story as we get to see how his new campaign in the North will fare and also how/if the prophecy declaring the deaths of the impostor kings (Joffery, Balon, Robb) gets completed since there has already been one death. Melisandre and Davos will likely still be competing for Stannis' attention. We hopefully get to see Stannis' wife Selyse continue into her madness/piousness (she gives Lysa Arryn a run for her money) to be contrasted with the sweetness of the disfigured Shireen. Most people either love or hate Stannis, but I feel like he is just a guy trying to do the right thing with the wrong approach (Melisandre/The Red God) so maybe we will see him separate from that and do things his own way.

Robert Baratheon

*this is a continuation of my Month of Thrones series. Note that there are no spoilers past season three for my non-book readers*

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"I swear to you, I was never so alive as when I was winning this throne, or so dead as now that I've won it."

Robert Baratheon can best be described (when he was alive), as a man whose best years in life were behind him. A true warrior, he was more known for his brawn than his brains. When we first seen him in the story and the show, he has been king for around 14 years, and had driven the realm in to debt (mainly to the Lannisters) by his whims and egregious mismanagement. When he was younger, he was the envy of all around as he had the looks, charm and skill, but it later wasted away due to his gluttony.

He was the first born of his family and spent most of his younger years in Storm's End until the day his parents died in a shipwreck barely off the coast of Storm's End. This left Robert and his brothers Stannis and Renly, orphaned. Robert was then sent to be fostered in the Vale under Robert Arryn, where Ned Stark was also being fostered. The two became very close friends and stayed that way until after the events of the Sack of King's Landing. Sometime after, Robert fell in love (or his version of love) with Ned's sister Lyanna (who has personality and looks of Arya) and sought to marry her. Even at this time, Robert's promiscuity was well known to many people, including Lyanna (which Ned noted that she was not looking forward to the marriage). Robert may have been more in love with the idea of Lyanna, as he was so stricken by her beauty, but failed to notice her wild and free spirit. Despite this, he was infuriated to learn that she had be kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen (the Crown Prince) and this snowballed into the war known as Robert's Rebellion (an event that defines much of the series).

He was a very good commander and warrior during the Rebellion, only losing one battle (due to the prowess of Randyll Tarly-father of Samwell) to the loyalists. He sealed the end of the war and the Targaryen dynasty by slaying Rhaegar in man-to-man combat at the Battle of the Trident. His rift with Ned began when Tywin presented Robert the dead bodies of the remaining Targaryens (Elia, Rhaenys and Aegon) and he approved of their deaths while Ned was horrified and stormed of in anger at Robert's skewed ideas of justice. Only after Ned found Lyanna and she died in his arms, did him and Robert reconcile. After this, Robert was always haunted of her memory and his hatred for Rhaegar.

At the beginning of his rule as king, he had Stannis take Dragonstone to capture that stronghold and to take the last remaining Targaryens (Viserys and Daenerys) but they still managed to escape. He then awarded Dragonstone to Stannis and Storm's End to Renly, which Stannis never forgave him for. An alliance was made with the Lannisters and he married Cersei and had 3 children with her. During their long marriage, Robert had many affairs and trysts that resulted in him having 16 bastard children. Despite the realm having overwhelming amounts of gold at the end of Aerys' reign, Robert contributed to the debt of over 6 million golden dragons and the dependence on the Lannisters and Tyrells for funds.

After his Hand, Jon Arryn dies, Robert goes to Ned to make him the new Hand of the King and to betroth his son Joffrey to Sansa. Over the years he became incredibly unhappy with the life he had been living and he dreamed of running away to go back to his previous life. When Robert learns of Dany's preganacy and demands her death, Ned quits in protest, only coming back when he is coerced. Due to the actions of Queen Cersei and her lover/cousin Lancel Lannister, Robert ends up badly wounded from hunt a boar and later dies from his injuries.

I think that Robert was a good and strong man that had only the best intentions when he took over as king. He then discovered that he was trapped in this loveless life (he never forgot about Lyanna) and only dealt with flatterers and those who needed something from him. Robert was a very important character to the opening of the story and his death, like Ned's serves to set up later conflicts in the War of the Five Kings and with the Lannister taking control of the kingdom.

Margaery Tyrell

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"I don't want to be a queen. I want to be The Queen"

Margaery Tyrell is one of the more smarter and political characters playing the Game of Thrones. Instead of letting herself be used as a pawn and sold off to broker alliances on her father's bidding, she initiates pairings and fully participates in the politics. A beautiful young girl of 14 at the start of the book (she's aged up in the show), she is first married to Renly Baratheon which brings the Reach into the war against Lannister rule. Later after Renly's death she advocates to become betrothed to Joffrey to bring the Tyrell's into King's Landing, who then accepts the request.

As the only daughter of Mace Tyrell, she is seemingly trained by her grandmother to be graceful and cunning. She is a very driven woman who also is kind to Sansa and the common folk (also gaining their trust and love).  As Tyrell men start bringing food and supplies into the starving city in her name, she gains more power in the eyes of the people as the queen they have desperately needed, which she capitalizes on. Her true motives (other than being Queen) are unknown, but she tries to come off to sincere to Cersei, who is troubled by the newcomer. With Sansa, she is friendly and offers advice to her about her marriage to Tyrion and comes off as more of a mentor and ally, which shows that she can be trustworthy.

We have already seen that she is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she feels she understands and deserves. This includes trying to convince the then-living Renly to have a baby despite his relationship with her brother and trying to capitalize on that situation (seemingly with Loras' approval). She is everything that Cersei desires to be and will be a great Queen but that burgeoning conflict will definitely be one to watch. Knowing what she knows about about Joffrey's nature, we will get to see how she can shape that and attempt to gain the upper hand and prevent coming into any harm from him. This will be a great season to watch as we will see her grow as a character just coming into power and we will also see how she will wield it and what, if any conflicts she will get into. I, for one, feel that there is more to her than meets the eye and that should could really change the political landscape in King's Landing for the better.





Oberyn "The Red Viper" Martell

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 "I am a bloodthirsty man, you see. And it is me you must contend with now, not my patient, prudent, and gouty brother"

 

Oberyn aka The Red Viper is another one of my favorite characters of the series. Since he has not been formally introduced in the show yet, I'm going to give some background and also tease what to expect from his story. He is the youngest brother of the current Prince of Dorne, Doran but there is a large age gap between them which can be a cause of contention between the two. Even from his teenage days he was a force to contend with. After being found with the paramour (lover/mistress) of Lord Edgar Yronwood (who had been fostering him),  he was challenged to a duel that was to go until first blood (as tradition). Despite both taking cuts, Edgar's wounds ended up killing him, giving Oberyn the moniker of Red Viper (as those around believed that he used a poisoned weapon). Afterwards he had to live in exile before peace was insured. During this time, he taught himself even more about poisons, traveled to the Free Cities and even went to Oldtown to learn to be a maester before he gave that up from boredom. He was also very close with his sister Elia who was murdered on the orders of Tywin Lannister during the Sack of King's Landing. For this reason, he has hardly left Dorne in the years since that happened and his feelings regarding the Lannisters (and their rule) are currently unknown.

 

Despite the culture/custom of not raising bastards, he took the initiative in raising all 8 of his daughters, known as the Sand Snakes. 4 of his daughters have different mothers with different backgrounds from Westeros and beyond named Obara, Nymeria, Tyene and Sarella. He also has 4 daughters with his paramour Ellaria Sand; Elia, Obella, Dorea and Loreza. The Sand Snakes probably won't appear until season 5 but just know that they have that name for a reason and they are well taught by their father.

 

He is being introduced into the show this season, presumably to attend the wedding of Joffrey and Margaery. Other than that we can not be sure of his motivations, but be sure that he will bring some life (and style) into Kings Landing.

 





Theon Greyjoy

 

"It's better to be cruel than weak"

 

As the current heir to the Iron Islands, Theon Greyjoy is more of an unconventional character in the terms of this story. At the age of 10, his father started a rebellion against the Rule of King Robert, which ended in defeat and cause the death of his two older brothers (Rodrik and Maron) and Theon himself being turned into a hostage to ensure Balon's good behavior. Over the next 8 years, Theon was raised by the Starks and given the same opportunities and education as the other children. His closest relationship is with Robb, who he becomes a close battle companion during the War of Five Kings.

 

The turning point in his story comes when he is sent by Robb to treat with his father in order to gain an advantage in the war by using the Greyjoy Fleet to split up/distract the Lannister forces. Instead, Theon decides to join his family to try to gain their respect as a legitmate member of the family, instead of being a "Stark". He's uses his minor position to try to get glory by capturing Winterfell for himself, going against orders. After completing his coup he then took Bran and Rickon as hostages but soon loses them (and then killing two boys in their place). Despite having Winterfell, the looming threat of Bolton forces causes the ironborn to give Theon up and go back to Pyke, rather than lose their lives.

 

Theon then spends the all of "Storm of Swords" and Season 3 as the tortured prisoner (pet) of Ramsay Snow (son of Roose Bolton, who participated in the Red Wedding). Most of this storyline sees Theon losing his identity amidst the torture and endless pain being inflicted by the sadist and becoming Reek. Although he now appears to be a minor character, he serves as an important POV now in the North. As Ramsay's pet, he is privy to many conversations and events that will give the show viewers an interesting perspective of what is going on in the North with the Starks gone and winter coming. Watching his drastic transformation from cocky to meek and beaten will keep his story interesting, along with the (hopeful) promise of Theon regaining his identity and breaking free of the Bolton's.



Tywin Lannister

 

"A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinion of a sheep" 

 

 The current patriarch of the Lannister family, Tywin exudes cunning and strength, especially when it comes to helping his family gain power. As a young man he had to deal with his father Tytos' incompetence and meekness making the family seem week. After the rebellion began against his father from Houses Reyne and Tarbeck, Tywin was the commander that not only crushed the rebellion but also readily killed every member of those two Houses to make a point that he was not a man to mess with.

It was said that his beloved wife was the one that controlled him and when she died from childbirth, it changed he for the worst. Prior to that he had twins, named Cersei and Jaime, and he had high hopes for both of them. His final child Tyrion was born a dwarf (monster in their words) so he never shared a kind word or encouragement to him as he blamed him for Joanna's death.

Tywin's proclivities towards ruling caught then attention of King Aerys, who then had Tywin serve as Hand of the Kind for 20 years, guiding the realm into prosperity. Paranoia and jealously on Aerys' part (he lusted after Joanna when she was alive) caused much friction and the straw that broke the camel's back ended up being when Aerys laughed at his offer to have Cersei marry the Crown Prince Rhaegar stating that Targaryen's don't marry their subject. Further angering Tywin, he raises the then 15 year old Jaime to the Kingsguard, thus denying Tywin of his chosen (and in his mind) only heir. This combined with Aerys desire to use Jaime as a hostage to keep Tywin in line caused him to resign as Hand and return to Casterly Rock with Cersei.

At the end of Robert's Rebellion, he sided with the rebels, choosing to murder the remaining Targaryen family members to seal up his loyalty. With this, he also managed to strike up a marriage alliance between the new King and his daughter, thus bringing his family into the royal fold. Tywin benefited for Robert's mismanagement of the royal money by lending the Crown millions of golden dragons.

Later on he uses the arrest of Tyrion by the Tully sisters as a way to start conflicts (which then became the War of Five Kings). Later, after King Robert's death, he was chosen as Hand. He gave this title to his son Tyrion as he left to deal with the war with the North and the Riverlands, before returning in dramatic fashion having secured an alliance with House Tyrell during the end of the Battle of the Blackwater. He uses his wit to shore up the North by having Sansa marry Tyrion and also by colluding with Walder Frey and Roose Bolton to make the Red Wedding happen. Tywin is now at the top of his game, having a strong hold on Joffrey, working on marrying off Cersei and assuring an alliance with the Tyrells with the wedding between Joffrey and Margaery.

I believe that Tywin is not only one of the strongest characters playing The Game, but also one of the best characters in the series (despite his actions). I would compare him to Frank Underwood from "House of Cards", as they both have goals and will stop at nothing to obtain and maintain their power. His prowess and battle stratagem have allowed him to become one of the best commanders in Westeros, choosing intrigue of the Red Wedding and the Sack of Kings Landing to accomplish the task without a large amount of lives lost. The most difficult thing right now for him is to make sure he keeps his children (and Joffrey) in line, which has proven difficult with the incest, Tyrion's vices and Jaime's refusal to become his heir again. Not only that but he has to also deal with the fallout of the Red Wedding and the shift of power that is to occur when the Tyrell's officially move in to Kings Landing. But for now, everything is coming up roses for Tywin and his Lannisters...