Game On! An Analysis of the Women in “Game of Thrones”

Season 2 of the fantasy novels turned acclaimed TV series “Game of Thrones” is coming to it’s conclusion. As we four are all fans of the show and love a good heroine, we’re going to do a little breakdown of the female characters!

SPOILER ALERT! Readers beware! Plot points are discussed in this post, so make sure you’re caught up on all the episodes before you read on.

Several images courtesy of hbo.com/game-of-thrones

Cersei Baratheon (Lena Heady) 

Queen Regent of the seven kingdoms. Through all her plots and scheming, she’s still foremost a mother. There’s no denying she loves her family ;), perhaps with the one exception of her younger brother Tyrion (possibly the most popular character of the series). She’s not particularly likeable, but she’s a force to be reckoned with and there’s no denying that she knows how to play the game. 

The word that most describes her: Political

Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) 

Tomboy, warrior, her father’s daughter. She’s been extremely clever in evading detection as she’s been attempting to return to Winterfell. She’s quite sharp and so is her sword. These skills have helped her navigate some very tricky situations. Best line of dialogue: when asked what her father died of, Arya responds “loyalty.”

The word that most describes her: Nimble

Daenerys Targaryan (Emilia Clark) 

She had a great story arc throughout the first season; she’s the one character that grew and changed the most. Season 2 has slowed for her and she’s started to sound a little like her brother with the repetition of phrases like “I am The Mother of Dragons!” She has potential to turn into something fierce, she just needs a little more time. It won’t be long before her storyline explodes.

The word that most describes her: Smoldering

Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) 

Likeable, honorable, respected, and controlled, Cat is an all-around stand-up lady. Her children are a reflection of her and also her greatest potential weakness. Her family is the source of her strength, but since she left Winterfell, they’ve been scattered to the winds. As a result, her judgement is clouded. In her attempts to bring them all back together, she’s making poor decisions.

The word that most describes her: Maternal

Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) 

She started out a little vain and weak, but she’s coming into her own now that she’s been stranded in King’s Landing awaiting her impending marriage to a sociopath. Realizing the peril of her situation, she’s toughened up fast and deduced that, if she sticks to the script, she’ll survive.

The word that most describes her: Capable

Shae (Sibel Kekilli) 

She’s enigmatic & illusive, but also resourceful. There appears to be a lot we don’t know about her and I’m curious to see how that all plays out. But for now she’s keeping up with the silver-tongued Tyrion and assisting Sansa in navigating shark-infested waters.

The word that most describes her: Mysterious

Osha (Natalia Tena) 

Coming from north of The Wall, Osha is a survivor. She has no misconceptions about her place in the world and recognizes the unpleasant things one must do to survive. But she’s also kind. She’s gone out of the way to protect the two youngest Stark boys when she has no need to.

The word that most describes her: Survivor

Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) 

Brienne is the embodiment of loyalty and a bone fide ass-kicker. She is, first and foremost, a soldier who dedicates her life to the people she loves and places duty above all else. She knows she’s a black sheep but would NEVER let anyone laugh in her face. There hasn’t been a lot of depth revealed in her thus far, and I’m curious if we’re going to get a little more backstory.

The word that most describes her: Loyal

Ygritte (Rose Leslie) 

We haven’t seen much of Ygritte yet, but her time spent with Jon Snow has been pretty entertaining. She’s a fast-talking, slippery little Wildling who enjoys getting under Jon’s skin and it’s fun to watch him squirm. It’s like watching a cat play with a mouse before it kills it, even though she’s the one who’s a captive. I look forward to seeing more of her.

The word that most describes her: Sly

Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) 

Her introduction was pretty messed up! Who let’s their estranged younger brother fondle them when they know who he is?! Weirdos. Weirdos do that kind of thing. She’s an experienced sailor who’s highly respected by her father and her men, which shows she’s a capable individual but she’s not very nice. Next to Brienne, she’s the least feminine character of the show.

The word that most describes her: Hard

Ros (Esme Bianco) 

Constantly naked, but then again, she is a prostitute. It seemed like the writers were going to give a little more to do at the start of season two but they let that plot line run cold. I just really don’t want to watch her finger-bang anymore whores. It detracts from the more interesting plot lines.

The word that most describes her: Naked

Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) 

We don’t know much about Lysa, except that she’s Catelyn Stark’s sister and her husband is dead. But I’m not sure I want to know more than that, because I can’t get the image of her much-too-old son suckling on her breast out of my mind!! Talk about an effective visual for a character introduction!

The word that most describes her: Creepy

Several of my friends (mostly men) were raving about this show saying how great it was. Eventually I submitted to their peer pressure. I’ll admit that I started off a wary of this show, particularly in regard to Daenerys, since she spent most of her screen time in the first few episodes naked and being forced to have sex with her arranged-marriage of a (giant) warlord husband. I anticipated many of the women in the show would serve the same purpose as Ros, which is to say, walking sets of boobs. But I’ve since discovered this show is chock-full of interesting characters and I plan to keep on watching!

xo,
Bryce