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Carolyn Ross
Alana Hatley
English 102
3 May 2016
RAE 2nd Draft
After reading and watching A Game of Thrones, I really enjoyed watching the growth of
the female characters and analyzing their personalities and actions. I found many different
conversations about the series and critiques on the actions of the female characters, and I have
come to the conclusion that what is most important is to analyze why these females are judged as
virtuous or immoral and to understand why viewers take the specific stance they do. In short, we
should focus on the reasoning behind these females actions. Readers, watchers, and critics of A
Game of Thrones often claim that there are only two sides for female characters. On one side,
there are characters that are seen as strong, respectable, role models. On the other, there are
females who are said to be evil, crazy, or unintelligent. These critics will continue to argue
against each other and will not be able to come to a compromise because they are disagreeing on
what constitutes. All of these arguments are well supported with examples, however, they miss
what is actually important. What is actually important is understanding the driving forces behind
the action of these women, which are their roles of motherhood and their roles within marriage.
To understand this problem more clearly, one needs to understand each of the former arguments.
The female characters that are more often claimed to be admirable are Catelyn Stark,
Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, Brienne of Tarth, and Margaery Tyrell. Catelyn is perceived as
putting great thought and care in her actions, especially in regards to her children. When her son,

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Bran, is injured, she stays by his side day and night. She always wants what is best for her family
and to do what is considered honorable, just as her husband would.
Another commendable female character is Daenerys Targaryen who is seen as strong,
powerful, and clever in her actions, and she is revered by many readers and critics. She is called
the mother of dragons, and the slaves she frees all worship her because she gives them an option
to fight back. For example, she gave the unsullied a chance to leave, a chance to change their
name, and a chance to decide their own actions with their newfound freedom (EmBos0502).
Arya Stark is another female who is applauded for her daring and cunning actions. As a
main character throughout both the show and the series, she tracks a list of names of people who
have wronged her and her family, and she intends to kill them all. She is said by many readers to
be independent, fierce, and decisive, which is inspiring for many (EmBos0502).
Brienne of Tarth is similar to Arya in her feisty and fighting nature, and she is sometimes
called the epitome of girl power (EmBos0502). She is an incredibly skilled fighter, which did
not lead to an easy life because she challenges the gender roles that were held throughout the
kingdom. Critics and bloggers also see her as moral because she fights for who and what she
believes in. Although she rejects the title of a knight, she embodies their principles in sticking to
her duties as she does in her task from Catelyn to return Jaime Lannister.
A character that is also often considered to be kind and caring is Margaery Tyrell. She
focuses her time on the poor in Flea Bottom when she is with Joffrey, which goes against the
typical behavior of a queen or royal person. She pursues her own wishes in order to achieve the
outcome that she perceives is the best for herself and for her family. She draws her strength from
Lady Olenna, her grandmother, who often shows how worthless and hopeless men can be

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(Angel). Lady Olenna does push Margaery to gain power, but to mainly focus on building a
reputation with the people of Kings Landing as someone people can love, trust, and care for.
Margaery is also applauded for her ability to manipulate and control Joffrey, since most people
are not able to, including his own mother.
Readers and critics also spend much of their time debating on which of the female
characters within the series are considered as immoral, crazy, or evil. Those that are often listed
and debated within this category are Lysa Arryn, Cersei Lannister, Sansa Stark, and Melisandre
(also known as the Red Woman). Lysa Arryn is often criticized for being mentally unstable, as
she still breastfeeds her child although he is too old. She is extremely paranoid in her
mannerisms, which also leads her to be emotional and irrational. She has a large amount of
power, but she does not engage in the war in order to protect her son, even though the Lannisters
are her enemy and her sisters family is threatened. Cersei Lannister is another one of the main
characters discussed by critics within this category. Cersei is seen as evil for her actions,
especially in protecting her son, Joffrey, despite the atrocities he committed (Sparky). She is
repeatedly said to be one of the main antagonists of the show, has little talent in politics,
centralizes a majority of her actions in obtaining and possessing power, and is evil overall
(Angel). Sansa Stark is not seen as evil so much as she is said to be senseless and unintelligent.
She was an extremely nave girl growing up in many readers opinions, which is said to be one of
the main reasons why they claim she was faced with certain situations and problems, such as the
issue of being under Joffreys thumb. Finally, Melisandre is categorized as evil due to the way
she uses her influence over Stannis to fulfill the prophecies she sees in the flames (ADV
Authorial Board). She is the cause of many acts of violence, including many sacrifices of those

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who do not believe. She even went so far as to convince Stannis to kill his own brother, Renly. In
general, critics see Melisandre as very cold and lacking empathy.
It is important for readers and critics to discuss the characterizations within the series and
to deliberate on the actions and morals of the characters within the series, but this should not be
the sole focus. Debating on whether a character is more evil or more respectable only further
divides the debaters. In this argument, readers are simply discussing what the definition of good
or evil should be. Instead, in these discussions, readers and critics should put more focus on as to
why these females have chosen these actions. Understanding the characters choices only leads
to a better understanding of the character itself. I am not stating that one side or the other is
wrong, but simply that they are missing the point of what is truly important. When a critic judges
these females as to whether they are good or bad, they are influenced by stereotypes and biases
from their own lives. Many of the values of A Game of Thrones are based on medieval values of
people in this time, whereas our values have evolved over time and changed. Therefore, we live
in a different time and thus would think differently. Even if a critic tries to simply explain the
facts on who is immoral, their view of a fact is different than anothers because of the
unavoidable partiality that is a part of human nature. However, if these critics instead turn their
focus towards why these females have the personality and values that they do, then it will be a
lot easier to concur with one another or at least come to some compromise.
One of the main factors that drives these females actions is their role within motherhood,
which can have a positive or negative effect. Todays mothers face different conflicts and roles
than those in A Game of Thrones. Mothers from todays society are often older than those shown
within A Game of Thrones, as the average age of a mother is now 30 years old. In addition,
women now are facing conflicts of maternity leave, getting back to jobs after their baby is born,

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childcare, and more health risks due to a later average age of having ones first child
(Motherhood in Modern Society). Mothers within A Game of Thrones, however, tend to have
their kids at a younger age typically through arranged marriages.
Motherhood within the series is not always as noble as it might appear to be because
mothers tend to use their children to further their selfish goals. The films mothers are the driving
force of the plot development within the series and each have unique mothering styles. Firstly,
Lady Arryn spoils her child, Robert, so much that she seems to be consumed with her role of
motherhood. Cersei also spoiled her children, but in a more selfish manner as she used them for
her own selfish desires of power. For example, Cersei lies about the true parentage of her
children continuously so that she may remain in power and so that she has the means to spoil her
children further. Catelyn Stark is a much more loving mother in her devotion, care, and support
given to her children. However, she also fulfills her selfish ends because she wants revenge for
her husbands death. She tried to use her sons influence to gather an army and defeat those who
killed her husband, the Lannisters. Daenerys was also a mother to her people, her dragon, and to
her dead son. Daenerys is worshipped by her people for what she could produce, which seems
that her worth was tied to how what she can produce can use her. Nonetheless, she still used her
child, voluntarily or not, in order to achieve her selfish ends of saving her husbands life
(Redfern). Daenerys also uses her dragons, which she considers her children, to take back the
land of her ancestors. These examples do have positive aspects in that each mother wants the best
for her children, for the most part, yet sometimes they tend to use their role as a mother for their
own goals.
Motherhood can lead to victimization of these women which may lead to senseless
actions that may seem uncharacteristic of their usual behavior. These actions can be cyclical as a

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threat against their children will cause them to commit morally questionable actions against their
aggressor, which in turn will cause that person to threaten their children once more. Motherhood
in the series seems to be an alleyway for a character to be manipulated and attacked, and not
usually a source of strength. The primary example is with Cersei and how she advises Sansa not
to love, for it only leads to hurt; furthermore, Cersei sees her children as a weakness and as a tool
to be used against her. Cersei was even victimized by her son in a sense because in an attempt to
reprimand him, he threatened her with death. However, Cersei still comments that if it were not
for her children, she would have killed herself long ago. Another example is Catelyn and how her
children also seem to be keeping her from her duty because she often makes senseless decisions
because of this role. One major senseless decision made was to release Jaime Lannister in hopes
of getting Sansa and Arya back. Catelyn had no idea whether or not Jaime would keep his word,
and this cause Robb to lose many men and his strategic advantage over the Lannisters. This loss
of men caused Robb to go to the Freys, who brutally murdered Robb and the ones he loved. This
senseless decision was simply caused by her role as a mother in an attempt to protect her son.
Her family creed is Family, Duty, Honor which shows how much she has deviated from what
she has known all her life when making familial decisions. She thinks she is obeying this creed,
however, motherhood affects her actions in a way she does not even realize. Lysa is another
example because, as stated previously, she is seen as emotional and irrational for her treatment of
her son (Sparky). In all three instances, the characters motherhood is said to be a liability and
leads to manipulation and the reduction of common sense.
A factor that tends to compliment the role of motherhood, is marriage, which is the other
driving force for the actions of female characters. In todays western society, people are marrying
in order to celebrate the love they have for someone, and marriage is no longer simply tying a

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woman to a man (Peacock). Contrastingly, women within A Game of Thrones face differing roles
and traditions within marriage. One role women faced within the series, is that marriage was not
about love, but was instead about making children and honor. This is hard to face for many of the
females, and understandably so, but it was just another fact of life. These females often had to
forgo their wants and dreams, would instead follow the wishes of others, and had to marry a man
they probably did not even know. For example, one author describes how marriages during this
period of time were often arranged by the heads of houses in order to seal political alliances.
Another point expounded upon was that only two major political leaders in Westeros
married for love: Tywin Lannister and Doran Martell (Marriage). I agree with the statements of
the author, except I think Robb Stark should be added to the list of powerful political leaders
marrying for love because he married Lady Talisa, despite his promised betrothal to another. An
interesting point to make is that all three of these mens wives died in the show. The only men to
have married someone they loved and wanted had their wives taken away. Daenerys Targaryen
had one of the few arranged marriages in which both parties grew to love the other. Her arranged
marriage with Khal Drogo also strengthened her character and helped her to grow stronger. Even
though he died, she was able to become the mother of dragons and the mother to the slaves that
she freed. The role of marriage and motherhood strengthened her and helped her to gain
confidence and independence, which led her to become one of the most powerful females in the
series. Nevertheless, women throughout the realm had to face the hard truth that marriage was
not always about love, and that one was supposed to do the honorable thing and comply with the
arranged marriage.
Marriage within A Game of Thrones is all about politics and furthering ones family
reign, especially in the marriages of the upper class. Marriage is seen as the glue as it is what

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binds the families together within the show. Joffrey and Margerys marriage is a primary
example, and Margery realizes Sansas importance as a tool to hold power in the North through
marrying her to her brother. Catelyn is also seen as realizing the consequences of violating a
marriage when she warns Robb once he decides to break his promise to Walder Fray. Instead, he
marries Talisa, and he winds up dead due to their decision of breaking the role of marriage
(GameofThrones). Women, mostly, knew their place and often times did not violate their role
as a wife, for fear of the consequences. Not surprisingly, there was not an easy or a particular
way for a woman to get out of a marriage. Once women were placed into the role of a wife, there
were very few options for her to be absolved of this role. This forced women to have to play the
game involuntarily often times and conform to the expectations set before them.
Marriage is a significant part of a womans life within A Game of Thrones because a
woman is expected to follow the orders of their family on who to marry, bear children for
someone she may not love, and stay with that man regardless of her true feelings or the situation
at hand. Motherhood also directly relates to the actions of women because a mother may utilize
her child in achieving a personal goal or her child may be used against her, which could lead to
seemingly irrational actions. In conclusion, the conversations surrounding motherhood and
marriage for female characters of A Game of Thrones all help the reader better understand the
roles that these females are faced with. The roles of women within marriage and motherhood
often contrast in many aspects to those of todays society, which makes it all the more important
of why a reader should gather more knowledge on how the society of Westeros operated.
Although critics often comment and judge which character is evil and which character has
correct morals, the focus should be turned to why these females chose that specific action in the
first place. Critics and readers also have their own biases from their own background and cultural

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environment, which may make an action seem sensible to one reader but irrational to another. In
staying away from the argument of whose argument could be considered fact, critics may be able
to understand the causes of these characters actions. A Game of Thrones places many
complicated roles onto characters, however, the two roles of motherhood and marriage are the
two main factors for females that help to shape their personalities and choice of behavior.

Works Cited

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ADV Authorial Board. The role of women in Game of Thrones: Is politics a mens world?
iapss.org. International Association for Political Science Students, 14 October
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Angel. The Women of A Game of Thrones: A Study on Gender Roles. thegeekiary.com. The
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EmBos0502. Themes of Motherhood in Game of Thrones Why Media Portrayal Matters.
thefrugalfeminist.com. The Frugal Feminist, 1 December 2015. Web. 11 February 2016.
GameofThrones. Game of Thrones: Season 3 Politics of Marriage (HBO). Online video clip.
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Marriage. gameofthrones.wikia.com. Wikia: the Home of Fandom, n.d. Web. 1 March 2016.
Motherhood in Modern Society. fpsc.org.uk. Family Policy Social Centre, 9 November 2009.
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Peacock, Louisa. Skirting the Issue: Since when did getting married become so unfashionable?
telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 15 February 2014. Web. 1 March 2016.
Redfern, Rachel. Motherhood in Film & Television: Spawning the World: Motherhood in
Game of Thrones. btchflcks.com. Bitch Flicks, 23 May 2012. Web. 11 February 2016.
Sparky. Motherhood in Game of Thrones. fangsforthefantasy.com. Blogger, 1 June 2012.
Web. 11 February 2016.