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Dissertation Proposal

Aimee Saunders
1304213
Word count: 2849
Kath Abiker
Title: how does Game of Thrones represent female characters
using mythology and feminism?

Contents:
Introduction

Chapter 1: Feminism
1.2: What is Feminism

1.2: How Feminism has changed the representation of Women

1.2.1: Brains or Beauty

1.2.2: Educated Womens Movement

1.2.3: Gender Equality and Stereotyping

1.2.4: Sex Figure

1.2.5: Innocence and Fairytales

Chapter 2: Mythology
2.1: What effects has Mythology and why so much belief in a lie

2.1.1: What is Mythology

2.1.2: Mythology and Religion

2.1.3: Gods in different Religions

Chapter 3: Game of Thrones


3.1: What is Game of Thrones

3.2: Feminism and Game of Thrones

3.3: Sum up of Mythology

Conclusion

Bibliography

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Title: how does Game of Thrones represent female characters using


mythology and feminism?

Introduction:
In this we will explore how TV and Film represent women in not just Game of
Thrones but Feminism in general, women have not always had the chance for
their face to be seen by millions but not all the chances are good and support
femininity, by exploring why and how Game of Thrones shows women on
screen compared to men and if feminism has really changed over the years or
are we still stereotyping women into these roles of screen. TV and Film are
big influences on the world and the next generation and we will be looking into
whether the changes are affecting the next generation into changing the
concept of whats real and whats myth, why people have to go to these
extents into myth and science fiction is it to escape or to create a dream world
for the audience. By studying mythology and Feminism we can explore why
TV and Film use it in Game of Thrones and it is the reason it has become so
successful.

Chapter 1: Feminism
1.1: What is Feminism
Feminism is the stereotyping of women compared to men and who they are
seen to be different in all these ways and can never be the same.
Women 52 per cent of the worlds population are barely present in the faces
seen, the voices herd, the opinions represent in the news. (Hogg, 2007, pp.
84) Hogg is stating that most of the population is women but yet men have
been dominating over the years and that women are not equals and are not
as popular in the media.
1.2: How Feminism has changed the representation of Women
1.2.1: Brains or Beauty
Women in the past have been told and thought of as only being able to have
either brain or beauty and not both, this had led to women having to fight to
the rights to be both beautiful and be smart, even though the stereotype of
blondes being stupid is still being fought and blondes proving the stereotype
wrong but each generation fights it. If the performance of feminity requires

one to hide intelligence and intention, then beauty will be associated with
frivolous, seemingly stupid women. (Hilary Radner and Rebecca Stringer.,
2011, pp. 2). Radner and Stringer state that if feminity requires you not to be
smart when you are beautiful then women cant achieve more than one of
these skills and the world would be full of beautiful stupid women or smart
ugly women, feminism has changed so that it is possible to be both even if
you dont use both skills at the same time as models are associated with
being stupid which is a stereotype that falls into this quote but its not
necessarily true just because we dont see models use there brains doesnt
mean they dont have one.
1.2.2: Educated Womens Movement
The movement started so that women could start to work the same as men
after experiencing what is what like in the war, the didnt want ot be the typical
housewife anymore and to be more equal. Americas ideal image of feminity
(Friendan called the happy housewife heroine) (Hogg, 2007, pp. 23) Tis
basically means that Americans think of women as stay at home mums that
look after the children, cook and clean while the men go out and provide for
them, this started the movement as women didnt want to be dependent on
men and to work in factories and offices same as men. This however does not
stop a women going out and getting a job, such as a news anchor, an actor or
a model, anymore in America as housewives arent as common and even
men can be stay at home dads while women work.
1.2.3: Gender Equality and Stereotyping
We as a population like to stereotype anything and everything from the
cafeteria at school to genres of music, these stereotypes can be harmless but
to a child they can steer his/her life and gender stereotyping is even harder for
a women especially if for example you are told to go back to the kitchen.
Children exposed to stereotypes tend to have more restricted view of
appropriate sex-roles (Hogg, 2007, pp. 24) What Hogg is saying it that a child
can grow up not reaching their potential because a simple stereotype they
were given at a young age, this does not help women and what feminism has

been trying to achieve for the last nearly 100 years, the equality between the
genders and the roles each play.
Pink for girls and Blue for boys has always been what parents do when having
a newborn and also the colour pink has and probably always will be
associated with females, now this is stereotyping and even if we move out of
stereotyping people will no change the small but powerful things like pink is a
girls colour or women cant have short otherwise you cant distinguish whether
they are a girl or a boy.

1.2.4: Sex Figure


Women are a figure in society but for most it might not be the one that every
women wants it to be, women are known to sell themselves which is
downgrading to women but not only this but women are seen in most places
such as magazines, billboards and adverts in just their underwear this is done
as women have power in their bodies but is this always in a good way.
Print and electronic media in most countries do not provide a balanced picture
of womens diverse lives and contributions to society in a changing world. In
addition, violent and degrading/porn media products are also negatively
affecting women and their participation in society. (Hogg, 2007, pp. 24). Here
Hogg is stating that women are perceived in media is always their body and
the degrading aspects rather than the full potential as models are known for
being stupid and pretty so the women in the media are used for beauty and
not their full potential in whatever they are good at whether its flying and plane
or running the country.
The media encourage both women and men to define women in terms of men
(as sex objects) or in the context of the family (as wives and mothers). (Hogg,
2007, pp. 25) Here Hogg is also summing up that people want to label women
in terms of men or in the stereotype of a housewife, this might be done
because men are trying to take control again rather than be equals but most
women are fighting back as they no longer are stay at home mums, in fact
most women dont do this anymore they work or they are having kids a lot
later in life.

1.2.5: Innocence and Fairytales


when it comes to fairytales these are not very helpful for feminism as they
show women as week and need saving by men (normally the Knight in
shinning armor) but this doesnt happen in real life and kids grow up watching
this and the stereotype that a woman needs a man but they dont as these
days a woman can even have a baby without a man in some aspects.
Feminine ideal of four cardinal virtues; piety, purity, submissive and
domesticity. (Buszek, 2006, pp. 31). This quote is good for some women
saying they have purity and innocence but it states that they are submissive to
men which most women have been fighting against for years since the
women right back in the 1980s, women arent as domestic around the house
anymore they go out and wok just like men, they still raise kids and cook and
clean but these days it is spread between the sexes. Women are known to be
more innocence than men as they have hormones and more of a conscience
thats why there are more men in prisons, well at least thats what we see in
films, women keep to these roles more in films especially in fairytales as
women are to play the damsel in distress that needs rescuing from the knight
in shinning armor.

Chapter 2: Mythology
2.1: What effects has Mythology and why so much belief in a lie
2.1.1: What is Mythology
Mythology is the creation of myths, these are known to be unproven stories,
facts and can not be proven as myths were created to long ago, the most
argued myths are the gods and the creation of the world.
Sometimes it is used to mean something that people believe that is not true
but mythology is not a collection of lies. (Philip, 1999, pp. 8) This says the
myths are not lies but who knows if they were ever real and who even created
the story.
2.1.2: Mythology and Religion

In mythology there is a story for everything, the beginning of the world is said
to be a myth and one of the oldest and talked/changed myth as each religion
has its own version. Mythology is just religion in story form. (Philip, 1999, pp.
8) Phillips is stating that mythology and myths are just the story of religion
and each religion has its own story to tell as each religion has a different god
they pray to. So each religion and different parts of the world have different
myths and legends as Hercules and Zeus is a myth (gods) as who know if
they do/did ever exist. Even the sun and moon have myths behind them as
the Native Americans say that the sun and moon are givers of light and life.
2.1.3: Gods in different Religions
In Greek mythology the gods are mainly kept to the sky like Zeus, except
Hades who was banished to the underworld so they are kept off earth as gods
cannot walk among us which is why we call it a myth as we have not/might
not ever see them.
Mythical creatures seem to be more a focus for fear, awe and wonder than
simple mistaken natural history. (Philip, 1999, pp. 48) Most mythical creatures
are created for fear and for the gods/superheroes to fight, this in myths are
done to prove themselves to the world/public as people need a hero in stories.
Monsters are sometimes combinations of various animals such as a griffin,
half eagle, half lion. Just giving an ordinary animal a special feature such as
the ability to fly to the Greek horse Pegasus, transports it from the ordinary
world to a realm of wonder.(Philip, 1999, pp. 48) Phillips is right by saying that
most mythical creatures are made up of two or more different animals as in
the quote even Pegasus from Hercules is made up form more than one
animal as horses cant fly, but also Phillips is saying that by doing this we are
changing realms from reality to wonder and curiosity which is party true as
outside of the books and films this kind of creature doesnt exist even if
scientists are trying to create them.

Chapter 3: Game of Thrones

3.1: What is Game of Thrones


Game of Thrones is a TV show based on at adaption of A Song of Ica and
Fire on Skyliving based around the genre of myths and science-fiction, as it is
about dragons and families competing for the iron throne and who is the
right full king. Where this is set is a mythical world made up but looks a lot like
our world, it is set in a time that has never existed but the characters wear lots
of armor and long robes suggesting Victorian or Roman times.
There are a lot of similarities to our world and they way we might have done
things back in the 1800s but the writer states that it is all made up from
imagination and creativity.
With this being in the science-fiction genre it means there is parts, which are
fantasy and the dragons give that away, being a science-fiction it is also a
mythological series and we will be talking about why it is so appealing to
people even through its not real and is all mythological. We will also be
discussion who they represent women as women in Game of Thrones are no
represented with equal rights and work for a living like we do and is very
feministic.

3. 2: Feminism and Game of Thrones


Game of Thrones represents women as the lower of men and women in the
series as they are in roles of whores mainly except the few which have broken
out and like Daenerys Targaryen who started off as a play toy for her brother
who wants the throne and sells her off to marry for a army, eventually she
becomes powerful and a queen but she has to go through hurdles like death,
having to learn a new language, freeing slaves and raising dragons.
Other than Daenerys there is a queen Cersei Lannister who is married into
the throne and has only got power through her role and when her husband
dies they appoint her son as king so she still doesnt have the control she
wants as when her married she was no long a queen.

This shows a lot of feminism as women are used for sex while men got out
and fight the war and win the throne.
3.3: Mythology and Game of Thrones
With Daenerys being named as the mother of dragons this links the series to
mythology, the main parts of the TV series that are based around mythology
are the 3 dragons that Daenerys brings into their world later into s eries one,
and the fact that we dont live in their world and that it is solely created form
imagination and myths of maybe what the 1800s and he Victorian times were
like. The reason this is mythological is because the stories arent real and
most of all the sat might be actual places in the world but it is set in a world
that has never existed to us and may never.
Myths are created through imagination as we have already discussed and this
isnt from a religion story but when you watch it you an still relate to the
characters and you have your favorites which you route for and even though
there are dragons they are still pets and most people have pets.

Conclusion
In this essay we have covered feminism and mythology plus how they both fit
into Game of Thrones and what attraction this has, we have covered what is
the appeal in a fantasy world and if you change slight thing its becomes a
realm of wonder and people watch to see what it would be like if the world
was different and all the science- fiction things was actually real. We have
looked into all the aspects of feminism and how the image of females has
changes but still has a long way to go before we are quals (if thats what we
want) instead on the sex image, or being compared to men.
The aim of this is essay was to explore why Game of Thrones is so appealing
to many even though it is highly feministic and is solely made on mythology
and fantasy but yet everyone loves this, we havent yet come to a reason why
but with more research into some of the comments people have made into the
series and what they think about it we might be able to come up with a
conclusion whether its a good or bad one.
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Bibliography
Feminism:
Buszek, M.E.(2006) Pin-up grrrls: feminism, sexuality, popular culture. 1st edn.
Durham: Duke University Press.
Hilary Radner and Rebecca stringer. (2011) Feminism at the movies:
understanding gender in contemporary popular cinema. Edited by H.Radner
and R.Stringer. New York: Taylor & Francis
Hogg, J. (2007) Women, Feminism and the Media (Media Topics). Edited by
V.Alia. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Penley, ed.by C. (1988)Feminism and film theory. Edited by C. Penley. New
York: BFI Publishing.
Mythology:
Ions, V. (1970)Myths and legends of India. United Kingdom: Littlehampton
Book Services
Perowne, S. (1969) Roman mythology. Toronto: Littlehampton Book Services.
Phillip. N. (1999) Mythology (DK Eyewitness Guides) United Kingdom: Dorling
Kindersley Publishers.
Pinsent, J. (1982) Greek Mythology (library of the worlds myths and legends).
London: Littlehampton Book Services.

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