Showing posts with label Kings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kings. Show all posts

"K" is for King's Landing

Author: Anonymous / Labels: , , , , ,

Ah, yes. King's Landing. A city that could easily be compared to medieval European cities, such as London, Paris or Rome. This jewel is the residence for the ruling King and his family and the royal court. King's Landing is the capital of Westeros and also the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. In that respect, I could compare it to Ottawa, which is the capital of Canada.

I'm not sure that I'd want to reside there. You see an awful lot of the rest of the city and how its' inhabitants fare. The poor live in cramped quarters at the bottom of the city, which is known as the "Flea Bottom" district. The peasants live in farms on property that surrounds King's Landing. It is built on a series of three hills and is walled, the way many European citadels were. The Red Keep is home to the infamous "Iron Throne." There is also the Great Sept of Baelor, where the most religious and fervent of Maesters come to worship.

I would not willingly want to visit or move to King's Landing anytime soon. In Season I, Arya Stark couldn't wait to leave and go back home to Winterfell. Call it a sixth sense or common sense, but from what us fans saw of King's Landing, there were too many evil things underfoot, too many people with ulterior motives in that nasty place. Sansa Stark was the total opposite - she thought the place was courtly and perfect, like something right out of a fairytale. And you wonder why I adore Arya - she has the keen ability to see things for what they are, instead of daydreaming of what the place could be like.

King's Landing seems to be the place for power hungry people to congregate to. That and all the liars, suck ups, back stabbers, spies, prostitutes, orphans, vying houses, tradespeople, soldiers and common folk flock to. I can see why George R R Martin compared King's Landing to medieval London or Paris. Those cities had various classes of people and all sorts of activity going on inside it.

The late Robert Baratheon sat on the Iron Throne. Now, his 'son' Joffrey sits on it and the Lannister family is the chief ruling family in King's Landing and in all of Westeros. King's Landing is no place to go for a vacation, or raise a family, let alone have one as power hungry and depraved as the Lannisters, rule from it.

I'm sure George R R Martin has a few surprises in store for us, especially in March 2013, when Season III debuts!

"I" is for the Iron Throne

Author: Anonymous / Labels: , , , , ,

Between you and I, would you really want to sit on the Iron Throne?

I did. Once. This happened in March. I went downtown Toronto to see the Game of Thrones exhibition at the Bell Lightbox and it was pretty cool. So, in a sense, I can truly say that I sat down on the Iron Throne. It was hard and lumpy. And that was just one of the prop chairs flown in from Dublin.

I know that the Iron Throne is not a seat of power that I'd want to occupy anytime soon. Especially since I've read four of the books already and know that the throne is a curse. Too much hatred to deal with. Too much greed from everyone wanting their share of wealth. Too many sleepless nights, worrying about assassins coming to get you, resentful Houses trying to wage war or revenge, getting deeper and deeper into debt. Give me another position, but not as a Queen on the Iron Throne.

That throne does something funny to those who occupy it. They either go slightly mad, they abuse their power or their reign is ended abruptly. I took many history courses when I attended university and the one main theme that seemed to carry over was that the path the paved the way to sitting on any throne, for that matter, was littered with sins, murder, blackmail and greed. When I watch the HBO series Game of Thrones, I totally understand and agree with the aforementioned statement.

Remember what the late King Robert Baratheon said to the late Ned Stark in Season I? All he wanted to do was, "eat, sleep, drink and whore his way into an early grave." Remember what Petyr Baelish said to Ros in Season II? "Too often those with the most power have the least grace." He was absolutely correct. The current King sitting on the Iron Throne, Joffrey Baratheon, is a psychotic, arrogant and condescending twit who is cruel to everyone around him. He has a malicious streak to him a mile wide. No doubt lovingly nurtured by his own saintly mother, Queen Regent Cersei. I wait in high anticipation for Season III to roll around next year...and to see which character says another profound quote about power or ruling the Seven Kingdoms.

Ruling from the Iron Throne means having only the most loyal people around you, having a keen intellect, a sharp eye for military and financial dealings and having courage. Having a backbone. And having really think skin, because the amount of people that hate you and openly mock you is enough to make anyone go in a corner and lick their wounds. A ruler who sits on the Iron Throne should also possess honour, strength, courage and tenacity. All the qualities that Joffrey does not possess.

Power shared is power halved. Joffrey knows that and clings tightly to his throne. Same with Cersei. Poor Ned Stark. He found out the hard way that trying to be noble instead of cunning cost him his life.

"When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."

"B" is for Baratheon

Author: Anonymous / Labels: , ,

There once were three brothers: King Robert, Renly and Stannis. This story could've had a happier ending.
Alas, the truth is that Robert never loved any of his brothers. He was the eldest, known as the "Usurper King." Robert hated all things Targaryen. He loved womanizing and drinking wine. And for a very long time, he was spoiling for a war. He was married to Cersei Lannister. It wasn't a happy union. Although capable of fathering many illegitimate children, his three offspring with Cersei were not his. Bitter, tired and heavily in debt, Robert became disenchanted with the Seven Kingdoms. That, and he was always haunted by the ghost of Lyanna Stark.
Renly was the youngest Baratheon brother. Easy on the eyes, he was graceful and served on his late brother's small council. He disliked Cersei and didn't trust her - with good reason. Married to Margaery Tyrell, he had a very short reign as one of the five Kings vying for the Iron Throne. Too bad for Renly - there was a time where he was to make a worthy alliance with King Robb in the North. Sadly, he was murdered by dark forces.
Stannis Baratheon is the middle brother. A cold and austere man, he is used to giving military commands with force and skill. He doesn't have the warmest personality but has the strength of a massive army behind him. Then there is Melisandre, the Red Priestess from Asshai who is always by his side. Makes you wonder if Renly is the puppet master or the puppet. Blackwater Bay serves as a reminder that he had an army but was no where near to matching Tywin Lannister's forces.
It's too bad the Baratheon brothers weren't loyal to each other. Who knows how Westeros would've turned out. Maybe it would've been a pleasant place to live in.