Character 5 Comparison - Petyr Baelish and Guy Fawkes

 

Petyr Baelish is definitely an interesting character..... you just don't know who's side he is on!

Also known as "Littlefinger", Petyr is portrayed by Aidan Gillen in the TV Series (1). His character is interesting for me, as George R.R. Martin writes him to be someone who you both like and hate. For me, personally, I did not like him when he betrays Ned Stark's trust, when he convinces Ned that he is on his side, and then uses the Gold Cloaks to take out Ned's soldiers in the throne room, the same Gold Cloaks who Petyr told Ned that they were on his side. But later on in the TV Series, it is found out that Petyr is a key player in the murder of King Joffrey Baratheon, a very unpopular character.

For this comparison, I will be comparing Littlefinger with Guy Fawkes.

Guy Fawkes made his name by trying to assinate King James I in the gunpowder plot on November the 5th 1605 (2). He was born into a family that was not particularly wealthy, but was wealthy enough to send him to a school. 

In comparison, Petyr Baelish was also born into a 'not-so-wealthy' family, and became The Lord of his family's minor holding - that is considered too small to even have a name, located in an area known as  "The Fingers". This is how he came to his nickname, of Littlefinger. Petyr came to like the name, as it was a constant reminder of how far he has risen.... From a Lord of a Minor Holding, to the Master of Coin on the Small Council.  

On the other hand, Guy Fawkes's plan to remove the current King, and replace him with a Catholic Monarch was not as successful as Petyr's rise to power and wealth. The Gunpowder plot failed, and Guy Fawkes was found guarding the explosives in Parliament when an anonymous letter was sent in, causing the Parliament Buildings to be searched. 

A strong point of comparison between Petyr Baelish and Guy Fawkes is the fact that both were involved in plots to kill their Kings, although Petyr Baelish's ended up a success, unlike the failed Gunpowder Plot that Guy Fawkes was involved with. 

In the early episodes of Series 4 of Game of Thrones, we are shown King Joffreys horrible and gruesome death at the hand of what appeared to be Poison. Later on in the Series, we as the watchers find out that it was Poison that ended up killing King Joffrey at his wedding, now dubbed as "The Purple Wedding". We also find out that Lord Petyr Baelish, along with his "new friends", The Tyrells, especially Lady Orenna, are responsible for the assassination of Joffrey.  

Petyr seems like the sort of character that will always be on the side of the winning side, hence why as a watcher, you just don't know what side he is on. He can be considered as quite a selfish character, always looking at what he can do for his personal and financial gain, but on the other hand, he put himself at risk with the assassination of King Joffrey, and by helping Sansa Stark flee the Capital. But some people can argue that although he helped Sansa escape the constant abuse from Joffrey, he wasn't doing it because he cared, it was because he would look like he wasn't involved in the eyes of the Kingdom and the Lannisters, as the blame would and did fall to Sansa Stark as well as her husband, Tyrion for the murder of King Joffrey. 

On the contrary, Guy Fawkes didn't hide behind his crimes. He was tortured (3) and eventually he did give up the names of other Co-Conspiritors. But he was caught, and therefore did not have the opportunity to hide from his crimes. During Trial, he didn't confess as guilty, but was still found guilty and as a result, was hung for his crimes against the King. 

To Conclude, there is actually quite a few comparisons that have been made between Petyr Baelish and Guy Fawkes, a lot more than I originally expected there to be. They both are involved in a plot to kill their King, one succeeds and one fails. Also, they both come from "poorer" backgrounds compared to the other characters that I have compared with Historical Figures.

They are both interesting characters to research, and watching Game of Thrones again has helped me understan Petyr Baelish's character in more depth. 

(1) http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Petyr_Baelish

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

(3) http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Guy-Fawkes.htm