Conclusion

From completing my Extended Project Qualification, I can now say that I believe that, to an extent, some of the characters in Game of Thrones do represent characters from history, particularly British history.

There are those who we can easily say reflect historical figures and there are those that the similarities found between the two characters, are weak. Therefore, it was important from the beginning to have a method of which could be used fairly across all the characters that I intended to compare.

From my initial planning and discussions with my supervisor, we agreed a list of characters and historical figures that could be used. As the EPQ developed it could be clearly seen that George R.R. Martin may have used historical figures, as inspiration for his characters. This is shown in the comparison between Tyrion Lannister and George VI, where many comparisons were made, such as the fact that they both had a handicap that helped to make their life pretty difficult. Some people could argue that this is merely a coincidence, but I do believe that this was intentional, and that George R.R. Martin may have in fact used George VI as an inspiration for his character, Tyrion. 

On the other hand, some of the characters clearly do not have any likeness to British historical figures.  I am not as convinced that George R.R. Martin used Guy Fawkes as an inspiration for his

character, Petyr Baelish (also known as Littlefinger). I found there to be few comparisons between the two, compared to the amount of differences. The comparison that can be made between the two is their involvement in a plot to kill the ruling King but, that is the main and only comparison I can make between the two.

British history, as with many other nations, has been full of battles for land and plots to overthrow ruling families. It is this whole idea that the author has, I believe, based his books and TV Shows on, which have proven to be a world wide success. It is the rich nature of our history which continues to provide us with such fascinating material for authors, such as Martin, to provide novels and high quality television for our enjoyment.

To conclude, from my comparison of five characters from Game of Thrones, and five figures from British history, I do strongly believe that George R.R. Martin may have used figures from British history. The comparisons weigh heavier than the argument against. I also believe that the producers and creators of Game of Thrones, as well as George R.R Martin, have done an excellent job, especially in maintaining the accuracy of Game of Thrones' characters. Obviously, with the exception of magic, dragons, White Walkers etc. I believe that Game of Thrones could have been a successful medieval drama. The creators of the series have clearly done a great job in producing Game

of Thrones, and I, along with millions of other people, cannot wait for more series of the show to be produced!