Character 3 Comparison - Tywin Lannister and Edward Longshanks

 

Tywin Lannister is one of my favourite characters in the Game of Thrones T.V Series. I just love the way he is portrayed by Charles Dance in the series and how strong of a character he actually is! 

He is considered as the most powerful man in all of Westeros by Cersei in Series 4 and with the other kingdoms united in fear of him, it is no surprise why he is powerful.

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Ever since he was first seen in the first series of Game of Thrones, Tywin showed his strength and power, and has continued to show it throughout the four series. He is extremely intimidating, to nearly everyone. His children, colleagues of the Small Council, Joffrey (the King!) are examples of people that are just terrified of him, and these examples are some of the most powerful people in Westeros! I especially love how Tywin puts Joffrey in his place:

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For this comparison, I will be comparing Tywin Lannister to Edward Longshanks (Edward I of England). 

Edward I was born into a rich background, as his father (Henry III) was the King at the time (1). Tywin was also born into a rich background - being a Lannister, meant being a part of one of the richest and most powerful houses in Westeros. 

According to Britannia Website, Edward I "possessed the strength his father lacked and reasserted royal prerogative." (2) Henry III did not have the most succesful reign - facing a revolt in his later reign. This can be compared to the fact that Tywin's father, Tytos, was considered a laughing stock (3) during his time as the Lord of Casterly Rock (Head of the Lannister Family), and that Tywin had to fix the bad investments that his father made, to show the other Houses of Westeros that the Lannisters are not a family to mess with. Tywin successfully managed to remind the other Houses of the Lannister's strength by defeating the rebellion of House Reyne in a ruthless, destructive manner. In comparison, Edward I set out to fix the mess his father left, by re-establishing royal authority and restoring order. 

Now, although Tywin was never the King, being Hand of the King gave him the power equivalent to being the King - especially when Joffrey was in power; being young meant that Tywin could easily wrap his finger around him. Edward I did become the king - in 1274. Longshanks, like Tywin, was considered intimidating, and had a fierce temper which is extremely comparable to Tywin's "angry moments" seen throughout the TV Series.  

Tywin Lannister is rich, very rich and throughout the series is considered the richest man in all of Westeros, but in Series 4, it is found that the Lannisters actually owe a "tremendous amount" of money to the Iron Bank of Braavos. This would mean that when Tywin Lannister died, he would not only be leaving the Lannister Legacy with his children, but also a large amount debt. 

This could be compared to the fact that when Edward I died, he left his son, Edward II, financial and political problems.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England

(2) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon30.html

(3) http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Tywin_Lannister

Information on Tywin is also based from "Game of Thrones" TV Series by HBO.

Character 4 Comparison - Tyrion Lannister and King George VI

For this comparison, I will be comparing Tyrion Lannister, son of Tywin Lannister, to King George VI of the United Kingdom.

Tyrion Lannister is again one of my favourite characters from the TV Series, and has proven quite popular with the majority of watchers of the show. The actor who portrays Tyrion is called Peter Dinklage, an American Actor who has been awarded an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for Supporting Actor with his work on the Game of Thrones TV Series. (1)

During the story of "A Song of Ice and Fire", Tyrion is shown to be very Intelligent, like his father. He might not be a strong soldier like his father, or his brother (Jaime Lannister), but he knew strategy and proved himself when he acted as Hand of the King in his fathers absence, and defended the capital from Stannis Baratheon and his army.

Tyrion proves his intelligence countless times during the series of which I admire him for. I especially admire when during his early days of being the Hand of the King, he produces a plan to find out who to trust and not to trust in the small council by telling three of the councillors (Petyr Baelish, Varys and Pycelle) different plans to wed Queen Reagent Cersei's daughter, Princess Myrcella, to different people. From this plan, he figures out Pycelle is one of his sister's (Cersei's) spies. Even Varys, the Master of Whispers greatly admires his plan.

Tyrion and his father did not get on well at all.... there are very few scenes in the series where you see Tywin treat Tyrion like a son, this is not one of them:

Tyrion's relationship with his father was pretty poor in comparison to George VI's relationship with his father, George V. George VI's early life was made hard by his father's "harsh and critical"(2) attitude towards him. Just like Tyrion, George VI lacked affection from his father.

Both fathers expected so much from their sons, even with their "Incapacities"; Tyrion was expected to do what his brother could do. Tywin sent Tyrion into a battle in the vanguard, expecting him to fight like a soldier, not a dwarf.

In comparison, although nowhere near as dangerous as being sent into a battle, George VI's tutors forced him to write with his right hand even though he was left handed naturally. He later developed a stammer around the age of 8, that caused many problems in his future life as the King.

Both Tyrion Lannister and George VI were born into wealthy and important families. Tyrion was born into the Lannister Family, the wealthiest family in Westeros, and George VI was born in the Windsor Family (A.K.A the Royal Family). Although Tyrion was not born into the Royal Family, the fact that his family was extremely wealthy meant that they were also quite powerful, just like the Royal Family in the time of George VI's birth.

Tyrion was born as the second son to Tywin Lannister, after Jaime Lannister (and Cersei, as Jaime and Cersei are twins). This made Tyrion the youngest of the Lannister Children.

In relation, George VI was also the second son, being born after Edward (Duke of Windsor). George IV came into power after his older brother was made king. His older brother, Edward wished to marry a divorced women called Wallis Simpson. This wish to marry Wallis meant that Edward would have to give up the throne, and so Edward did.

When George VI was coronated as the King, he was considered to be quite reluctant. He struggled with his early speeches due to his stutter, and had to employ a speech therapist, Lionel Logue, to help him overcome his problem.

On the other hand, when Tyrion was given his power as Hand of the King, Tyrion was straight into it. Although he was seen not to enjoy the fact at first he was to be the Hand of the King, he accepted his duty set to him by Tywin Lannister and went to Kings Landing. Tyrion was not reluctant, as soon as he arrived in Kings Landing, he was already giving orders, questioning the Queen's decisions (3) and actions as well as plotting a plan to find out who was trustworthy, and who was not (as discussed earlier). He also stopped King Joffrey from ordering one of his guards to beat his wife-to-be (at the time), Sansa Stark, as shown in this clip:

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Sources:

 (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Dinklage

 (2) http://www.biography.com/people/george-vi-9308937#synopsis

 (3) http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Small_Council

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

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!

Bibliography

EPQ Topic 

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Cersei_Lannister - Picture of Cersei Lannister

Decision of Topic

https://data.archive.moe/board/v/image/1410/62/1410628108675.jpg - Picture of Cersei Lannister

http://www.comicvine.com/arya-stark/4005-81208/ - Picture of Arya Stark

Introduction 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/ - Information used in Introduction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpJYNVhGf1s - Trailer

Character 1 Comparison - Cersei Lannister and Elizabeth Woodville

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/ElizabethWoodville.JPG) - Image of Elizabeth Woodville

(http://images.wikia.com/gameofthrones/images/archive/f/ff/20120518000504!Cersei_2x01b.jpg) - Image of Cersei Lannister

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Cersei_Lannister

http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/woodville.htm

Game of Thrones TV Series - HBO 

(http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/War_of_Roses.html)

http://io9.com/10-sources-that-george-r-r-martin-borrowed-from-for-ic-511679817

Character 2 Comparison - Robb Stark and Richard 1st

http://protagonist.wikia.com/wiki/Robb_Stark - Both Picture and Information from this Link. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYfiEIAth10 - Video Link 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England 

Just a little information on the actors.

Information actors nationalities from http://www.imdb.com/

http://youtu.be/e4Uq8O5ZhUA?t=41s - Video Link

Character 3 Comparison - Tywin Lannister and Edward Longshanks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Tywin_Lannister

http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon30.html

http://viewrz.com/video/seven-kingdoms-united-in-fear-of-tywin - Video Link

http://youtu.be/hRrV1ff33iM?t=2m1s - Video Link 

Character 4 Comparison - Tyrion Lannister and King George VI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Dinklage

http://www.biography.com/people/george-vi-9308937#synopsis

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Small_Council

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Uq9lJqKIzbE - Video Link 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uWSAqZmHTH4 - Video Link

Character 5 Comparison - Petyr Baelish and Guy Fawkes 

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Petyr_Baelish

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

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

Conclusion

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_III_of_Scotland


 http://jaspercresdee.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/asoiaf-theory-time-petyr-baelish-and-oliver-cromwell/