{"id":5696,"date":"2013-05-23T09:51:11","date_gmt":"2013-05-23T08:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/\/?p=5696"},"modified":"2013-05-23T09:51:11","modified_gmt":"2013-05-23T08:51:11","slug":"power-and-game-of-thrones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/power-and-game-of-thrones\/","title":{"rendered":"Power and Game of Thrones"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Popular and critically acclaimed Prime Time programs that are perceived as innovative and highly original use a combination of many of the same storytelling techniques. Why do shows such as The Game of Thrones<\/strong> feel fresh, inventive, and avant-garde to television audiences while Soap Operas often feel tired, old fashioned, and provincial? The answer can be found in two words– Great Characters.<\/p>\n

If you look at the structure of The Game of Thrones<\/strong> it is about 80% eating or drinking and talking, walking and talking, having sex and talking, or riding and talking. \u00a0A few spectacular set pieces or violent action sequences do punctuate all of the talking but the show is primarily about relationships and power, relationships and love, or relationships and trust or betrayal. \u00a0This kind of relationship drama is the foundation of a soap.<\/p>\n

The Game of Throne<\/strong> brings its relationships to life with complex characters that have a specific point of view and whose actions are always consistent with their particular way of looking at the world, their role in the world, and their philosophy of life, love, and power.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at the main Game of Thrones<\/strong> characters in relationship to how they understand power and its use.<\/p>\n

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The first major character introduced in the series is Eddard “Ned” Stark.\u00a0He is the lord of the Wintefell and head of the House Stark. He is a Power of Conscience<\/a> character.<\/p>\n

These characters know instinctively if something is wrong, unfair, or improper. They have a keen sense of justice and feel responsible for doing the greater good. In Ned’s own words: “The law is the law.” “You think my life is such a precious thing to me, that I would trade my honor for a few more years …of what?” \u00a0These characters look at power as their sworn duty to do right and take responsibility. Ned is tested by an offer to save his children by confessing to a treason he did not commit. \u00a0He believes his higher duty is to his family rather than his word. \u00a0He is beheaded any way and his children hunted down or dangerously trapped.<\/p>\n

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Later in the story, Catelyn is consumed with avenging the deaths in the House of Stark. She is a formidable adversary and, like most Power of Love<\/a> characters, wields an iron fist in a velvet glove. She finds her power in protecting and pushing her family forward.<\/p>\n

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Robb is a Power of Idealism<\/a> character. \u00a0He is a warrior\/savant called “The Young Wolf” and instinctively knows how to strategize and win battles. \u00a0Like Jaime Lannister, another Power of Idealism<\/a> character, Robb is an extraordinary warrior and believes the rules don’t apply to him. \u00a0And like Jaime, Robb is in love with someone forbidden to him. \u00a0He is a doomed romantic who secretly weds a woman who will cost him his life and his war. His power is his ability to inspire others and in his extraordinary fighting abilities.<\/p>\n

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When her Prince Joffery turns out to be a cruel little sadist she, like most Power of Love<\/a> characters, believes if she loves him long enough and well enough he will have to love her back. These characters often see their own value reflected in the eyes of another. \u00a0Sansa sees her power as a dance of romance and courtly love. \u00a0But she too, over the course of the series, reveals the strength of steel inside her velvet glove.<\/p>\n

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Arya is a Power of Idealism<\/a> Character. These characters want to find their special place in the word, be extraordinary, and be called to some great destiny (often as a warrior). They reject the demands of \u00a0traditional authority to maintain and protect their own individuality and personal freedom. Arya seeks the power of having the ability to be fully and truly herself.<\/p>\n

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These characters can see, hear, or “feel” things others cannot. Bran has a mystical connection with his direwolf, has prophetic dreams, and has a growing access to the “old magic” as the story goes on.<\/p>\n

He is seemingly small, insignificant, and a cripple due to a fall. But he has great inner powers yet to be revealed. \u00a0Brandon’s only access to power as a connection to the mystical, magical, and the divine. \u00a0“You can’t kill it you know, the raven is you.”<\/p>\n

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Tywin Lannister, another Power of Will<\/a> character, lusts for domination and control, but King Robert lusts for wine, women, hunting, and eating.<\/p>\n

He is a Power of Will<\/a> character in the tradition of Falstaff. Robert is volatile, dangerous and is entirely ruled by his appetites. \u00a0Power to Robert is living large and lustily and answering to no one.<\/p>\n

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Cersei is another\u00a0Power of Love<\/a>\u00a0character. \u00a0She exercises power through her son, Joffery. \u00a0Although she know how dark and cruel his heart is she still loves him as fiercely as a mother lion.<\/p>\n

\u201cTears aren’t a woman’s only weapon.\u201d \u00a0“Everyone who isn’t us is an enemy.” \u00a0She finds her power behind her son’s throne.<\/p>\n

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He a Power of Idealism<\/a> character and is acknowledged as one of the best warriors in the land. \u00a0Jamie is unique and extraordinary. He makes his own rules and follows his own peculiar code of honor. \u00a0His power is in his extraordinary and unique abilities. \u00a0“There are no men like me. Only me.”<\/p>\n

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He is a Power of Will<\/a> character. These characters take what they want, fight for every inch of turf, refuse to show any weakness themselves, pounce decisively on the weakness of others, and swiftly avenge any wrong (or perceived wrong). “Do you think I’d be where I am if I had lost<\/em> a battle?” These characters show no mercy and expect none. \u00a0His power is in his strength and ruthlessness.<\/p>\n

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Unlike Varys who is a sly secret-keeper, Tyrion is a bold skeptic and cynical truth-teller. He often says what others are too afraid, too embarrassed, or too timid to say.<\/p>\n

The major theme in his story going forward is betrayal or seeming betrayal by nearly everyone. Power is an illusive thing for Tyrion, it resides in loyalty and trust. \u00a0Both are so rare in Westeros as to be almost nonexistent. \u00a0He survives by his keen wit, cynical nature, and his powers of perception.<\/p>\n

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Varys is a Power of Truth<\/a> character. These characters believe the world is filled with hidden dangers, illusive enemies and concealed pitfalls. His philosophy might be stated: \u201cThings are never what they seem.\u201d \u201cTrust no one.\u201d \u201cWatch out for secret agendas and hidden pitfalls.\u201d \u00a0He believes power is “a trick, a shadow on the wall”. \u00a0Power is perception. \u00a0“It resides where people believe it resides”.<\/p>\n

I liked what the AV Club<\/a> has said about the series– “Each storyline is separated into roughly equal-sized chunks, then split between episodes. Every week, viewers drop in on one of those storylines for a few minutes, hopefully departing enticed to come back the next week by a cliffhanger (or two). Some episodes focus more heavily on certain characters, but each hour goes out of its way to drop in on as many characters as possible, just to keep the audience aware of what\u2019s going on. As in soaps, this creates stories that don\u2019t so much build as exist in an eternal present. The show has climaxes and traditional stories, but it seems to constantly be moving forward. There\u2019s always something else coming, and the series has to maintain the illusion that whatever finality there is offers more of a comma than a period.”<\/p>\n

I would add that the gaining or losing of power and how power is best used are the underlying theme that tie all the far-flung action of the show together. \u00a0This theme provides a sense of continuity to what’s going on in every part of the world and across all the battle fronts (foreign and domestic) on which the war is being fought. \u00a0Power is what binds the characters to the story and also binds the disparate action of the episodes together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Game of Throne brings its relationships to life with complex characters that have a specific point of view and whose actions are always consistent with their particular way of looking at the world, their role in the world, and their philosophy of life, love, and power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,55,56,57,59,60,49],"tags":[25,26,27,28,30,31,389,392,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42],"class_list":["post-5696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-power-of-conscience","category-power-of-idealism","category-power-of-imagination","category-power-of-love","category-power-of-truth","category-power-of-will","category-television-character-development-script-scriptwriting-tv-blog","tag-character","tag-characters","tag-emotional-toolbox","tag-etb","tag-film","tag-films","tag-game-of-thrones","tag-hbo","tag-laurie-hutzler","tag-movies","tag-nine-character-types","tag-screenplay","tag-screenplays","tag-screenwriting","tag-script","tag-scripts","tag-scriptwriting","tag-tv","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"ttshowcase_normal":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",125,94,false],"ttshowcase_small":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",75,56,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/30710870_10211699141895539_4496568718662303744_n.jpg",960,720,false],"Image 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world, their role in the world, and their philosophy of life, love, and power.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5696"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbscreenwriting.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}