Why does everyone hate the Lannisters?

[myrcella_baratheon]

As I wrote above, why do most people hate the Lannisters? I find them incredibly interesting. Such complex characters. It seems to me that a lot of book readers think 'Lannister' = Cersei or Joffery, forgetting about:

Tyrion - it is probably not what his fans want to hear but he isn't much different from the rest of the family. He's proud, ambitious, witty and power-hungry. He's truly a lion!

Jaime - his redemption arc is so well written that you can like Kingslayer or not but you can't say he's bad guy now

Tywin - well, lack of enthusiasm here is understandable but it's hard not to admire him as a politician and strategist

Genna, Daven - both are really likeable

Kevan - what a decent man (he was:( )

Lancel - he has always been annoying but he acts like Baelor the Blessed right now,

Characters who doesn't apper in the series (but are mentioned):

dead uncle Gerion - wise traveller with great sense of humour, favourite Tyrion's uncle

Joanna Lannister - I suppose she was a valuable woman, good wife and mother, but this is just my opinion.

As for Joffery and Cersei:

If we consider Joffery BARATHEON a Lannister, we have to treat his siblings the same way. It means Tommen and Myrcella (the sweetest and most kind hearted children in Westeros) are also a part of House Lannister.

Even though Cersei may be one of the most furious, foolish and short-sighted women in 7 Kingdoms, her 'evilness' can't be compared to Joffery's. She's really twisted. She wants power, she loves her children, she is a victim, she is cruel. Yeah, she's definitly the bad one, but I can't help feeling sorry for her.

So why? Why are there so many "I hate the Lannisters!" statements?

This is my first post here so hello:)

(Sorry for my English, it's not my native language.)

[Dornish Vinegar]

ELLLLLLLIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

(welcome to the forums myrcella_baratheon! :cheers: )

[Jaime FTW]

only tv viewers truly hate the Lannisters. they haven't read the books and think that the Lannisters are evil and all problems came from them. so no, not everyone hate the Lannisters.

[Apple Martini]

You are correct that people often sum up the entire family based on Cersei, Tywin and/or Joffrey, yes. On my end, on principle I loathe the idea of any one person or family being able to buy their way out of trouble or into power. For all of Tyrion's cleverness, his go-to get-outta-jail card is, "I'll pay you off." The Lannisters use money to leverage political power. And that's their prerogative, seeing as they're really just making use of a resource that they have. But that doesn't mean I have to respect it.

There are decent Lannisters, definitely. I have nothing against Daven or Genna or Kevan. Yet there they are, participating in the family machine all the same.

[Fat Mac]

Well, just about all adult Lannisters are terrible people. I don't hold it against them, because they are amazing characters.

[Hodor's Dragon]

Other than cold fish Tywin and purely evil Joffrey, I like all the Lannisters. In fact, I kinda even like Joffrey because he's consistently entertaining. Tywin not so much, at least in the books.

[ThePrunesThatWasPromised]

Because they're ultimately a bunch of cowards, liars and hypocrites.

Who have sex with each other,

[I'm the Party Pooper]

As I wrote above, why do most people hate the Lannisters?

Most, whom? Where did you make this survey?

It seems to me they are all very well loved. Might be the only one struggling to have a large fan-base is Cersei. And Joffrey, but he is dead.

[Leap]

Finding a character complex and interesting isn't mutually exclusive with disliking them. I don't like Tywin just because he was a master tactician and badass.

Also, I think you'll find that insofar as hating the ''Lannisters'' people really only collectively dislike Cersei, and Joffrey. Tyrion is fairly popular among book fans, let alone show fans. And as far as I'm concerned, Jaime in AFfC is one of the best arcs in the series.

Regarding minor Lannisters:

Daven is as far as I can tell, ubiquitously liked across the fandom. He is likeable.

Genna is not, but we don't really see enough of her to really say whether or not she's good or bad.

The only times I've liked Lancel is when he wasn't stupid enough to not take Tyrion seriously, and when he stood up to Cersei in the sept of Baelor. Frankly, being Baelor the Blessed reborn makes him fucking obnoxious.

All in all, I really think you're overestimating people's dislike of the Lannisters. When people say they don't like them, it's because they are the traditional antagonists and because Joffrey and Cersei are fucking lunatics. I guarantee that the far majority of people who've ever expressed distaste for them as a collective feel the same way you do about most of them.

[Risto]

Welcome to the board, myrcella_baratheon. May you have nice and pleasant time here :cheers:

Now, the fact is that we don't lack the reason to hate Lannisters.

Tywin - Plain and simple, Elia and her children. Plus, pillaging Riverlands. And Sack of KL. And RW. And Tysha's rape

Cersei and Joffrey - I can't find much to love about these two

Jaime - Bran's defenestration. Threats to Edmure.

Tyrion - Marriage with Sansa. That rape in Volantis. His entire arc in ADWD.

There are reasons to hate some of them, as there are reason to love them... It all depends who we are talking about specifically.

You are correct that people often sum up the entire family based on Cersei, Tywin and/or Joffrey, yes.

:agree: . Same thing with Ned's honor that somehow became Stark and/or Northern honor.

[Red Tiger]

Like previous posters have said, it's really the show.

Kevan barely appeared in it, Daven and Genna don't seem to exist, Joanna is barely heard of, Gerion and Tygett don't seem to exist either.

What do you have left? One good lion (Tyrion), one guy who is now best-known for raping his sister next to his son's corpse (in the tv fandom's eyes, not mine), an ultra-shortsighted asshole of a patriarch and a woman so petty she refused to give table scraps to the poor.

[LordStoneheart]

I hate Jaime and Cersei because they caused a continent wide war. Jaime telling himself he's getting better doesn't make up for that.

I hate Tywin because he's Tywin. That's reason enough for me.

I dislike Tyrion because for all his talk of being forced to marry Sansa, he did it with the selfish goal of having a hot Lady wife.

I hate Joff because he's Joff.

I don't mind all the others, except Kevan who was all too willing to go along with Tywin's plans.

The main family is just filled with terrible people.

But they are for the most part complex and entertaining. I agree with Leap that complexity doesn't excuse bad actions. It's fine to love them though. :)

[Leap]

Welcome to the board, myrcella_baratheon. May you have nice and pleasant time here :cheers:

Now, the fact is that we don't lack the reason to hate Lannisters.

Tywin - Plain and simple, Elia and her children. Plus, pillaging Riverlands. And Sack of KL. And RW. And Tysha's rape

Cersei and Joffrey - I can't find much to love about these two

Jaime - Bran's defenestration. Threats to Edmure.

Tyrion - Marriage with Sansa. That rape in Volantis. His entire arc in ADWD.

There are reasons to hate some of them, as there are reason to love them... It all depends who we are talking about specifically.

:agree: . Same thing with Ned's honor that somehow became Stark and/or Northern honor.

Wow now, Tyrion can't really be blamed for his marriage to Sansa. I thought he was generally pretty kind and gentle about the whole affair.

[INCBlackbird]

I actually love the lannisters. even the ones who are very morally grey (very dark grey if you ask me) characters! all characters have their flaws, that is what makes them beautiful in my eyes. the Lannisters are among some of the most complex characters I think, which is why i find them intrueging. personal favourites are jaime and Lancel (tywin's pretty close as well :))

[Faithmemory]

Maybe most of the people who hate the Lannisters did not read the books. I love and I hate every house, and I'm a book reader.

[The Wolves]

only tv viewers truly hate the Lannisters.

Yeah not true at all, I don't watch the tv show and I hate the Lannisters with the fire of a billion sons.

Tywin was a monster he's a mass murderer who has had babies murdered and women. He had Elia and her children brutally murdered. He had a child gang raped, he is the reasons Jaime/Cersei exist two other monsters, the RW, the stealing and vandalism or Ice, terrorizing the Riverlands, sacking Kings Landing and he's a very horrible monster.

Jaime is evil he's pushed a child to cover up him having sex with his equally evil sister/queen, he is responsible for TWot5Ks, he killed Jory just to reprimand Ned, he helped create Joffery and that is enough to hate him, he's a bitch just a man made bitch!!!

Cersei is also evil, only evil could create Joffery, she's also crazy and delusional, I hate her so very much. She also is the cause of TWot5ks

Tyrion is a whiner who has also done terrible things I don't hate him but I'm not delusional either about him. He's entitled and violent

Keven has been the right hand men of the devil himself(Tywin)for for most of his life flowing Tywin's evil orders without question and continues to worship a monster. Keven was also evil.

Lancel, Devan, even Tommen and Myrcella are not so bad but I hate all Lannisters

[Red Tiger]

Yeah not true at all, I don't watch the tv show and I hate the Lannisters with the fire of a billion sons.

Tywin was a monster he's a mass murderer who has had babies murdered and women. He had Elia and her children brutally murdered. He had a child gang raped, he is the reasons Jaime/Cersei exist two other monsters, the RW, the stealing and vandalism or Ice, terrorizing the Riverlands, sacking Kings Landing and he's a very horrible monster.

Jaime is evil he's pushed a child to cover up him having sex with his equally evil sister/queen, he is responsible for TWot5Ks, he killed Jory just to reprimand Ned, he helped create Joffery and that is enough to hate him, he's a bitch just a man made bitch!!!

Cersei is also evil, only evil could create Joffery, she's also crazy and delusional, I hate her so very much. She also is the cause of TWot5ks

Littlefinger and Lysa Arryn say hello.

[Alayne's Shadow.]

I admire Cersei and Tywin and to a lesser extent Tyrion as characters. I don't hate them all - I pity Tyrion and Cersei. But it's undoubtedly obvious they are awful people. In Tywin's case, I hate him, for well, pretty much every one of his moves. But the one that makes me angrier is Elia and the children.

[LordStoneheart]

only tv viewers truly hate the Lannisters. they haven't read the books and think that the Lannisters are evil and all problems came from them. so no, not everyone hate the Lannisters.

That's a pretty big judgment, especially since Cersei and Tyrion Lannister don't exist in that show. I've read the books and truly hate most of them

Littlefinger and Lysa Arryn say hello.

They also didn't father three bastards that enabled the need for a succession war in the first place.

[Fat Mac]

Yeah not true at all, I don't watch the tv show and I hate the Lannisters with the fire of a billion sons.

Tywin was a monster he's a mass murderer who has had babies murdered and women. He had Elia and her children brutally murdered. He had a child gang raped, he is the reasons Jaime/Cersei exist two other monsters, the RW, the stealing and vandalism or Ice, terrorizing the Riverlands, sacking Kings Landing and he's a very horrible monster.

Jaime is evil he's pushed a child to cover up him having sex with his equally evil sister/queen, he is responsible for TWot5Ks, he killed Jory just to reprimand Ned, he helped create Joffery and that is enough to hate him, he's a bitch just a man made bitch!!!

Cersei is also evil, only evil could create Joffery, she's also crazy and delusional, I hate her so very much. She also is the cause of TWot5ks

Tyrion is a whiner who has also done terrible things I don't hate him but I'm not delusional either about him. He's entitled and violent

Keven has been the right hand men of the devil himself(Tywin)for for most of his life flowing Tywin's evil orders without question and continues to worship a monster. Keven was also evil.

Lancel, Devan, even Tommen and Myrcella are not so bad but I hate all Lannisters

Jaime and Kevan aren't evil.