Important non-pov characters getting prologue/epilogue chapters?

[Ordos]

When it comes to which characters become pov characters, there are only 2 basic rules: They are not a king and not a major power player. The first is because that would be too indulgent to readers as they are in a position of power. The second is because GRRM does not want to give away any plot details with revealing plans of the major power player. Tywin Lannister planning the Red Wedding for instance.

Anyway, with the latter rule GRRM has taken liberty to bend it somewhat when he made Cercei and Melisandre pov characters. I know Dany is in a position of great power, but the difference there was she started with nothing and went to the top. I suppose with Cercei it was because she lost all her power with what the faith militant did.

GRRM has asserted that there will be no new pov characters and for now I believe him (that could change with book 7 or possibly with book 8 which he remains open to writing). But there is still the prologue and epilogue chapters. With Kevan Lannister becoming the epilogue chapter in Book 5, that leaves hope that some major power players can get their own pov. With prologue/epilogue characters dying, it is possible a major power player's plans will have already been completely revealed in the plot and they no longer have any secrets to hold back. This gives me a tiny sense of hope that we can get a Littlefinger, Varys or Doran Martell chapter. I know, I know, you're saying that's not going to happen. But with what I already stated, that gives me just a little bit of hope. I know for certain however that we will not get a Stannis chapter and he is a king.

What say you of this?

[Euron III Greyjoy]

I hope a character I like doesn't get a prologue chapter because the other rule is that all prologue and epilogue characters die at the end of the chapter or shortly after. I think a rumor floating around at some point was that the prologue for TWoW was going to be something about Jeyne Westerling. So my guess is that the POV character is someone like Addam Marbrand who is escorting the prisoners to the Westerlands, only to get attacked by the Brotherhood without Banners or the Blackfish, and in turn die. 

[kissdbyfire]

3 hours ago, EloImFizzy said:

I hope a character I like doesn't get a prologue chapter because the other rule is that all prologue and epilogue characters die at the end of the chapter or shortly after. I think a rumor floating around at some point was that the prologue for TWoW was going to be something about Jeyne Westerling. So my guess is that the POV character is someone like Addam Marbrand who is escorting the prisoners to the Westerlands, only to get attacked by the Brotherhood without Banners or the Blackfish, and in turn die. 

Not a rumour, it came straight from the horse's mouth! 

"The first hint came from Friday’s packed Game of Thrones panel. While addressing the subject of divergences between the HBO series and his novels, Martin dropped an announcement that though Robb’s wife Talisa has died on the show, her literary counterpart Jeyne Westerling “is still alive – and will be seen in the prologue of The Winds of Winter.”

[Seams]

Interesting interpretation. I see someone like Daenerys as a major power player and Kevan Lannister as a "yes man" assistant to Tywin, so your categories don't quite work for me. Cersei definitely sees herself as a power player but readers tend to think of her as someone who is reaching too far and is destined to fall. You may be right that she became a POV just as she loses power to the Faith Militant. Interesting that Catelyn loses her voice and stops being a POV when she gains a leadership role among a band of armed warriors.

I agree that Littlefinger, Varys and Doran Martell hold secrets that GRRM does not want to reveal through everyday POV insights. I'm dying to find out what their secrets might be, but I expect we will find out when the books finally reach their resolution.

The prologue and epilogue chapters remind me of the red shirt characters on the away teams on Star Trek: you know the red shirt guy is going to get zapped or eaten or somehow meet his demise. It becomes a cliche but it's also fun to see how it will play out.

With the exception of Davos, all of the regular POV characters are highborn. I think this is deliberate and significant: GRRM is telling us that small folk suffer during war AND that their voices are not heard by the highborn people who play the Game of Thrones. A timeless lesson for our world as well as Westeros. But why give us the exception of low-born Davos? I suspect that there are more secrets in his past. My best guess is that he is a dragon seed (Targaryen bastard) but it may be more complex than that.

[Guest]

The prologues and epilogues are usually among my favorite part of the books. Especially ADWD. I feel that Martin has kept good on his word to not have any major power player POV's. Cersei was always littlefinger's piece until AFFC when she unwillingly became Vary's piece. Even before her imprisonment, it seems to me she has very little power and what she is doing is not benefiting her at all anyway. Dany's rule is filled with doubts and struggles and she is not holding many secrets from anyone she's in contact with so she's not a major schemer like Illyrio or anyone. Mel's chapter was interesting. I wonder what the book would have been like with a few more of her chapters. (imagine sheildhall and Jon's stabbing through her perspective) No greater plots were revealed. We just got more insight on her. Maybe she was a major player in the first three books, but I feel like her scheming days are almost at an end because of how it was revealed about her struggles with her powers and her doubts in those like Stannis and Jon that she has been consulting. Looking forward to more of her chapters.

Kevan was a great chapter. I don't put him in the player group because of how straightforward he was with everything and I feel like there's some stuff he's not in on. He doesn't appear to have any clue on the "outlaws shouting halfman" killing Tristine Martell, for example. I don't see any major players like Doran or Varys getting prologues/epilogues but I could see someone who is kind of in on schemes getting chapters and those plots getting revealed.  

[Ordos]

The reason I put Cercei as a major player is because it would have been impossible to have her as a pov in book 1 without having the readers 10 steps ahead of Ned. 

One reason I suggested major players being a pov in prologue/epilogue chapters is because it would be a nice little finale to the schemes coming full circle. It would be beautiful storytelling to see at the very end a schemer meet his/her demise from their perspective when their schemes have been fulfilled or failed.