[Book Spoilers] Cersei's Mental Health

[six]

Am I the only one who thought that this was an improvement? I liked seeing a bit of light and shade to her character, as opposed to the thoroughly dark individual she was in the books.

But if they're going to be true to the books, she'll have to get gradually worse over the course of the series, and I think we are seeing that. Her nearly constant smirking is quite telling.

I enjoyed it as well actually, and it managed to make me sympathise with her a little bit for the first time ever. It got a bit tiring by season 2 though, and she does need to become the Cersei of the books, I think it's quite important.

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As far as Cersei's mental state I think it's clear that she misses Jaime and is getting a little too scared for Joffrey, she can't protect him the way Jaime can.

I don't really see it. I see Cersei concerned with Joffrey, Margaery, getting her father's attention, getting one over Tyrion, but missing Jaime not so much. I'm sure she does miss him, but it's low-ish on the list.

Ehhh, she's cruel and has a taboo relationship, but I don't think she starts losing it until later. There's a difference between unbalanced and unhinged.

Book Cersei is unhinged, imo. She gets worse with time that is true, but all of her recollections from when she was younger point to the fact she was more similar to Joffrey than we would initially know.

[Lucifer Lightbringer]

The prognosis for Cersei's mental health was always grim. She has always had paranoid delusions and sees enemies everywhere, even where there are none. She also greatly over-values her own worth and intelligence. Just before the PW, these traits become exaggerated and afterwards she descends into full on madness. Narcissism, paranoia, delusions, depression, anxiety - she has them all in spades.

[The Killer Snark]

She suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, is a hysteric and has a persecution complex. She always has done. It'll get more apparent in the show when she also becomes an alcoholic, which is when I'm hoping she descends into all-out wackiness, though I don't really see Headey agreeing to put on weight.

[Kobayashi Maru]

Ehhh, she's cruel and has a taboo relationship, but I don't think she starts losing it until later. There's a difference between unbalanced and unhinged.

I never said she's loosing it now I was trying to answer to whoever told us they are making her likeable. They keep reminding us with this little episodes she's not. And also she's not batshit crazy yet but she's far from sane and balanced. :)

[Kobayashi Maru]

Book Cersei is unhinged, imo. She gets worse with time that is true, but all of her recollections from when she was younger point to the fact she was more similar to Joffrey than we would initially know.

I agree.

[Warrior Queen]

I don't really know what the initial post had to do with mental health, haha. I'd say Cersei is definitely a Narcissist.

She suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, is a hysteric and has a persecution complex. She always has done. It'll get more apparent in the show when she also becomes an alcoholic, which is when I'm hoping she descends into all-out wackiness, though I don't really see Headey agreeing to put on weight.

Cersei being a narcissist is definitely true. I think this is also a basis for the incestrous relationship with her twin. Some people with a narcissistic personality have narcissistic sexual tendencies in which they see themselves as the ultimate lust object, and Jaime and Cersei are said to look exactly alike....

[Mother of Mini Dragons]

Am I the only one who thought that this was an improvement? I liked seeing a bit of light and shade to her character, as opposed to the thoroughly dark individual she was in the books.

But if they're going to be true to the books, she'll have to get gradually worse over the course of the series, and I think we are seeing that. Her nearly constant smirking is quite telling.

I liked it too, I thought it made her more human and complex.

I do agree that she is slowly unraveling and it will continue and get worse, of course, after another colorful wedding. It will be fun watching Lena devolve Cersei.

[Tyrion4President]

I thought she was very smug about it in the book too iirc. Tyrion was also smug about Tywin endorsing the same for her, from what I remember from that scene. I think that was the part that was different from the depiction of the moment in the show as compared to the one in the books. Or was it that she was instructed to Marry first and then Tyrion was instructed to, therefore I remember him being smug? :unsure:

I feel like Tyrion is more worried about Sansa then himself with this marrage as for Cercei she couldnt care who was offered to her (or her offered too) shes just selfish and doesnt want any restraints

[I'll pay the iron price]

Cersei probably is a bit loopy at the moment as she is thinking about her father making her marry Loras Tyrell who will be more intrested in taking her up the stink instead of the pink!

[WinterWarrior]

I loathe Cersei. And I really don't like the way HBO has toned down her character from the books - she is so loathsome in the books I refuse to have any sympathy for her at all in the HBO series. I don't like the way they have made her vulnerable and powerless when it comes to Tywin and Joffrey - she is not that way in the books. She is an evil loathsome witch. I refuse to see her as a victim in any way.

I really don't like Lena Headley because she plays Cersei as a sympathetic character as this thread testifies to - making excuses that she is mentally ill. No, she is just evil. The first season all she did was look out with a knitted brow which did not strike me as good acting. She has since come into her own in the character but the character is too vulnerable to be the Cersei we book readers all know and hate.

Cersei deserved the Walk of Shame and deserves a horrible death. I can't wait until GRRM does it as only he can.

[I'll pay the iron price]

I think Lena Headley does a great job as Cersei

[The Killer Snark]

Warrior - That's a good point re: her incestuous relationship with Jaime. In fact, Tyrion is aware of this and cracks a joke about it someplace.

[Titan]

I certainly hope so! The softening of Cersei is one of the changes I hated the most in seasons 1 and 2.

It always surprises me how many people do not realize that ASOIAF is told through *unreliable narrators* - We only see Cersei from the perpective of people who despise her. The TV show is by its nature a more objective view - so it makes perfect sense (and IS NOT a contradiction) that Cersei comes across as softer.

[lannistergold]

I loathe Cersei. And I really don't like the way HBO has toned down her character from the books - she is so loathsome in the books I refuse to have any sympathy for her at all in the HBO series. I don't like the way they have made her vulnerable and powerless when it comes to Tywin and Joffrey - she is not that way in the books. She is an evil loathsome witch. I refuse to see her as a victim in any way.

I really don't like Lena Headley because she plays Cersei as a sympathetic character as this thread testifies to - making excuses that she is mentally ill. No, she is just evil. The first season all she did was look out with a knitted brow which did not strike me as good acting. She has since come into her own in the character but the character is too vulnerable to be the Cersei we book readers all know and hate.

Cersei deserved the Walk of Shame and deserves a horrible death. I can't wait until GRRM does it as only he can.

I don't think the show masks the fact that Cersei is (on the whole) an evil person - they even added some extra pointless cruelty toward Tyrion. But if it was Martin's intention to have no characters who are simply morally black (as book!Cersei has been so far), giving her a few sympathetic traits in the show is very much in line with it.

[Ser Desmond Wine's Bane]

I loathe Cersei. And I really don't like the way HBO has toned down her character from the books - she is so loathsome in the books I refuse to have any sympathy for her at all in the HBO series. I don't like the way they have made her vulnerable and powerless when it comes to Tywin and Joffrey - she is not that way in the books. She is an evil loathsome witch. I refuse to see her as a victim in any way.

I really don't like Lena Headley because she plays Cersei as a sympathetic character as this thread testifies to - making excuses that she is mentally ill. No, she is just evil. The first season all she did was look out with a knitted brow which did not strike me as good acting. She has since come into her own in the character but the character is too vulnerable to be the Cersei we book readers all know and hate.

Cersei deserved the Walk of Shame and deserves a horrible death. I can't wait until GRRM does it as only he can.

Softening her somewhat does fit with GRRM's pattern of not having any of the main characters purely black or white. If true, I am not sure it worked entirely the way it worked. I am actually enjoying watching her squirm.

[WilliamBailey]

I just think she's determined to stay at the top of the power chain by any means necessary, and is convinced it would be much easier if she was a man. She's also incredibly vain.

[Zar Lannister]

Cersei probably is a bit loopy at the moment as she is thinking about her father making her marry Loras Tyrell who will be more intrested in taking her up the stink instead of the pink!

It's a done deal for her? She doesn't want to be a breeding mare and she's missing some of Loras favorite bits, to say it as Tyrion put it. No need to fake pretend with this one!

[Montey14]

Cersei's has always been a paranoid person. All of her fame and fotune derives from her name and good looks....keeping her insestuous affair a secret from Robert did not help her mental state as well. But we started to see the really deranged and manipulative book Cersei in the Blackwater episode....war and trying to keep Groffry on a leash as well as trying satisfy her father really takes it's toll on her .....her decisions get worse as the pressure mounts....

[wolverine]

I don't think the show masks the fact that Cersei is (on the whole) an evil person - they even added some extra pointless cruelty toward Tyrion. But if it was Martin's intention to have no characters who are simply morally black (as book!Cersei has been so far), giving her a few sympathetic traits in the show is very much in line with it.

What was that?

Show Tyrion is an angel. What is his only fault on the show? He liked whores (intentional use of the past tense as he is now in love)?

[Dove]

I think he's referring to Cersei's smirking and gloating at Tyrion's discomfort involving the Sansa marriage in this last episode, maybe. She didn't get the chance to smug it up about that in the books because her engagement was announced first.