The Appearance of a King

[Lala]

Hi~

I'm new to the forums and I've recently been rereading the SoIaF series. I'm sorry if someone has already started a thread about this - I searched and didn't see anything come up.

While rereading AGoT, one of the themes that stood out to me is how a character is described to appear as if they are a "king" (or a "queen" "prince" "princess") by the other POV characters. I haven't formulated a concrete theory on this yet since I'm still in the process of rereading and documenting all of the instances, but I wanted to hear other thoughts on this *u*

What I expect to see as I progress through my reread:

As the POV characters progress and develop and see more of Westeros and those in power (possibly gaining power themselves) their perception of what a "king" or "queen" should look like will transform to accommodate for more innate qualities as opposed to purely outward appearances. They will become more perceptive and their observations will begin to reflect their own internal struggles with the question of "what gives a man or woman the right to rule?". To some extent I think even early in my reread Jon already begins to show an ability to see beyond his external preconceptions of what makes a "king."

AGoT

Daenerys I

When she is being dressed to meet Khal Drogo:

"They dressed her in the wisps that Magister Illyrio had sent up, and then the gown, a deep plum silk to bring out the violet in her eyes. The girl slid the gilded sandals onto her feet, while the old woman fixed the tiara in her hair, and slid the golden bracelets crusted with amethysts around her wrists. Last of all came the collar, a heavy golden tore emblazoned with ancient Valyrian glyphs.

'Now you look all a princess,' the girl said breathlessly when they were done."

This scene is interesting to me because Daenerys goes on to reflect that she had heard that even Khal Drogo's slaves wore golden collars. Also taken in conjunction with what I know happens later: Daenerys emerging from the fire with her three hatched dragons, this scene makes for an interesting comparison. In this scene, Dany is said to have the appearance of a "princess" or to look like one that rules. However, arguably, the scene with Khal Drogo's funeral pyre is the scene where Dany truly becomes a queen in her own right. A contrast of her appearances in these two scenes makes the reader ponder "Do appearances make the king? Or conversely, does the king necessarily even have the appearance?" How important is it to look the part of a ruler?

*Also to think about Renly vs Stannis - which is/was a truer king?

Jon I

Jon observes the royal party and the "real" Starks entering the feast at Winterfell.

He is first disappointed in Robert's appearance

"Next had come King Robert himself, with Lady Stark on his arm. The king was a great disappointment to Jon. His father had talked of him often the peerless Robert Baratheon, demon of the Trident, the fiercest warrior of the realm, a giant among princes. Jon saw only a fat man, red-faced under his beard, sweating through his silks. He walked like a man half in his cups."

Jon contrasts Robert's disappointing appearance with Jaime:

"Ser Jaime Lannister was twin to Queen Cersei; tall and golden, with flashing green eyes and a smile that cut like a knife. He wore crimson silk, high black boots, a black satin cloak. On the breast of his tunic, the lion of his House was embroidered in gold thread, roaring its defiance

Jon found it hard to look away from him. This is what a king should look like, he thought to himself as the man passed."

Yet later, after speaking to Tyrion, Jon uses the imagery of a king in relation to the younger Lannister:

"'Remember this, boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs.' And with that he turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune. When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.

Amusing because neither Jaime nor Robert made/would make a very good king! In fact, if Jaime Lannister ever gained (to some extent) the "wisdom" to rule it was after he lost the golden appearance - this is going into other territory, but Jaime doesn't become a "complete" person in his perceptions of the world and people around him until he loses his right hand (ironic~)

Yet the scene with Tyrion shows that Jon is already able, to a certain extent, to see beyond superficial appearances. I would argue that in that last scene, he sees Tyrion's pride and his strength, and consequently is able to see "the shadow of a king" in Tyrion.

I see an interesting parallel between Jon and Dany early in the series - both, to a certain extent are "beggars." Jon does not belong in Winterfell because he is a bastard child, Dany does not have a home because she is a royal exile running from those who would have her assassinated. I think this makes both of them more perceptive at the beginning of the series than their contemporaries (Sansa, Robb, Theon) since they are less likely to be taken in by appearances. When Dany sees the golden collar she, quite accurately, sees it as a representation of her position as a "slave" not a "princess." Jon is able to see "the shadow of a king" in the misshapen dwarf Lannister, Tyrion.

I don't necessarily think this is a sign that Jon or Dany is more intelligent or perceptive as a rule than the other younger POVs, simply that they are already more advanced in their journey than the others. None of the other children have experienced even a limited measure of the adversity Jon and Dany are facing at this point in the timeline.

The best contrast is Sansa~

Sansa I

When describing Joffrey:

"He was all she ever dreamt her prince should be, tall and handsome and strong, with hair like gold."

Early in the series, Sansa arguably has the most to learn about power and what makes a true "prince" or "king." She has had no reason to question what she hears from her songs and fairy tales and consequently has never thought about the true nature of "power" and "right to rule" beyond a "tall and handsome and strong" prince.

I will try to add more as my reread progresses~ but this is all I have for now orz

Any thoughts are welcome~ Sorry about the length =(

[The Mountain That Flies]

I dont have the books on hand, but a completly seperate quote of note is Stannis' description of the time he and Robert, while children, met Tywin Lannister in King's Landing. They thought he was the king based on his demenaour (and obvious authority) and told each other afterwads that was exactly how a king should look (eventually learning they were mistaken).

Stannis the kind of man who judges people very harshly and shows little fear, yet even he is in awe of Tywin's prescence. Yes, he was a child at the time, but even decades later while recounting the story to Davos, his ackloledgement of Tywin is still noteworthy.

[Lala]

I dont have the books on hand, but a completly seperate quote of note is Stannis' description of the time he and Robert, while children, met Tywin Lannister in King's Landing. They thought he was the king based on his demenaour (and obvious authority) and told each other afterwads that was exactly how a king should look (eventually learning they were mistaken).

Stannis the kind of man who judges people very harshly and shows little fear, yet even he is in awe of Tywin's prescence. Yes, he was a child at the time, but even decades later while recounting the story to Davos, his ackloledgement of Tywin is still noteworthy.

I definitely haven't gotten there in my reread yet (I'm so slow orz) but that's interesting! What I'd be interested to explore is what this reveals about Stannis and his perceptions on what "makes a king" so to speak. Because I think in the last passage I quoted, Jon already begins to subconsciously show us that he knows that it takes more than "a golden appearance" to be a ruler.

Would you agree, broadly since we don't have exact text, that Stannis's perception of what a "king" should be is largely rooted in the concept of power and control?

[The Mountain That Flies]

Would you agree, broadly since we don't have exact text, that Stannis's perception of what a "king" should be is largely rooted in the concept of power and control?

I would. Stannis is obsessed with the concept of "justice", so it would make sense he would consider kingly a man who keeps an ordered realm. By all account Tywin did just that, and both men do their best to keep very tight control of any room they're in.

[Magjee]

Cant forget this gem from Sworn Sword:

"Daeron was spindly and round of shoulder, with a little belly that wobbled when he walked. Daemon stood straight and proud, and his stomach was flat and hard as an oaken shield. And he could fight . With ax or lance or flail, he was as good as any knight I ever saw, but with the sword he was the Warrior himself. When Prince Daemon had Blackfyre in his hand, there was not a man to equal him… not Ulrick Dayne with Dawn, no, nor even the Dragonknight with Dark Sister."