Regarding Tyrion

[Ser Doctor]

I don't understand why people think that Littlefinger as opposed to Tyrion is a self made man. It's Silly. The only truly clever character who seems to be self-made is Varys and possibly Ilyrio. People slather Littlefinger with praise while besmerching tyrion, and it makes no sense.

Firstly, little is known about littlefinger directly, he has never been a POV character. The closest chapters showing his 'genius' are a handfull of chapters from the perspective of sansa, ned and tyrion. We don't know anything about the way littefinger really runs things, so its easy to compare him to tyrion and say, make belive that littefinger is a perfect tactical mastermind. Littlefinger has also come into power through ruthless exploitation of Lysa Tully. Without Lysa, the wife of the hand of the king, he would have never received his first postings and would not have risen to such 'heights'. I like Littlefinger, and I recognize his cunning and abilities, but he has had a great amount of advantage in his life. Like Tyrion he would never have been so succesful if he hadn't been so cunning (and ruthless in LF's case). But the obviouse advantages Littlefinger has had are more numerouse than what Tyrion has had.

Firstly Littlefinger is not a dwarf.

Secondly, Littlefinger is older than tyrion. A little wiser mayhaps, and has had more time to establish himself than tyrion has.

Thirdly, Littlefinger was fostered by Lord Tully, who by all accounts we have heard was a great man.

Fourthly, Littlefinger screwed and continued to screw and take advantage of Lysa Tully.

Fifthly, Littlefinger is nobody. Littlefinger had no natural enemies, unlike tyrion who may have been born to a high station, yet tyrion had no real oportunities to capitalize on his family. His father and his sister treated him like snot, and the only family members who treated him decently were his aunts and uncles, and his brother. The only thing being a lannister really brought him was as a substitute hand for a time, followed by a demotion to treasurer. By being born a Lannister Tyrion naturally had enemies. Nobody cared about littlefinger except maybe Varys. He was the hidden danger and nobody including Tyrion knew just what he was up to, although tyrion began to see through littefinger in the end, a mark in his favor.

Tyrion is cunning and witty and has shown this time and time again, and is remarkably capable considering how many times he has gotten shat on in the books. The only book that he doesn't really do very much was ASOS, but that was only because he couldn't leave kingslanding, had little to no power, was forced to marry sansa, and had to contend with his sister, joffrey and his father. Being a lannister has born more grief than blessing for tyrion than anything else.

..... Anyway, I'm curiouse what tyrion is going to do with the seven mushrooms he finds more than anything else. Any ideas?

[Mortimer the Vile]

Its possible that Illyro just wants Tyrion to finish his song. You know, the one he sings on the ship that was started by Symon Silvertongue before silver tongue extraction and the rest winding up in a bowl of brown soup? Ilyirio does seem to be a patron of the arts, maybe not fine arts but..

Illyro also eats like a machine, perhaps he had a taste of the silver bard soup and wants more. Hehe.

[McCloskey]

I dont think you can directly compare LF and Tyrion. Both had obstacles, dwarfism for Tyrion and Low Birth for LF. I think despite his physical handicap, Tyrion is still a member of the richest house in Westeros while LF was a minor, minor lordling from the fingers. By all rights LF never should have ended up Master of Coin let alone Lord of Harrenhal and Protector of the Vale. He only got that far by mastering the economy, seducing a noblewoman, and scheming night and day for years. While that may not be the noblest path to power I dont think it should be held against him. Tyrion really isnt a self made man since he received training, education, and resources that LF never dreamed of.

[McCloskey]

I dont think you can directly compare LF and Tyrion. Both had obstacles, dwarfism for Tyrion and Low Birth for LF. I think despite his physical handicap, Tyrion is still a member of the richest house in Westeros while LF was a minor, minor lordling from the fingers. By all rights LF never should have ended up Master of Coin let alone Lord of Harrenhal and Protector of the Vale. He only got that far by mastering the economy, seducing a noblewoman, and scheming night and day for years. While that may not be the noblest path to power I dont think it should be held against him. Tyrion really isnt a self made man since he received training, education, and resources that LF never dreamed of.

[Ser Doctor]

I dont think you can directly compare LF and Tyrion. Both had obstacles, dwarfism for Tyrion and Low Birth for LF. I think despite his physical handicap, Tyrion is still a member of the richest house in Westeros while LF was a minor, minor lordling from the fingers. By all rights LF never should have ended up Master of Coin let alone Lord of Harrenhal and Protector of the Vale. He only got that far by mastering the economy, seducing a noblewoman, and scheming night and day for years. While that may not be the noblest path to power I dont think it should be held against him. Tyrion really isnt a self made man since he received training, education, and resources that LF never dreamed of.

Not true. LF was raised and reared alongside Catlyen Tully, Edmure Tully, and Lysa Tully. The children of as great a lord as Tywin. LF was just as lucky as tyrion as far as upbringing is involved, luck is luck after all. And being a minor lordling is still lucky compared to not being any sort of lordling at all. I think the only true self made characters in ASOIAF are the Maesters and characters like Illyrio and Varys.

[aspasia]

But he did let his obsession with whores cloud his ju

I'm guessing this word was "judgment"?

I don't think Tyrion was obsessed with whores. He's obsessed with the memory of his first marriage and the way his father broke it up-- understandably, most of his emotional life is wrapped up with being loved for his own sake versus buying the appearance of love. Since he loved Tysha and his father took her away under the description of "just a whore" he is also quite sensitive to the savagery with which Tywin (and similarly ignorant/self-righteous types) treats "whores" real or alleged. Tyrion has lots of experience with pro and semi-pro women, so he views them as real people with feelings that can be hurt-- even identifies with them, probably, as they are underdogs like himself who are usually condemned for what they are called and not given the benefit of the doubt, or the respect or consideration given "real" people. In other words, people misunderstand and mistreat Tyrion for being a deformed dwarf, and some people also misunderstand and abuse women they call whores. That word, used as Tywin uses it, functions as a legitimation of incredibly cruel abuses directed at the helpless; he'll have some young girl gang-raped for the crime of loving Tyrion, and it's all right because whores don't deserve anything better. Tyrion might not know why exactly, but he knows he hates his father's use of that word-- he tells his father not to say that word, and shoots him for using it again.

Tyrion's sensitivity to that sort of social savagery and systematic possibilities of abuse is part of what makes him morally mature, a far more decent human being than, for instance, Lysa Arryn. Lysa is so morally insane that she apparently actually FEELS that Tyrion deserves to die for murdering Jon Arryn, even though Lysa herself killed her husband! Tyrion, on the other hand, exhibits many modes of morally mature deliberation: he puts himself in the other's place, he imagines various motives for what they do, he compares their lapses to his own with a fair eye, he consistently attributes full human vulnerability and consciousness to everyone, be they whore or sellsword or savage bandit. It's painful that he acquires this sensitivity to brutality only because he grows up victimized by Tywin and Cersei; and now that he has killed his father, I am waiting to see if he returns to the decent guy he was before, or becomes unhinged and turns into some sort of mini-Tywin. The Tyrion chapter has scary hints of the second-- the way he intentionally frightens the bed-slave and enjoys her fear as he never would have before. I was always sad that Sansa was not able to perceive and appreciate Tyrion's capacities for kindness.

I wanted to strangle Shae too, but I'm terrified imagining the consequences to Tyrion's moral character of having killed both his terrible father and his weak former lover...

aspasia

[A wilding]

aspasia: I do agree generally, but not entirely with

Tyrion has lots of experience with pro and semi-pro women, so he views them as real people with feelings that can be hurt-- even identifies with them, probably, as they are underdogs like himself who are usually condemned for what they are called and not given the benefit of the doubt, or the respect or consideration given "real" people.

My reading of Tyrion is that being convinced Tysha was a whore and faking it with him has destroyed his ability to have a real relationship with any sex partner, presumably because he does not dare trust his judgment of his partners.

Shae is a case in point here; Tyrion makes no effort at all to finds out anything about her as a person, he has no interest in her hopes, dreams or aspirations, and tells her nothing about his own. He just gives her clothes and jewels (when he can) and otherwise treats her like a sex toy. She would have had every right to be annoyed with him by the end of ASoS.

[aspasia]

My reading of Tyrion is that being convinced Tysha was a whore and faking it with him has destroyed his ability to have a real relationship with any sex partner, presumably because he does not dare trust his judgment of his partners.

I agree that a great deal of his emotional landscape is determined by his belief that Tysha had been hired to seduce him. Now, he remembers their brief time together very often, and has to remind himself she might have been faking-- probably was faking-- how much was fake??-- he can't know for sure-- but it sure felt like love, and it's the only experience of love he has. Equally significant was the last moment when Tywin makes him have sex with her after his guardsmen, and pay her. He's quite sure that no woman is going to sleep with him without being paid to do so, but is heartbreakingly unsure about whether they secretly loathe every second of being with him or not. Maybe they like him a little.. maybe they get used to his ugliness and forget it a little because he's kind... Of course no one's ever going to admire him like Loras Tyrell, but maybe some woman someday could appreciate him a little because he treats them as well as he can and he really is grateful for the physical intimacy and appearance of affection they give him.

You're right that he knows he can never know for sure; that's a basic fact about the situation. It's a situation shared more widely than is commonly thought; no one whose sexual partner benefits from their relationship, or is dependent on them, can know "for sure". But in Tyrion's case the uncertainty is heightened and highlighted.

Shae is a case in point here; Tyrion makes no effort at all to finds out anything about her as a person, he has no interest in her hopes, dreams or aspirations, and tells her nothing about his own. He just gives her clothes and jewels (when he can) and otherwise treats her like a sex toy. She would have had every right to be annoyed with him by the end of ASoS.

I'm not sure just what you think he wasn't interested in about Shae "as a person". It's not like she has some enormously complex deep background as a frustrated artist. He listens to everything she says, he longs for her to confide in him, he fears for her safety, he takes ELABORATE precautions to protect her. Every time he tries to explain to her anything about his life, even his life as regards her safety, her eyes glaze over and she replies "Can I wear the nice dresses again now"? He certainly listens to her hopes, dreams, and aspirations: she aspires to go to the wedding in a silk gown and pretend to be a lady, and that scares the hell out of Tyrion because she is too dim to realize the danger she is in, or how easily her cover could be blown. When he wants to move her into the castle because King's Landing may be SACKED and she could be KILLED, she pouts because her hands might get chapped if she washes dishes. So her gets her the least difficult, most luxurious, highest-status cover job he possibly can.

Tyrion does his very best for Shae-- the shallowness of their relationship stems from her limitations. He gives her clothes and jewels because that's what she WANTS, along with a mansion (until it becomes too dangerous to SHAE to live outside the walls). She is young, not particularly bright, lively, reasonably clever at realizing what men want to hear women say in order to turn them on, and unscrupulous about trading anything she's got to trade... including betrayal. She sells Tyrion out, pretends to have been the innocent virtuous victim of his sick lusts, because he can't give her anything more and Cersei can. And Tyrion loves her, not because she is particularly worthy of adoration, but because he is love-starved and needs to love someone, and needs to feel physical touch and enjoy at least the possibility that her affection is not ENTIRELY feigned.

If all Tyrion wanted was an anonymous sex-toy, he would go to Chataya's and rent one by the hour. Simpler, safer, less demanding, less complex, less worrisome. He desperately wants to love and be loved in return, and is willing to take the half-loaf of a hired mistress because he does not believe anyone could ever love him for himself. He knew what Shae was and loved her anyway because he couldn't help loving anyone who would hold him and pretend not to see his scar.

aspasia

[A wilding]

An essay, I am afraid.

On the question of Shae betraying Tyrion

The first point here is that Shae clearly did not believe Tyrion's protestations of danger to her from his family. Possibly because she was stupid, but OTOH, we don't see Tyrion making a serious attempt to justify his fears or explain the very special situation he is in. As Shae points out, half the lords of Westeros have bedwarmers, and how often are they murdered by the families? This being so, Shae was bound to look for other motives in Tyrion insisting on keeping her secret and making her work as a maid. The obvious conclusion is that he is likely to put her aside sooner rather than later. Her concern over ruining her hands, and her wish to keep some jewelry, look very different from this angle.

So who betrayed whom? In AGoT Tyrion stated the terms between them. He said he was "A Lannister, with plenty of gold, and generous", and initially he sets her up in her own household. So far, so good. But soon he takes it all away from her and makes her work for her keep while still being required to keep up her side of the deal. Then he gets himself arrested and she is on her own with nothing to show for her efforts. Given she did not believe him about the danger, she is not going to be very happy with him. Given that Cersei had her locked up and almost certainly knew about the relationship, her testifying against Tyrion is almost justified. Only the gratuitous spite of the "Giant of Lannister" part was definitely beyond the pale.

On the question of Shae being shallow

As a character Shae is not exactly in focus, as we see her solely through Tyrion's eyes. Tyrion has hired her to please him, and not just in bed - he explicitly told her she would be a companion also to "share his tent" and "laugh at his jests" - so everything she does around him might be part of the act he has asked for. Also, burned by the Tysha business, Tyrion dare not trust his judgment of her, as we have agreed. He assumes that she is only interested in his money, whatever she says and does, and constantly repeats his little mantra "its your gold she loves". We get lots of sex scenes between them, but we don't get any scene at all of Tyrion actively asking her about herself; everything we get about her comes out incidentally.

So just because Tyrion thinks Shae a shallow person only interested in gold, it does not make it true.

And we do get a few hints that there is more to Shae than this:

- The only figure in contemporary Westeros politics that Shae shows the least interest is Ellaria Sand. "She was almost a whore when Lord Oberyn found her, and now she is almost a princess" she says.

- As you say, she wanted to go to Joffrey & Margaery's wedding, and persisted asking to the point of annoying Tyrion about it.

- Most of all, in ACoK she says "I would be your lady, m'lord. I'd dress in all the beautiful things you gave me, in satin and samite and cold-of-gold, and I'd wear your jewels and hold your hand and sit by you in feasts. I could give you sons, I know I could ... and I vow that I'd never shame you."

It seems to me that the last quote is the key. Shae hoped for status, recognition and security, and of sons with a surname (even if it was "Waters"). She dreamed of being a lady. Money was only a means to this end. I see little evidence of Tyrion realising this.

[aspasia]

That is a false dichotomy though. He had middle paths between "killing Rossart, and then Aerys" and "letting someone burn a whole city down". And if he was so strongly motivated by the desire to save the city, why didn't he ensure that the other two pyromancers in the plot were caught and killed as soon as possible, and that the caches of wildfire were neutralised?

He did track down the other two pyromancers. He tells Brienne it took him a while, they were variously disguised. Only the pyromancers knew where they had cached the wildfire, and all the pyromancers didn't even know-- the ones Cersei uses are surprised to discover extra caches they hadn't known about.

I agree that it would have been a good idea for Jaime to call attention to the fact that there were dangerous stashes of wildfire all over King's Landing. The potential for accident seems to me to have been high, although wqe hear nothing about mysterious explosions in Flea Bottom. Perhaps Jaime would have hesitated to make a fuss about it because it would have seemed like special pleading on his own behalf-- weak excuses-- and he' repelled by the idea of seeming to try to excuse himself for Aerys' murder. This isn't an admirable arrogance.

Regarding Tyrion and Daenerys: Will Dany, along with a puzzling number of posters to this thread, continue the Westerosian habit of blaming an entire family for actions of some of its members? Tyrion isn't "The Lannisters". He certainly had nothing to do with Tywin's orders or Jaime's actions during the Sack of King's Landing. Tyrion himself points out this error early, during his visit to Winterfell: "My brother is certainly arrogant, and my sister lusts for power with every waking breath..." And all Tyrion's claims to love his family are deeply ironic-- he loved Jaime, but hates him now as much as Cersei and Tywin. It would be supremely distasteful for Tyrion to be blamed for the actions of people who hate him, who have tormented him lifelong, who he hates enough on his own behalf to murder. Whoever tries to blast into Tyrion with a jeremiad against the evils of Lannisters is teaching his grandmother to suck eggs-- no one knows better than Tyrion how horrible his father and sister are.

aspasia

[aspasia]

An essay, I am afraid.

Oh my dear: I'm always delighted when anyone reads my posts to the end and replies at length. So few have the attention span.

However, I'll be unusually brief and concede you're right about your refinements to what I said. I was not trying to say Shae was worthless; I was trying to correct the idea, which I thought present in the previous post, that Tyrion had been terrible Shae in some "typically sexist" manner, and that Shae had some purported deep complexities and high aspirations he neglected to appreciate. She does have aspirations, certainly, and I think Tyrion has no trouble seeing what they are. He tries to give her as much as he can of what she wants. If there is insensitivity going on in their relationship, it's certainly two-way; she doesn't give a flip about any difficulties he is in-- EVEN as they relate to her own danger, as is just NOT listening. He is stressing how she needs to hide and she asks if she can wear her silks and gems. No, she did not believe him about the danger she was in, but you think he ought to have tried harder to explain it to her and make her believe him. I don't think she paid attention to what he said and rejected it thoughtfully, she just didn't listen, she waves off what he says because she does not WANT it to be true. She's only thinking about present and future comforts and gewgaws, staring at Ellaria Sand thinking oh, wow, I could get to sit at the high table if Tyrion would only act like that Viper guy and let me!

It makes me sad when she overlooks his real manifestation of concern for her safety, and throws the weight of her persuasion *against* his attempts to protect her. Had he been stronger, and less in need of her physical presence and the only semblance of affection he gets from ANYONE, perhaps he could have sent her away with money and protection, enough to wear nice clothes somewhere far away. But she probably would have read that as the end of her hopes to get even more-- to get into Ellaria Sand's pretty position. Yes, he should have sat her down and insisted that she listen to him, and NOT let her throw herself on his lap and work on him as she so frantically does-- she is trying to get the most leverage she can out of every moment she has, which, to her mind, means getting him hard, fast, and getting him inside her, from which vantage she has the best chance of getting him to agree with whatever she wants. He should have resisted her long enough to force her to realize her danger and cooperate with steps for her own safety. For instance, he ought to have said to HER "I can marry you to someone decent" rather than just think it to himself when she's gone. But she herself is the enemy of that serious discussion, and works as hard as she can to avoid it. She doesn't think she can get as much concession out of talk as she can out of sex. And she's right.

Anyway, to sum up; I think Shae is just a normal young woman in her situation, and much of the real tragedy of her fate comes from that situation; neither she nor Tyrion do anything spectacularly blameworthy that leads to her betrayal of him and his killing of her. The person who wrote that betrayal and death was Tywin Lannister.

There is something else I wanted to post about Tywin, but it is its own essay so I will post it separately.

aspasia

[aspasia]

Tywin says to Tyrion:

"This is the last time you bring shame on House Lannister. You are through with whores. The next one I find in your bed, I'll hang."

The first time through, I thought this sentence expressed Tywin's true view on whores, and was therefore surprised when Tyrion found Shae naked in his father's bed. It didn't ring true for Tywin to have sex with a woman who he condemned Tyrion for sleeping with, and as monstrous as Tywin is, I had never perceived him as a hypocrite. This puzzled me until I focused my attention on just what Tywin actually meant by "shaming" House Lannister.

Tywin doesn't despise Tyrion for HAVING SEX with whores; this is further borne out by the fact that he commanded Tyrion to have sex with Tysha and pay her in gold "because you are a Lannister, and worth more." What revolts Tywin is not having sex with whores and treating them AS whores-- paying them what you think they're worth (or what you are worth-- it's very telling, that gold piece) and shoving them out the door, never to be seen again.

What he considers shameful is Tyrion's "weakness' in being NICE to whores and paying them more than he HAS to, treating them as semi-girlfriends, giving them houses and dresses. It is the fact that Tyrion MARRIED Tysha that drives Tywin round the bend; as he sees it, Tysha is a commoner with no right to expect a Lannister to marry her, so she COULD only have been after power, money, and status as a Lannister's wife... and Tyrion "gave in" and gave a "whore" more than he absolutely had to in order to get her naked in bed. I get the feeling Tywin would like to punish any woman he thinks "charges" more than she is "worth", or who "presumes" to any benefit whatsoever derived through the kindness or generosity of any male. Remember, his loathing is supposed to date from his father's mistress wearing his mother's jewels-- a woman of no social status presuming to grasp a benefit that derived from the most legitimate social status, a "theft" that took place because his father was "too weak" to enforce the "proper" rules. We don't know anything at all about the relationship between his father and the mistress he kept after his wife's death-- only that Tywin was enraged that the "whore" presumed to "wifely" benefits.

One byproduct of Tywin's psychology, if I have it correctly diagnosed, would account for his attitude regarding Cersei. Since he sees as "whores" anyone and everyone who tries to get more than they are "supposed" to have, and Cersei is a Lannister, she CAN'T be a whore; she is already entitled to everything there is, positive social standing, legitimacy, wealth. Not power; only men wield that, to Lord Tywin, and thus Cersei is not a player but a piece in his mind. But a piece who can never occupy the mental space of "whore", as Tywin defines it, no matter what her sexual behavior. Unlike Tyrion, Cersei will never shame her House by being kinder than she has to be.

So sure, he could have slept with Shae. He would have thought it perfectly fine to do so, as long as he treats her with contempt, and disappoints any ambitions she might have to get benefits via occupying his bed. He would have felt satisfactory gratification, even, had he had sex with her, paid her some amount consonant with his own estimation of his own worth, and then ordered her whipped and hanged. It's fine to screw whores, as long as you REALLY screw them. Tyrion keeps failing to screw them over... he mistakes them for PEOPLE, what with his pathetic (to Tywin) desire for affection. Tywin think he really has solved the whole problem by allotting Sansa to Tyrion-- giving him a woman who Tywin considers correct wife material. But since Sansa already has social standing and lots of clothes, she's not going to feel quite as fervently grateful to Tyrion as Shae sometimes affected... and he'll never get a scrap of what he wants and needs from his marriage. He hopes, maybe, if Sansa can appreciate kindness, she could come to trust him, and be glad she has a kind husband rather than a Joffrey; but she's too stunned with trauma to give him any hope, and his wedding-night goodnight is perfectly apropos: if Sansa never wants him to touch her then "that's why the gods made whores for dwarfs like me."

One can only marvel at the subtlety and completeness of the depiction of Tywin Lannister. A character drawn with such complexity that a jarring sense of contradiction leads to realizations of why he would, indeed, have behaved just as portrayed.

aspasia

[aspasia]

So just because Tyrion thinks Shae a shallow person only interested in gold, it does not make it true.

You go on to enumerate things she wants other than money. But I don't think "gold" is supposed to mean only cash on the barrelhead, either when Tyrion thinks it, or when I mentioned it. "Gold" was just a stand-in for wealth, for all the material things Tyrion can give Shae, and the immaterial things wealth secures, like status and safety. When you say that someone is just after your money, that doesn't mean they only want green stuff and not, say, cars, credit cards, diamonds, and hard-to-get wedding invitations. It means Shae doesn't want Tyrion for HIMSELF, but for everything he can give her since he is a rich Lannister. So we have both already conceded that she wants expensive dresses-- that doesn't make her less mercenary. Ditto to be able to wear them in public and pretend to be a lady. That's just included under "gold".

aspasia

[Guest]

Is there a POV sample for this chapter actually? I thought there was only the one for Dany. If so, can someone please put up a link to it and forgive me for my ignorance?

[burnt hound]

Grrm has changed the chapters a long time ago. Read the forum for the content, or ask a member to send you the chapter.

I would send it to you, but I cannot remember where I put it

[Guest]

Meaning it was once posted, but what was posted will not be verbatim what ends up in the book?

[Innominandum]

It's actually still there http://www.georgerrmartin.com/chapter.html .

[Maia]

An essay, I am afraid.

On the question of Shae betraying Tyrion

The first point here is that Shae clearly did not believe Tyrion's protestations of danger to her from his family. Possibly because she was stupid, but OTOH, we don't see Tyrion making a serious attempt to justify his fears or explain the very special situation he is in.

I come into this fascinating discussion far too late, but I'd still like to put my 2 coppers in:

Shae may not have believed Tyrion, but Tywin's cruel treatment of his father's former mistress was well-known and after the whipping of Alyaya it should have been clear to her that the Lannisters _would_ go for Tyrion's bed-warmers, strange as it may have seemed to her. Was she stupid? I dunno. Perhaps she was just too desperate to make the most out of her one big chance. Also, Tyrion did behave suspiciously when he took her fine clothes and jewels away. It may have seemed perfectly logical to him, but for Shae they weren't just objects of vanity, but investement crucial to survival. If she could have kept at least some of her jewels and thus a guaranteed comfortable life, she may not have been so quick to betray him.

[aspasia]

Also, Tyrion did behave suspiciously when he took her fine clothes and jewels away. It may have seemed perfectly logical to him, but for Shae they weren't just objects of vanity, but investement crucial to survival. If she could have kept at least some of her jewels and thus a guaranteed comfortable life, she may not have been so quick to betray him.

Perhaps. I think this was yet another example of misunderstanding between Tyrion and Shae. Tyrion wasn't taking her jewels away from her forever; he thought he was just keeping them till it was safe for Shae to have them again. The issue of the jewels came down to trust: did Shae trust Tyrion to take care of her financially in the future? Keeping the jewels in her possession would not in fact guarantee Shae a comfortable life. On the contrary. A bedmaid would have no place to keep jewels, and being discovered in possession of valuables would be tantamount to being proven a thief. Tyrion keeps Shae's finery hidden in his own room where she can enjoy them when she visits him-- this is not suspicious behavior, this is realistically protecting Shae's cover story which allows her to live inside the Red Keep.

The only way Tyrion could have kept Shae safe would have been to send her far, far away under the protection of someone who could be trusted to look after her and the funds Tyrion would have to devote to her welfare. The whole issue of ownership of valuables is complicated in this world; Shae could not just walk off with jewels in her pocket and count on being rich. Remember Arya and the palfrey? The horse was valuable, but since Arya didn't look like someone who ought to own a valuable horse, she could not sell it advantageously. She was lucky the woman gave her a few coppers for the palfrey.

Unless Shae looked and acted like a rich person, unless people believed she had a right to riches, merely having possession of items of value did her no good. Say she tried to sell a ruby. Why would a fence give her its worth when he could take it from her? What could she do, call a cop? A gold cloak would be more likely to agree that Shae must have stolen the ruby, and throw her in jail. In order for money to make Shae safe, Shae had to become someone else, someone that everyone would believe had a right to money. Since Shae would not have understood the problem, Tyrion would have had to send her away under the protection of someone smarter than she was. Remember, Shae thinks that if she puts on a nice dress no one at Joffrey's wedding will know she is not a highborn lady. She isn't aware that all the highborn ladies know one another, their houses, histories, and arms, and that you can't just pop up totally unknown with a silk dress and "pass". She has not the slightest clue how to behave as a highborn lady, and doesn't even know enough to know that there are a million ways for a lady to tell that Shae isn't one! If Tyrion has given her ten thousand dragons and all her dresses and jewels, and told her "Have a nice life", she would have had nothing within weeks. She would have either been dead, or under the control of some third party pimping her out.

Sending her to Chataya's would have been one possibility, one he entertains but does nothing to realize. I wonder whether Chataya would have accepted her as an employee? Of course, Tyrion had no way of predicting how soon he would be unable to do anything for Shae; Cersei had him seized directly after Joffrey's death, interrupting any possible actions Tyrion might have taken to secure Shae's future.

aspasia

[valyrian dragonlord]

On top of that too, is the whole "A Lannister pays their debts" thing. Tyrion has certainly proven to me (and likely Varys) that he takes that motto very seriously. If I were anyone in this game of thrones, and had the opportunity to have Tyrion indebted to me, I would definitely be tempted to make that investment.