Celes Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Cersei had a pretty awful life despite being a decent person at the start, which is why I think she acts the way she does now. She was abused by Robert, she couldn't marry Rhaegar, she had to live with the fear of her death by the valonqar, her son died in front of her, and so on.What do you guys think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Consigliere Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Cersei being a decent person at the start is questionable. It is strongly implied that she pushed her childhood friend, Melara, down a well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowisnobastard Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 I'm also not sure she was a good person at the start, most who are born into nobility are pompous asses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eazy Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Sam's life has also been hard, but you don't see him acting like Cersei. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Chang Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 I'm afraid I think she's just a wrong'un. Her only redeeming feature is her love for her children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicious Fire Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Cersei is hungry for power and she had a great chance to rule as Queen Regent for years with no problems, Tywin left things in good shape for her. With Highgarden she would have had the power to destroy the ironborn threat and Bolton was dealing with Stannis in the north. A faceless man to kill Dany and a good political move to deal with (f)Aegon would keep things in peace until Tommen came of age. She ruined it everything with her paranoia, saddly. I still hope she manages to do something great now with Ser Robert Strong behind her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petyr Patter Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 I'm afraid I think she's just a wrong'un. Her only redeeming feature is her love for her children. Even then her children probably would have been better off without her "love." She treats Tommen abysmally when he starts demanding some of the privileges of being king. Or when he cries at Tywin's funeral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight Of Winter Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 I don't think she was decent person at any point in her life. By the age of ten, she was already killing her friends out of jealousy (Melara), or pinching his baby brother in his penis (as Oberyn notes). Also, most of the tragedies that occur to her are ones of her own making. If she bothered to treat Tyrion nicely, she would never have any reason to fear him or his "valonqar-ity". Had she been fair to Tyrells, they would have no reason to plot against her. Had she (and Robert) raised Joffrey to be decent individual, he would not have been killed on his wedding day. So, no, I don't think of her as "tragic" in any form. I do feel some pity towards her for being married and abused by Robert, but that's not nearly enough to justify or explain all of her monstrosities and crimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Blue Eyes Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Cerse was never decent. Torturing her baby brother and threatening servants with dismemberment age eight, murdering a friend age ten, all of it before any of the "hardships" you mentioned hit her. I put hardships into "" because of the not marrying Rhaegar part, which, frankly, is ridiculous. Don't want to downplay the abuse though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon's Queen Consort Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Pretty awful life? She was a trueborn and a highborn. Not so awful life.Decent person? She did killed Melara and abused Tyrion from the day he was born. As for her marriage to Robert, yes he was abusive but she was also abusive. As for Rhaegar, we all fancy someone. Is the fact that we don't end up with him/her a reason to call our life awful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Arryn Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 If she's had an awful life, 98% of people on GRRTH are just plain fucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N/A Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 well, boo hoo everyone has shitty things going on with their lives ,that doesn't allow them to do whatever they want or let them get a pass and what's this talk of cersei being decent , that's just delusional. cersei is a horribl person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N/A Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Pretty awful life? She was a trueborn and a highborn. Not so awful life.Decent person? She did killed Melara and abused Tyrion from the day he was born. As for her marriage to Robert, yes he was abusive but she was also abusive. As for Rhaegar, we all fancy someone. Is the fact that we don't end up with him/her a reason to call our life awful?:agree: she lived a privileged life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikkel Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Pretty awful life? She was a trueborn and a highborn. Not so awful life. Decent person? She did killed Melara and abused Tyrion from the day he was born. As for her marriage to Robert, yes he was abusive but she was also abusive. As for Rhaegar, we all fancy someone. Is the fact that we don't end up with him/her a reason to call our life awful? Pretty much this. Cersei's circumstances were pretty good, and a damn sight better than most people. She made her life what it is. If anything or anyone is the tragedy of Cersei's life, Cersei herself is it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Selig Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 What's tragic is how Martin ruined her character to a large degree with the Maggy the frog's prophecy. A real shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_Darcy Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 If she's had an awful life, 98% of people on GRRTH are just plain fucked. To me, that's rather 99,999%. Let's summarize that "awful life" that she has had: -She gets born to the most powerful Lord Paramount of the seven kingdoms -Her father is the richest man in the realm -She is one of the most beautiful women in the realm (and in a society like Westeros, where beauty is of great importance, that is a major asset) -She has a privileged upbringing at her father's seat and does not have to work a day in her life -She has a loving mother and when this mother dies aunts and other female relatives to step into that role (Aunt Genna for instance) -She marries the king and gets to be queen Sure, Robert is not the husband of the year, but I doubt her relationship with Jaime would have let her become happy in any marriage. If she had only given him a trueborn son before cuckolding him with her own brother (and a member of Robert's kingsguard) a lot of her actions would not have been necessary and the War of the Five Kings could have been prevented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon of the Dead Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 What's tragic is how Martin ruined her character to a large degree with the the Maggy the frog's prophecy. A real shame. A thousand times this Cersei had all the qualities of a potentially great tragic character, but then Martin went and pulled the valonqar prophecy out of left field and made Cersei evil from the start, which is considerably less interesting than a character that is shaped by tragic events in her life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolves Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 When did Cersei have a awful life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon's Queen Consort Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 When did Cersei have a awful life? I think that the OP means the fact that she married Robert and not Rhaegar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deets Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 I've always found it shocking that Cersei has as many supporters as she does. In terms of villainy, shes only one step up from Ramsey and Joffery. I would say she is beyond question the least redeeming POV character. The only other POV lacking redeeming qualities is probably Victarion but hes such a simpleton that its hard to really dislike him as much. All the rest of the POVs are impossible to paint as fully good or bad, as Martin intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.