Jane Snow
Briana of Tarth
#1
The Top Ten Women on Television of 2013
Brienne of Tarth
Brienne of Tarth
It can’t be easy growing up taller than most if not all the men in your life. Especially when you use that height and strength against them in combat. More comfortable in armor than in dresses, Brienne of Tarth has definitely not had an easy life. Being given horrible names like Brienne the Beauty for one thing, she only uses that pain to fuel her. She works so hard that she’s able to become a member of Renly’s group of knights. Incredibly loyal, Brienne is definitely someone you want on your side. I yearn to learn more about her background in the setting of the television show as her character continues to fascinate with every passing episode, like her desire to have proper burials for two hanged women. Plus, I’m pretty sure she’s the only person Jaime’s ever told the truth about the Mad King to. When you’re able to get a guy called The Kingslayer to break down, you know you’re doing something right.
Brienne is both familiar and strange as a character. She is a woman who takes on stereotypically masculine traits to inhabit a stereotypically male narrative, but she never quite belongs in their world, and she never belittles other women who are not like her. She asks no more than to be respected as a person and as a knight, regardless of the fact that she has a vagina. The politics of Westeros don’t matter to her, and she doesn’t care who sits on the throne. She believes only in honouring her promises, swearing loyalty to those she respects, and protecting anyone who needs it. She is used to being sidelined and victimized; however, this doesn’t change the fact that in she has single-handedly defeated the two most famed swordsmen in Westeros.
Cersei can be a difficult character to like if you don’t understand her and her motivation. When you delve a little bit deeper, you begin to understand just how misunderstood she is. A brilliant strategic mind is a great thing to have, but once you’re put in a dress and taught lady-like things, it’ll go unnoticed and unappreciated. Cersei has used her status to her advantage but knows she still has less power than she should. That’s why she’s so interesting and incredible to watch. She has to struggle and sit back and watch while the men make all the decisions, and take all the credit, despite her intellect. Her story will get increasingly more heartbreaking as the series progresses but hopefully she’ll continue to verbally kick ass and take names while she can.
Cersei Lannister
Cersei Lannister
Cersei is not a character I like. But this isn’t a list of my favourite characters, it’s a list of strong female characters on television, and I would be remiss if I didn’t include this one who is so overlooked. She has all the hallmarks of a fan favourite, except she’s female. Think about it: smart, ruthless, control freak, witty, will kill to protect loved ones, her suspicions are often correct and are just as often ignored, and she seeks to control the life of a young woman. If she were male… she’d be Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. All she’s ever wanted was to be given the respect and authority her brothers have had since birth simply because they have penises. You can fault her for a lot, but not for that.
Daenerys Targaryen
A woman who is sold into a marriage, raped by her husband, falls in love with her husband, loses her husband, walks into flames and comes out the other side with three fucking dragons is no one to sneeze at. Daenarys Targaryen is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and if you’re not with her, you best get out the way. Dany is plowing her way through the Free Cities on her way to Westeros to claim the throne she believes is rightfully hers and she’s leaving flames, destruction and anarchy in her wake. A character that grows in strength with every episode, Dany is a great advocate for the little guy, and has absolutely no tolerance people who take advantage of others. Dany won’t stop until she’s achieved what she’s after or she’ll die trying. But first, you have to get past those three dragons.
Daenerys Targaryen
Dany has had a very rough life, one in which a man has controlled her every movement. While she may be thoroughly saddened by the death of her husband and child, she truly comes into her own when she walked into that fire and emerged as the mother of three dragons. One by one, the men around her have fallen; each death is like the loosening of another chain and Dany grows bolder and stronger and more willing to trust herself. She is not a man. She is a woman, and she understands the pain and sadness and abuse that come hand in hand with that, and it makes her stronger than the men around her who are trying to rule.
The Women of Game of Thrones
Arya Stark
Arya Stark
"I’m no lady."
"Tears aren't a woman's only weapon. The best one's between your legs."
"I do not have a gentle heart."
"I don't want to be a lady."
If Arya doesn’t win the Iron Throne I will threaten to do something violent which of course, I will not actually do. But really, how could she not? By far the most interesting female character of the series, Arya continues to evolve and use her strengths to survive her war torn world. Brave, strong in both character and physicality, and with brains that she uses to her benefit, Arya is capable of bringing the Seven Kingdoms to it’s knees, and she hasn’t even hit puberty yet. Arya is insanely adaptable and is able to overcome any scenario she finds herself in (she charmed Tywin Lannister, for God’s sake!). Plus, she’s not too shabby with a sword and she kills fat boys for fun. Kneel, bitches.
"All men must die. But we are not men."
"Power is power."
“All my life men like you have sneered at me. And all my life I’ve been knocking men like you into the dust.”
"Anyone can be killed."
Arya is an amazing character because she’s so young. It’s not so much that she’s rebelling to make a point or that she is trying to protest some sort of unfair treatment, she just couldn’t care less what you expect of her. Women in Westeros have one job: marry, bear children, do as your husband/father/brother/man in your life says. Arya has no interest, thank you very much. While there’s no telling where she’d be if her father was still alive, she has become a dangerous character to trifle with. She’s very open about the number of people she would like to see dead, and is happy to see them die in any way, whether by her hands or another’s. All she wants is her family back, even Sansa. I’m scared and excited to see her grow up.