Not+Today+Death

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=**Not Today Death**= Imagine a world where sending a crow was the form of a text message and winter came, and you had no heated blanket. The three words Game of Thrones is a great conversation starter for social events and the phrase "Hold the door" is a guaranteed tear jerker. With a high budget comes a broad audience but more than anyting Game of Thrones has captured us all through death, betrayal, the near extinction of the Stark name yet we remain emotionally invested in the hardships these characters face. As the winter is coming, the power players have been cut considerably but "the Imp" or "the Halfman." remains alive and more powerful than ever.

Within the scene, the king's right-hand man (also referred to as "the Imp" or "the Halfman") Tyrion Lannister is sitting within his luxuries domain which his families fortune has afforded him discussing strategies with his fellow advisor Varys. Tyrion comes from wealth while Varys born to the social status of a slave has used his specialized power of spies and manipulation to achieve his current rank. So what brings these men together within the confines of golden goblets and silk robes? And of all topics to discussed why power between an Imp and a Slave?

Varyers riddle is one without an answer (as riddles tend to be)

“In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword, a little man of common birth and no great mind. Each of the great ones bids him slay the other two. ‘Do it,’ says the king, ‘for I am your lawful ruler.’ ‘Do it,’ says the priest, ‘for I command you in the names of the gods.’ ‘Do it,’ says the rich man, ‘and all this gold shall be yours.’ So tell me – who lives and who dies?”

Tyrion confidently answers whoever has the most money while Varyers provokes Tyrion to question further saying “power lies where we think it lies.” This begs the question of what elements allow the illusion of power to be effective? Tyrion humorously declares "That he doesn't like riddles anymore" Yet Varyers is confident that Tyrion possesses the skills and status to cast a "very large shadow." The casting of a very large shadow carries strong imagery and furthers the metaphor of power being dark, adaptable and unforeseen in nature. As well the "very large shadow" is an analogy to Tyrion's small figure. So how has Tyrion survived within the violent realm of Game of Thrones? In the storyline of Game of Thrones, the power players aren't men with superior physical capabilities rather they are women and in Tyrion's case a man with a disability. One would assume within this primitive world natural selection would have its pick, but Tyrion has overcome this disadvantage state, and Varys knows this.

Logically this scene from a basic understanding can easily be understood as two wealthy men having a conversation about power which they mastered and want to further. You can pity Tyrion in the sense that he's been disowned by his family due to his birth and has a disability which limits him but Tyrion only pities himself for manipulation purposes becasue he understands that real power lies in words. From the bestselling author Robert Greene of the 48 Laws of Power “...But the human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will run wild and cause you grief.” Tyrion has mastered this and has avoided death through the Game of Thrones through words. It must be acknowledged that his words would hold no weight if it weren't for the status of wealth that the Lannister last name carries death would have met Tyrion long ago.

Works Cited Greene, Robert, and Joost Elffers. The 48 Laws of Power. New York: Penguin, 2000. Print.

Maurer, Margaret. "Tyrion Lannister Is (Mathematically) The Protagonist of Game of Thrones." Screen Rant. N.p., 24 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Feb. 2017