The Game of Thrones is a riveting work of fiction, replete with multiple story archs, unexpected twists and turns and a host of colorful characters. Amongst these plethora of characters lending depth and character to this medievalesque drama, Tyrion Lannister strides like a colossus, the loftiest of them all. With every episode the Imp rises in stature, stamping the drama with the imprimatur of his intensely individual personality and character. Here is an attempt to delve into his psyche and understand what makes him tick.
Tyrion is the third child of Lord Tywin of house Lannister, one of the most powerful and wealthiest families of Westeros. He is a dwarf . In his debut scene Tyrion is seen in a brothel in Winterfell, gulping down wine and enjoying the company of a prostitute. His dalliance with the prostitute is cut short by the unexpected entry of his brother Jamie who hastens him to attend the feast hosted by the Starks, Tyrion replies acerbically.
I'm sorry. I've begun the feast a bit early. And this is the first of many courses.
A sharp wit and tongue in cheek humor are the signature traits of his character. He is brutally frank and honest to a fault. These are the attributes that Tyrion displays in the opening scenes and holds forth throughout the play.
Owing to his physical deformities, Tyrion is subjected to mockery and ridicule all his life. Jamie, his elder brother is the only person who had a soft spot for him. One of two distinct character traits can germinate in a man of Tyrion's antecedents. It can make one stone hearted and inured to pain, and derive a revengeful pleasure in subjecting others to pain and abuse when in a position to do so. But it was not so for Tyrion. Behind his nonchalant demeanor and devil may care attitude, pain and loneliness dug deep and surfaced in moments of vulnerability. He was never inured to pain but had a heightened level of sensitivity to it. It was this awareness that manifested in the way he expressed empathy to people whom he perceived to be helpless and unfortunate like him, be that as it may, a bastard deprived of motherly love or a crippled child who had lost the use of his legs. Tyrion puts it succinctly --
I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards and broken things.
He strikes a conversation with Jon Snow, bastard son of Eddard Stark and advice's him thusly
Let me give you some advice bastard. Never forget what you are. The rest of world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.
And then displays a sense of comradery when he goes on to say --
All dwarfs are bastards in their fathers eyes.
Tyrion is captured by Catelyn Stark and her coterie and falsely accused of attempting to murder her son. A fortuitous intervention by the mercenary Bronn who volunteers to fight for him in a death by combat saves Tyrion's life. Tyrion has the brains and Bronn has the brawns and they forge a symbiotic relationship. The duo is returning to the Lannister war camp when they are waylaid by the
men of the hill tribes led by Shagga.
Shagga: How would you like to die Tyrion, son of Tywin ?
Tyrion: In my own bed, with a belly of wine and a maiden's mouth around my cock, at the age of eighty.
Tyrion not only piques Shagga with his whacky humor but also offers Shagga a deal of providing him with gold and weapons in exchange of sparing his life and his mercenary Bronn. Tyrion provides an object lesson in how not to lose one's cool in excruciating circumstances.
Back in Kings Landing, Tyrion dons several hats with panache. He assumes responsibility as the Hand of the King, dabbles in court politics and plays a decisive role in the battle of Blackwater, saving Kings Landing from the onslaught of Stannis's army. Despite his services to the kingdom, Tyrion is once again falsely charged, this time of murdering his nephew Joffrey Baratheon. In the
trial that ensues, Tyrion denies rather matter of factly any hand in the murder yet not making any attempt to hide his contempt for his nephew, the sadistic King Joffrey. But his malevolent father Tywin and sister Carsei, prodded by their visceral hatred for Tyrion are determined to rob Tyrion of his life by means fair or foul. They rope in a group of witnesses to testify against Tyrion and tighten the noose around him. Towards the end of the trial, when his conviction seemed imminent, he explodes into fulminations. His words betray the simmering anger pent up inside him as well as the sense of betrayal he felt against the inhabitants of Kings Landing. This catharsis is poignant to say the least.
I saved this city. All your worthless lives. I should have let Stannis kill you all.
I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had! Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more
relief than a thousand lying whores!
I wish I was the monster you think I am ! I wish I had enough poison for the whole pack of you!
I would gladly give my life to watch you swallow it!
I will not give my life for Joffrey's murder and I know I'll get no justice here, so I will let the gods decide my fate. I demand a trial by combat!
The trial by combat does happen, as demanded by Tyrion, this time Prince Oberyn pitching in for him. Oberyn is killed in the duel but Jamie allows Tyrion to flee from prison and Tyrion makes good his escape.
Tyrion is a dwarf, and an ugly one at that. His friends and family treats him alike, with contempt and disdain. But it was not in his disposition to go gentle into the night. He struggles to create a niche for himself. He fights to get the recognition and credibility that he feels he deserves. And he remains firm and tenacious in this fight all along. This is a trait that drew respect and admiration from the man who had been his harshest critic and detractor all his life, his father Tywin Lannister.
Tyrion:All my life you've wanted me dead.
Tywin:Yes. But you refused to die. I respect that. Even admire it....
And as the Game of Thrones continues with its intriguing plots and story lines, Tyrion of house Lannister, first of his name and the former Hand of the King, will keep us in thrall. May the force be with him !!!
Epilogue:
I have not read the original novel " A Song of Ice and Fire". So my interpretation of Tyrion is solely based on watching the first four episodes of The Game of Thrones. I find the characters of the Game Of Thrones rather inscrutable, interspersed with shades of grey. Tyrion's character is rather cogent, amenable to a linear delineation. I read a couple of narratives describing Tyrion as "cruel". I don't find him overtly cruel, though he exacts revenge on people who had wronged him in the past. That's the why I perceive Tyrion Lannister, to each his own.
