It would seem that Westrosi weddings are not as joyous as one might assume they should be. However, given the state of things, I suppose that this should not be that much of a surprise. Westeros is a place where nothing is stable nor is anything as it might originally seem.
So Joffrey has finally received his comeuppance. His nasty ways have lead to his untimely and poison induced demise. Like many fans, this death is a story-point in which I found myself celebrating both times that I watched.
Because this time through the show I am intentionally wearing my “scholar” hat, I could not help but think about my own culpability in the way in which shows like Game of Thrones both depict and capitalize on violence and gore. I was more than happy to enjoy the gruesome death of Joffrey and this feeling was made especially strong after the death of Catelyn and Robb Stark. Although I have written about the fact that the Starks are not quite as noble as they make themselves out to be, I have to admit that they are still leaps and bounds better than several characters on the show. As a result, of all the people in Westeros that I thought deserved to die, Catelyn and Robb were relatively low on my list. Seeing them die so violently made me yearn for someone who actually deserved it (i.e. someone like Joffrey) to get what was coming to them.
That thinking, however, is the exact crux of the problem. Who am I to say who does or does not deserve to die? If I, as a viewer, am behind my television screen cheering on a violent act, am I not just as culpable as media producers for the prevalence of violence and gore in media from which those producers seek to profit?
I realize of course that this blog is referencing the depictions within a show that are following a story-line set up in a book. As a result the television show is mostly just attempting to do justice to the book's narrative, but the degree to which certain story events, such as violence or gore, are displayed are somewhat up to interpretation and left to the discretion of the media producers. However, it is clearly to the benefit of those producing shows like Game of Thrones to produce material that will bring the most pleasure to their viewers. If I am behind my television cheering for a fitting (i.e. gruesome) demise of some character, why would show runners not want to give that to me (or the other viewers that, likely, feel the same)?
I can certainly understand why some are turned off by the level of violence portrayed in shows like Game of Thrones but I can also understand why such gruesome displays exist.
Although there is a part of me that is somewhat disappointed in my tendency to be pulled into a story that has me advocating for violence (albeit to fictional characters), there is another part of me that, in some ways, makes me admire Martin’s ability to draw me in and make me think in the same deranged way as the characters.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
