We love the women the fandom hates: Cersei Lannister Day I

[novin_ha]

A part of this great fandom initiative womenlovefest. A short meta about Cersei Lannister, specific spoilers as of book one, more generally spoiler-ish about her portrayal in general (although no specifics are provided about events later than GoT finale).

[Note: arguments about whether or not I'm right in my subjective views on the character, as well as disagreement about Cersei's character, is not welcome here right now. This is a squee post (even though it's in the form of an opinion piece) meant to celebrate and while I welcome debate in general (I thrive on polite confrontation until I get all stressed out) this is not the appropriate time and place.]



It’s tough with Cersei to separate what I want her to be from what she is written to be, from what she was written to be - at first. She was promising and interesting, if not likeable. She was angry about being denied her heritage because of being a woman, she was rightly furious about her husband’s behaviour, she was a survivor of domestic abuse who did evil things for her children. She was not great at raising her children, but she was… well. Fierce.

And then Jaime Lannister got his own POV and it was clearly meant to cast him in a more sympathetic light. So that was what I expected from Cersei’s POV as well: to constitute a restitution, to present her as more relatable. But that wasn’t to be, not really. Cersei was to be shown as erratic and vain, shallow and at times stupid, even devoid of humanity at times. And Jaime is clearly not the sharpest knife in the drawer, you’ve surely noticed? He thinks he can come out with the news of his parentage, for goodness sake. But following the one time Jaime’s the one who gets to bear the brunt of the blame – Bran’s fall, that is, which he did ‘assuming’ Cersei wanted him to, and that we’re told (by her) she never did – she gets to stand accused of being solely responsible for all evil, for corrupting Jaime, for using him and betraying him.

And to me, that speaks not to her being more evil than him, but to him being given more leeway from society they’re written in, and from the author as well.

TBC.

Comments

[chaila.livejournal.com]

Here via the fest, and OMG THIS, ALL OF THIS. I was going to quote the parts that express my feelings exceptionally well, but that's everything you said. But especially about how it's hard to separate how she's written from how you want her to be (or how she COULD be, so easily, with just a little attention and POV, or a fraction of the sympathy Jaime gets). This is exactly how I feel too, and why I got so frustrated and rather angry at how it all goes. In her set up, she was so angry and fierce and not likeable but understandable in her rage. There's such amazing potential in her character, and it's just completely freaking wasted so much of the time, and more and more as the series goes on.

[ellestra.livejournal.com]

I was hoping that Cercei POV would make us understand and empatise (all there the things you mentioned suggested that). What we got instead was one of the biggest disappointments in the whole series. All the lost opportunities...

[idrilka.livejournal.com]

Basically, I agree with everything. Cersei was such a promising and interesting character, I understood her anger, her rage, I understood why she was the way she was, I could see the great tragedy of Cersei, and I couldn't wait to see if her POV would make her more relatable and likable, the way it had happened with Jaime when he got his POV. And then it didn't happen, and I felt like all that potential had been wasted. Such a disappointment... This is one of the things I will never forgive Martin for.

[pellamerethiel.livejournal.com]

What she said. Martin -__-

[cabepfir.livejournal.com]

Cersei is one of my top five favourite characters in ASOIAF, and I basically love her because she's very flawed and stubbornly follows her path nonetheless.

[inti-chan.livejournal.com]

pretty much that. I like Jaime, really but I'm not sure he deserves it. Not as much as Cersei does. She is for a lack of a better word interesting. With her I'm not even sure whether she is really that vain or just holding on to small parts of a normal life.

[brijeana.livejournal.com]

I've just gotta say... Cersei was faced with a horrible reality at a very young age. When they were children she could dress up like Jaime and NO ONE COULD TELL THE DIFFERENCE. So for her, the only difference between her and her brother is his penis. And look at the different paths they've had to tread. Look at the way Jaime is valued compared to the way she is valued.

SPOILERS and what a slap in the face when after all that she's been through with Robert, her only value to Tywin was to MARRY HER OFF AGAIN! Her father, she so respects and loves Tywin, but he totally devalues Cersei apart from her political marriageability!

Not to harsh the squee but Cersei isn't my favorite. However I understand her. I understand why she is the way she is. Sometimes I wonder... what if Ned convinced Arya that the best thing for her, and for her family was to be a lady? What if she had to watch Bran get access to the kind of power (or adventure... Arya doesn't really want power the way Cersei does) she could only get a glimpse of through political sex manipulation and loveless marriage?

Cersei is like a lion in a cage IMO. She hungers for something more to fulfill her. She's a politician. She's ambitious. But in this world... she's trapped. She believed the lie that her only weapons as a woman were her beauty and her sex. She went along with Tywin putting her in her place as a child. So she's reaching for power through her woman's weapons and through her children.

As much as I enjoy her brothers, they are men. In this world that makes a difference. Cersei has grown to hate being a woman. It's sad.

Whatever else I feel about Cersei, I admire her fierceness. I'm glad she won't go quietly. Hear her ROAR.

Enjoyed your post!