SB
on Game of Thrones: Blog Entry Number
Three
After viewing episodes
7-10 and completing the first season of Game
of Thrones, I definitely feel much more familiar with the characters,
setting, plot, and problems of the series.
Two aspects of the show that really resonated with me this week and will
be discussed here are the show’s comic relief and the show’s connections to
mythology.
In
all honesty, I was not expecting the show to be this funny. It is understood that this show is an epic
fantasy, however, certain characters made me laugh so hard that I felt like I
was watching a comedy. Samwell Tarly,
who “always wanted to be a wizard,” was one character who frequently made jokes
and witty comments that would bring light to darker situations.
Even though comic relief
is present in many shows and films, Game
of Thrones was unique because this show would contain jokes during
particularly heavy scenes and, in some cases, the use of humor would be crucial
to the advancement of the plot. For example, consider the scene in episode 8
where Tyrion and Bronn first encountered the hostile tribe and Tyrion made a
joke about how he would like to die.
Rather than serving as mere comic relief, Tyrion’s joke was what
initially decreased the tribe’s hostility and granted Tyrion his survival. I will be sure to look for other instances
where the use of humor was vital to the advancement of a scene in other episodes
of Game of Thrones.
After viewing the first
season in its entirety and referring to my collections of mythology, I have
noticed some specific connections between Game
of Thrones and mythology/folk legends.
Referring back to episode 2 when Lady the direwolf was wrongfully
executed, this is very similar to the tale of “Gellert” from Celtic mythology
(Ellis 363). Gellert was a hound who was
executed because he was found covered in blood in a child’s room. After Gellert was executed, it was discovered
that the blood on Gellert was not the child’s blood but the blood of a wolf
that Gellert killed while protecting the child, who was safe and hiding in the
corner of the room the whole time (Ellis 363-371). While this did occur in episode 2 and not in
episodes 7-10, the reader did not make this connection between this scene and
the legend of “Gellert” until reflecting upon the first season in its entirety.
Another specific scene
that shared a commonality with mythological tales was the scene in episode 9
when Daenerys resorted to black magic and traded a life for Drogo’s life. When Daenerys realized the careful wording of
the trade of “life for life,” she understood that Drogo would be in a
vegetative state, rather than the way he was.
These cunning tricks of wording were used frequently by mischievous
characters in the mythology of many cultures. One similar folk legend was “The Monkey’s Paw,”
where a man wished for his recently deceased son to come back to life (Jacobs
63-74). As wished, the son does return, however,
(similar to Drogo’s return) the son is in the form of a mindless zombie-like
creature (Jacobs 63-74). In episode 9 of
Game of Thrones and in “The Monkey’s
Paw,” the characters that were wished back to life ended up being killed by the
character who wished them back (Jacobs 74).
I found it really interesting that the first season of Game of Thrones shared so many
commonalities with mythology and folk legends.
In general, I would like
to dedicate a moment to state that I have a much higher level of respect for Game of Thrones, after viewing the first
season in its entirety. There are many
things I like about the show: not only
are the comic relief and connections to mythology enjoyable, but the broader
philosophical, historical, social, and personal ideas that I explored in my
previous blogs are other aspects of the show that are worthy of contemplation
and discussion. Now that I have
completed the first season and am situated with the series, I am ready to head
into the second season with a strong desire to see where these explorations
lead.
Works Cited
Ellis, Peter Berresford. Celtic Myths and Legends. Philadelphia,
PA: Running Press Book Publishers, 2002. Print.
Jacobs, W. W. “The Monkey’s Paw.” Demons: Encounters with the Devil, His
Minions, Fallen Angels, and the
Possessed. Ed. John Skipp. New York, NY: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers 2011. 63-74. Print.
First and foremost, I really appreciate your mythological connections. That is something I have almost no background in and it's interesting to see where Game of Thrones may have borrowed some aspects of mythology. I think this gives it a more authentic air of fantasy. I'm also intrigued by your comments on the use of humor. While I've certainly noticed the comments the are meant to be humorous, I like how you've connected that as one of themes of the series, and especially how the use of humor can propel the plot forward. I'll be interested to see what additional examples you glean from future seasons.
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered when Martin had the time to read all the folklore, given his voluminous knowledge of medieval history as well as scifi and fantasy traditions. This while he has been cranking out thousands of pages?
ReplyDeleteRegarding humor, I too love how Tyrion saves his life with a couple of jokes followed by a bribe or two. He lives by his wits, whereas so many of his counterparts plod through life with a sword in their hand.
As people go to the voting booth in New Hampshire today, I am musing about which of the would-be kings have the kind of Wit that Tyrion has. Unfortunately, I think the reality television star Trump is the only one who can crack a joke. John F Kennedy and Lincoln were the two Presidents who really excelled at wit.
I really appreciate your commentary on comedy. I think that the comic relief is surprising in a show that is so well known for its serious and bloody story-lines but I think in some ways this provides a nice balance in the show.
ReplyDeleteCool connections to mythology too! I admit this is not a topic in which I am particularly well versed so it was interesting to have some of those connections pointed out.
Oh, neat commentary on mythology and folklore! I had no idea, so it's great that you brought this to the table.
ReplyDeleteI really commend the series for its use of humor. It has to be difficult to add those elements amongst all the bloodshed and treason. I love the connection to mythology. Martin so cleverly integrated mythology and fantasy. Thanks for sharing the story of Gellert, I had never heard of that before. There’s a film Wishmaster that plays with this kind of wording and warns, “be careful what you wish for.” I am so glad that you are enjoying the series. I really think that no matter who you are, you can enjoy at least some aspects of the show. AIMEE BURNS
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