Monday, April 11, 2016

SB on Episodes 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, & 5.6 (for 4/19/16)

SB on Game of Thrones: Blog Entry 13 - Episodes 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, & 5.6 (For 4/19/16) 
The “Way” of Thrones
            In this blog entry, it will be argued that this week’s set of assigned Game of Thrones episodes contained references to the philosophy of Taoism.  It will also be suggested that these episodes implied that Taoism is a good way to understand not only the Game of Thrones universe, but also the real universe. 
Taoism
The belief system of Taoism was first explicated by Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu in the Tao Te Ching.  As explained in the Tao Te Ching and as discussed by John Bowker in World Religions, “Tao” means “the way” and the belief system of Taoism involves “going with the flow” of the world, understanding the impermanence of life, and appreciating nature as a means to accept that many life events are beyond one’s control.  The Tao Te Ching is not a very long text, contains simple and understandable (yet extremely aesthetically appealing) language, and provides a deep, humble, and convincing theory of the meaning of human life.

Taoism in Game of Thrones
Just before Tyrion and Jorah were attacked by the stone men at the end of episode 5.5, they were riding down the river in their small boat while having a philosophical discussion and examining the Valyrian ruins.  Tyrion and Jorah discussed how the Valyrians were a great race of people who made significant contributions and that the Valyrians suddenly vanished and, in a way, were erased. 
Tyrion and Jorah’s talk about the Valyrians not only reflected Tyrion’s and Jorah’s personal concerns, but also revolved around the general theme of the impermanent nature of life.  Not only did Tyrion and Jorah’s discussion revolve around the Taoist idea of accepting change, but this discussion took place on a river and rivers are crucial symbols in Taoist philosophy. 
In the Tao Te Ching, life and the nature of existence, in general, were frequently compared to rivers.  To summarize, Lao Tsu declared that, like when dealing with a river, one should not fight the tide of life, but follow the natural order of things and go with the flow of the river of life.  As can be seen, Tyrion and Jorah’s discussion about the Valyrians seemed to be a brief explication of Taoism because this talk revolved around the (Taoist) theme of the changing nature of the world and took place on a river (which is an important symbol of Taoist philosophy).
In the Game of Thrones universe, where life tends to be quite brutal, it seems that Taoist philosophy might be a reliable and consistent way to approach an understanding of the nature of things.  With all of the major characters being killed and all of the increased violence and battles in recent episodes, it seems that a great way to make sense of the Game of Thrones universe is to accept the changing nature of this world. 
Clarification:  Argument for Taoism is Consistent with Arguments from Previous Blogs
In past blogs, I have asserted that Viking (and other forms of) mythology, rather than Taoism, might be the most reliable way to understand the Game of Thrones universe.  Even though Viking mythology and Taoism seem like opposites, I hold one can examine the Game of Thrones universe through the lenses of both Viking mythology and Taoism without running into inconsistencies.
I still believe that the Game of Thrones universe is heading for its own “Battle of Ragnarok” where, similarly to the universe of Viking mythology (that was explicated in Else Roesdahl’s The Vikings and Hazel Mary Martell et al.’s World Myths), the Game of Thrones universe (and all of the characters in it) will be destroyed.  However, I also believe that Taoism (as clarified by my investigation of Tyrion and Jorah’s discussion in episode 5.5) is a great way to make sense of the harsh nature of the Game of Thrones universe.  Further, it seems like Tyrion and Jorah’s discussion not only explicated that Taoism can be used to understand the Game of Thrones universe, but this scene might have also suggested that Taoism is a reliable way to understand the real world.

Works Cited
Bowker, John. World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc., 2006. Print.
Martell, Hazel Mary, et al. World Myths.  Florence, Italy: McRae Books, 2002. Print.
Roesdahl, Else. The Vikings. London, England: Penguin Books, 1998. Print.
Tsu, Lao. Tao Te Ching. Trans. Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English. New York, NY: Vintage                 Books,1997. Print.


7 comments:

  1. Interesting analysis. I think that applying a taoist lens to the series really amplifies the way in which characters need to adapt to the ever changing tides of Westerosi life and politics.

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  3. This is a really cool analysis. As always, you bring an interesting perspective to the show! I really like that you justified your arguments for using taoism and viking mythology. I'm still really interested to see if your prediction about the final battle is right!

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  4. Fascinating - especially the tie of the river as an important piece of symbolism in Taoism. It's definitely clear that much of this GoT world is happenstance and out of anyone's real control. There are so many cogs in the wheel that any one holds only illusionary and momentary power. I wonder, though, if there are any characters that really accept this understanding. It's obvious and there, but do any characters embrace something like Taoism? I think Tyrion may have gotten there ever since his joke of a trial arranged by Cersei and Tywin.

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  5. It seems to me that the narrative undercuts any lingering in Taoist philosophy. Sure, Tyrion and Jorah are having a discussion of the transitory quality of human existence, but before they have time to roll a joint and bathe in acceptance of life, a bunch of trolls jump out of the water and begin a life and death battle. It's hard to be philosophical when something is trying to eat you.
    I suppose when Jorah realizes he has been infected by Gray Scale, he could just end it all--instead he chooses to go on. Is that Taoist?
    I was struck by their use of a river because the real action of the episode is that they are traveling along a shore to get to Daenerys--in fact soon after they are captured in a location that looks more like Northern Ireland than ancient Valyrea. Usually in Game of Thrones, characters cross rivers rather than travel down them.
    I really did love that scene as it reminded me so much of Willard going up the river in Apocalypse Now.

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  6. I think as a whole the impermanence of life is something several characters throughout the show think a lot about. Tywin (when alive) knew he would die but had to maintain a family legacy to leave behind. The gigantic castles and impressive structures could be a way of transcending that impermanence for people.

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  7. An interesting connection to Taoism for your blog. I'm curious as to what you would think about the intersection of this with mythology when looking at Catelyn Stark's dad and how they shipped him down the river when he died. Overall, I enjoyed this connection between Taoism and the series as I took a class in undergrad that discussed Taoism. Fascinating ideas that are very existential and make you think. Nice job!

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