The Theme Of Death In Thomas Gray's A Game Of Throrns

In a scene where a character is confronted with frailty of life, George RR Martin's, A Game of Thrones, touches on the fear of death. However, unlike the book series people have not always been able to simply tell death "not today," and have a talented swordsman defend their life. In fact, from Everyman to modern day texts death is constantly studied. Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," shifts between a seemingly political poem to a in depth exploration of the concept of death. In a staunchly economically divided country, Gray pushes the reader to question the value of life through contemplating the great equalizer-death. In his poem, Gray's structure guides the reader into a complicated labyrinth that ultimately pushes …show more content…
He details "But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page/ Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll;/ Chill Penury repressed their noble rage/ And froze the genial current of the soul" (lns 49-52). Here, Gray juxtaposes death with poverty but not only that he dives into the consequences of poverty. Not only did knowledge "ne'er unroll," but also the "chill penury repressed their noble rage." These lines seem to indicate that their poverty kept them from the knowledge that ultimately "froze the genial current of the soul." By beginning his poem with this harsh depiction of the consequences of poverty, Gray seems to be indicating that poverty is akin to a pre-death-a death that not only ends life, but strips people from their "noble rage." Thus, leading the reader to question what someone might have been able to do before their death. Gray seems to be pushing the reader into a sociopolitical commentary, until he begins to show the complexity of …show more content…
Just as Gray seems to be advocating for social justice, he begins to explore the possibility of humanity using their potential for bad. The next part of the poem is critical for understanding Gray's ultimate argument as it explores the opposite side of poverty. Particularly, the lines "Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne,/ And shut the gates of mercy on mankind" (lns 67-68) argue that not every person born to poverty would be destined for greatness. Rather, he argues that they could have been born to wreak havoc on other people and by having their potential squandered "their crimes [were] confined" (ln 66). Going from a chill description of poverty to "shut the gates of mercy on mankind," creates an image salvation. Initially the reader is led to believe that the salvation was from acquiring wealth, moving out of poverty, but later he argues that humanity is saved from the untapped potential. Gray seems to be shifting through his poem from a clear political stance to a remission. Not all potential is good, in fact, sometimes that potential can be detrimental to mankind. Instead, Gray seems to be arguing something much bigger-something that can only be explored when looking directly at