Villains Chuck Klosterman Analysis

In the mythical land of Game of Thrones, seven noble families fight for rule over the land of Westeros, but none are more powerful or wealthier than the Lannisters, or as the call themselves, Lions. Although the show doesn’t have an explicit good and bad side, many viewers see the Head of House Lannister as the main antagonist. Tywin Lannister is a brutal yet calculating leader, who is seen as a villain because of his ruthless actions of violence toward many of the characters in the show. Through these actions, Tywin has become the most powerful and feared man in all of Westeros. In Chuck Klosterman’s essay, “Villains Who Are Not Villains,” and Tess Collins’ article, “The Sympathetic Villain,” they argue that a villain can never be truly looked …show more content…
He had planned the murdering of these people knowing he was breaking a code of conduct, “sworn safety of guests”, at what was supposed to be a peaceful wedding. After this horrendous act, if it wasn’t already easy to think of Tywin as the clear villain of the show through his war with Starks and his constant bad treatment of Tyrion (another protagonist and his own son), it was now impossible not to think of Tywin as the clear villain. He had just ripped everyone’s hearts out and everyone absolutely despised him for it. I honestly, probably along with many others, did not sleep that night because I hated Tywin so much and was so angry. However, if we take a closer look at Tywin’s motives and moral standpoint behind the issue we can sympathize with him. Tywin famously says to his outraged son, after hearing the news of the wedding, “explain to me why it is more noble to kill ten thousand men in a battle than a dozen at dinner?” (“Rains of Castamere”). Tywin challenges our traditional view of warfare and villainy in this quote by questioning what we believe to be moral or not. He, in turn, becomes an “unforgettable villain” (Collins) as …show more content…
In modern dramas, most of the time audiences can clearly distinguish which characters are good and evil. However, in Game of Thrones many of the characters are more like humans and are flawed making us become a lot more emotionally invested in them. We, as the audience, see all the good and evil that the characters have done throughout the show and we really can’t decide whether they are truly good or evil. By constantly keeping us intrigued to whether this character will do something horrific or have a moment of heroism makes the show that much more interesting. Also, by the fact that you can’t ever bank on what is going to come makes the show so much more captivating. Main characters have been slaughtered, weddings have turned to bloodbaths, and villains have develop heroism as the time passes. The developments in the show are impossible for people to follow and it makes us just crave more. Tywin Lannister has become one of the central and most talked about characters on this show and we can see why. Tywin challenges our moral standpoints, and keep us in awe of his actions and mindset. I truly don’t know what is more stunning, Tywin’s horrific actions or his heroic ones. He keeps us on our toes at all times because we will always have the “Red Wedding” in the back of our minds, knowing Tywin could strike at any