We need to talk about Jaime Lannister

Obviously, there are spoilers in here so don’t click ahead if you don’t want me to ruin anything. Don’t be mad because I warned you.

SPOILERS!!!!!! 

In the season 4 episode 4 of Game of Thrones, Jaime Lannister rapes his sister next to their dead child. While the incest is bad enough, we saw them have consensual sex in the first episode of the first season of the show, so that wasn’t the shocking part. The shocking part was that Jaime was starting to be perceived as heroic by the audience ever since he was released by the Starks and now this hero has raped his sister. The next week, he goes back to being presented in a heroic light.

Understandably, people who have read the series are upset because the rape scene deviates from the novels significantly. If you’re one of these fans, I totally understand and have no answers for you because I haven’t read them.  George R.R. Martin has commented though so I hope that’s enough for you. 

However, as a fan of the show and judging it just by the standards and plot set by the show itself, the rape scene was a reminder of who Jaime Lannister really is.

In episode 1 of season 1, as Jaime and Cersei have consensual sex, they are discovered by young Bran Stark and Jaime promptly pushes the boy out of a window, crippling him. Jaime is the Kingslayer. A murderer who desires to keep his bloodline pure by committing incest with his sister. Yeah, he is has charming rogue qualities, but he’s not a good guy and the rape scene reminds us of this.

Further complicating matters is that the rape scene is with his sister/lover Cersei; a character who is perhaps the most villainous of them all on the show. She is cold, calculating, and will do anything to benefit her son. Some might see the rape scene as justice for all of the wrong that she has done throughout the series so far. Personally, I can’t see it that way. She may be evil, but her rape is tough to watch. No one deserves what she went through, not even Cersei.

So why is Jaime still presented in a heroic light?

Well, it puts the audience in a difficult position. Does the act of rape completely invalidate his heroic qualities? Is he a monster underneath that heroic smile? Because it was Cersei, does that mean it’s okay?

Though it may not be intentional on the part of the show runners, the Jaime Lannister situation reminds me of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. In that epic poem, the hero of the story is Satan. The fallen angel is presented as a wronged hero who is on his revenge quest upon an unjust king (God). In the end, Satan causes the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and readers realize that they have been sympathizing with the Lord of all Evil. He may have sympathetic qualities when presented in a certain light, but in the end, he is still Satan no matter what. He is still the devil and he hates us because we are God’s
creations.

Jaime Lannister may not be as evil as Satan, but he was willing to kill a child because the child saw him committing incest. Everyone seems to forget that because he has gone through what appears to be a transformation that he tried killing a child. Yeah, he promised to protect Arya and Sansa Stark, but that wasn’t from some altruistic place in his heart; it was self-preservation and the only way he could be set free. He may have honor in this regard, but he’s not good. He keeps his promises because Lannisters pay their debts, but he is a rapist and a would-be child-killer.

You can like Jaime Lannister and that’s fine. I like him because I find him to be an incredibly complex villain. The rape scene may invalidate him as a hero, but no one can deny that he is an interesting character who has provided an opportunity for some much-needed discussion on rape and the qualities of a hero. The show asks some very difficult questions and provides no answers for them, but leaves that up to the audience to decide; and that’s the mark of brilliant television.