Tyrion Lannister's Oscillation of Self-identity in HBO's TV Series Game of Thrones
| Autor: | Fang, Chen-Yi, 方振頤 |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 105 HBO’s award-winning TV drama series the Game of Thrones (2011-2018 or 2019), created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, draws its main storylines from George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy novel series entitled A Song of Ice and Fire (1996-). The background sets in a fictional medieval world composed of two continents: Westeros and Essos. In Westeros, seven very powerful houses have divided up the land and power after a bloody rebellion led by Robert Baratheon against the previous regime. The main plot of the story begins years after Robert’s enthronement. With the sudden tragic death of this King Robert, a seemingly stable power structure starts to crumble down. An iron throne without a stronghold occupant soon arouses the long-suppressed desires in aggressive players for ultimate power, and this consequently results in chaos, struggle, and violence within the Seven Kingdoms. It is against this background that the target of this paper is set: the oscillation of self-identity happening to a dwarf named Tyrion, who was born into a most powerful family called the Lannister. Being born defective and despised, Tyrion Lannister has been subjected to various doubts and denial about his identity, especially in the issues of birth legitimacy, social achievement, and character decency. His ordeal of transforming from a family/social outcast to a man with self-recognition can be best perceived in three stages of his life. One’s childhood, during which a child intensively interacts with its caretakers (mostly its immediate family), is very crucial in forging one’s primary identity. The presence of a loving mother’s gaze is considered key element for the infant to gain its self-awareness, whereas the overpowering presence of the father’s fearful voice usually undermines the future development of the infant’s emotion control and self-confidence. The absence of mother’s gaze and the ever-present father’s authority result in Tyron’s identity oscillation within the realms of family and family business. In Tyrion’s career development stage, his self-worth is solely constructed upon his father’s approval and recognition. His right/wrong, good/evil, and life/death are totally under his father’s disposal, tearing him apart and clouding his moral judgement. After he is sentenced to death by his father, he escapes and embarks a journey to Essos, where he starts as a statesman free from his family’s control and even has a chance to return to Westeros as the chief chancellor for the new emerging political force. The hero’s journey of departure, adventure, and return, based on Joseph Campbell’s formulation in The Hero with a Thousand Faces is evident in Tyron’s life passages. All his past experiences facilitate the (re-)construction of his self-identity. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
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