Cersei Lannister is not a character who toes the line between good and bad. You know the Queen of the Westeros from either the book series A Song of Ice and Fire or the new HBO television series Game of Thrones. The power hungry noble tends toward evil and manipulative most of the time.
Warning: if you don’t want to be even mildly spoiled for the books or TV show, you should probably stop reading now.
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” – Cersei Lannister
She hasn’t had it easy even though she grew up in a noble and wealthy family. Her father was the Hand of the King for years. However, her husband, Robert Baratheon, was madly in love with and betrothed to another woman. But his love, Lyanna Stark died. Since Robert had to have a queen, Cersei was shoved beside him. It was a marriage simply for the sake of uniting the Baratheon and Lannister houses. Robert openly visits brothels, and even though such behavior is nothing unusual in the society it has to sting that he is not discreet about it. I can only imagine the depths of bitterness those feelings would birth. Now, layer that on top of the Lannister pride and taste for vengeance. I wouldn’t get on her wrong side.
When she has kind moments, like recently in Game of Thrones when she discussed the death of a son with Catelyn Stark, you wonder if she does have a heart. I guess she could care, but I believe it’s all an act. The TV show is actually painting her with softer edges. I have a feeling that she views pity and compassion as signs of weakness. She doesn’t hesitate to remove anyone who is a threat to her family and her secrets. She is a formidable opponent in the game.
