10 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Game Of Thrones
10. Jaime Raped Cersei
In one of the most controversial scenes so far, Jaime and Cersei participate in risky, incestuous lovemaking while leaning on a table that holds their son's corpse. That should be shocking enough in itself. However, many viewers interpreted the scene as Jaime explicitly raping Cersei. This is an easily understandable misconception, and the scene in question even left many book readers second guessing themselves. Due to the ambiguous scripting and unclear direction, it's easy to see why the scene has been widely viewed as a textbook example of rape. However, despite the show's scene suggesting otherwise, the book makes it very clear that the act is ultimately consensual on both sides. Although she intially resists, this is more to do with the location than the act itself. Here's part of the passage as it's written in the books:
Hurry, she was whispering now, quickly, quickly, now, do it now, do me now. Jaime Jaime Jaime. Her hands helped guide him. Yes, Cersei said as he thrust, my brother, sweet brother, yes, like that, yes, I have you, youre home now, youre home now, youre home. She kissed his ear and stroked his short bristly hair. Jaime lost himself in her flesh. He could feel Cerseis heart beating in time with his own, and the wetness of blood and seed where they were joined.
A counter-point would be that the show has simply re-written the scene, and the showrunners were aiming to present it as rape from the start. However, Alex Graves has insisted that this is not the case, stating that it, "becomes consensual by the end." He also claims that, "The consensual part of it was that she wraps her legs around him, and shes holding on to the table, clearly not to escape but to get some grounding in whats going on." It's a tricky topic for discussion, and there's no doubt that the scene was handled poorly. Within the fictional canon of the show though, and for its relevance to future events, it's important to note that the act was not considered a rape.