5. Brienne Of Tarth
Let's start with the obvious. Brienne, played by Gwendoline Christie, represents the traditional feminism of the 1970s and 80s, the kind of radical feminists who were labelled bra-burners by the media. Brienne is a 7ft female knight who can best most men in combat. When we first meet her she is showing off her fighting skills as she defeats Loras Tyrell to earn the admiration of both Renly Baratheon and the audience. This perfectly encapsulates the whole women-can-be-as-good-as-men outlook of feminism. Throughout the show we see her skills with a sword time and again. Most notably when she fights Jaime Lannister who is supposed to be one of the most skilled fighters in the realm. My only reservation with the character is that her personality is so bland. She is singularly minded in her duty. Whilst this is in fitting with her character, it would be nice to see her smile once in a while. This would show that there is no reason that a strong woman should not also have a vibrant personality. Hopefully, they develop her personality more in later series.