8 Game Of Thrones Moments That Are So Much Better In The Book
3. The Truth About Tyrion's First Wife
Despite coming across as a bit heartless in the first season of Game Of Thrones, Tyrion soon becomes one of the few characters that viewers can unequivocally get behind (at least comparatively). One of Tyrion's darkest moments, though, comes at the end of season four, when he murders his former lover Shae and his father, Tywin. The motivation for doing this is largely fine (Shae likely could have been handled better she genuinely seems to care for him until she's suddenly sleeping with Tywin). Tywin's prolonged cruel treatment of Tyrion is plenty clear. Nevertheless, there's one key detail omitted from the show and used in the books that makes Tyrion's murderous motivation even greater, and makes Tyrion himself a vastly more sympathetic character. In A Storm Of Swords, when Jaime springs Tyrion free from his cell following his trial (which takes place during the finale of season four) he tells Tyrion that his first wife Tysha wasn't, in fact, a whore, but was a peasant who developed real feelings for him after Tyrion took care of her at a young age. Tywin had previously lied to Tyrion about who Tysha really was, claiming she had been paid to pretend to love him. Tywin also forced Tyrion to rape her. The revelation of this lie is essentially what drives Tyrion to kill both Shae and Tywin, and in the books it seriously damages the relationship between the two brothers, unlike in the show, where the scene focuses on the positive emotions elicited by Tyrion's release. In the books, Tyrion hates Jaime for his prolonged deception, and even goes so far as to physically strike him, revealing the truth about Cersei's sexual escapades with Lancel and Osmund Kettleblack in an attempt to wound him. This sets up a much more interesting dynamic going forward, especially given the fact that Jaime is the one who orchestrated Tyrion's escape with the help of Varys. Alas, just another of the many complex relationships lost in translation.
