Game Of Thrones: 10 Most Powerful Characters
A rundown of the movers and shakers of Westeros.
At its core, Game of Thrones is a show about power€”about wielding, gaining, sustaining, and manipulating it. There are two ways of wielding this power in the Game of Thrones universe: institutionally and manipulatively. The figures in the first category occupy an explicit leadership position over those under their influence. This would include Joffrey, Daenerys, Stannis, and even Mance Rayder. These characters have explicit authority to go to war and order people to be imprisoned or executed among other things. Their royalty (or at least claims to royalty) allows them to rule with institutionalized power. On the other hand, there are Game of Thrones characters who don't wield institutionalized power but are able to manipulate situations and other characters who do wield institutionalized power in order to benefit their own desires. These characters have found ways into the minds of those with institutionalized power, whether by emotional connections (Margaery Tyrell) or by monetary connections (Littlefinger). It even seems that Game of Thrones favors these manipulating characters since many of the rulers would become puppets, ruling at the whims of the manipulating characters. The past three seasons of the show have seen men with great power fall (Robert Baratheon) and new forces rise (Daenerys). Every faction has its figurehead, but these figureheads have proven to be mere puppets on several occasions, with several figures orchestrating these shifts in the political background (Varys). And with season four fast approaching, an evaluation of the power dynamics in the Game of Thrones universe is in order. Some spoilers for the first three seasons follow.