It is fitting that the most powerful person in Game of Thrones heading into season four is primarily a manipulator. He wields institutionalised power as the Hand of the King, but his charisma, wealth, political clout, and familial connections ensure his place as the most formidable politician in King's Landing. He is more powerful than the King, his grandson, as is seen when Joffrey complains to him that the Small Council meetings take place in the lofty quarters of the Hand, which requires the king to climb several stairs. Tywin merely tells him that his guards can carry him and that he ought to leave the big decisions to his advisers. Later, when Joffrey disrespects him at a Small Council meeting, Tywin says the king is in need of a nap, and Cersei leads Joffrey to his quarters. Even though Joffrey is the de jure king, Tywin has the power to dismiss him as he wishes. Speaking of Cersei, Tywin arranges for two of his adult children, Cersei and Tyrion, to marry into noble families, and despite their vehement opposition, they still obey him. Part of this is due to his political genius, but it also reflects the paternal power Tywin has over his children, who themselves wield much power. That he is able to manipulate Joffrey, Cersei, and Tyrion helps in cementing Tywin as the most powerful man in Game of Thrones because he has three very powerful pawns. Furthermore, Tywin is a military and political genius. He came to terms with the Tyrells to help win the impossible Battle of Blackwater and he organised the Red Wedding with Walder Frey to dispatch his greatest threat in the North, Robb Stark. These deals reflect Tywin's understandings of political machinations. It is also relevant to that Tywin is the richest man in Westeros, which goes a long way in brokering political deals. In sum, Tywin has institutionalised power as the Hand of the King, but he also manipulates the loftiest politicians in Westeros. He is a political genius, and he is the richest man in Westeros. However, the past three seasons have seen the most powerful figures fall (Robert Baratheon, Robb Stark), suggesting a major theme of the show: no character, no mater how powerful, is safe.
Joseph is a student at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, double majoring in Ancient Greek and Religious Studies. He has a deep passion for TV and consumes as much of it as possible.
