After having a lot of Game Of Thrones this past week and with all the politics going on my campus, I am presenting you Tyrion Lannister. If you are not a fan of GoT (applicable in only case if you are not yet acquainted!) or you hate that dwarf(which I don’t think is a possible scenario) then It will be better for you to leave.
I don’t think this midget calls for an introduction rather I will focus on heroic and compelling quotient of him. He’s complex, not like many of the other characters which are far more one-dimensional (i.e., Stannis’ just-bordering-on-cruel stance, Ramsay Snow/Bolton’s psychopathic cruelty, etc.) – he is at once intelligent, sly, cruel, heartbroken, persevering, oddly vulnerable … the list goes on. I think his most compelling attribute is his intelligence: in Tyrion, Martin has created a character who is physically stunted but intellectually gifted, far more intelligent and intellectually nuanced than Cersei or Jamie and therefore Tywin’s true heir (although of course Tywin would never permit Tyrion to be heir to Casterly Rock – much to his own eventual detriment, of course!). It is this continual tension in how he is perceived, caused by the disconnect by his physical deformity and his intellectual gifts, that makes Tyrion’s interactions with other characters so intense and satisfying.
Let me tell you more about him…
1. The ultimate survivor –
This guy is a dwarf in a time and place where size and skill at arms are hugely respected. However, he does not let it become a weakness and uses his wits to far greater effect than a warrior uses his sword.
2. Terrible childhood –
He has suffered humiliation, ridicule and disdain at the hands of his father due to his deformities and the death of his mother when he was born, when all he wanted was a bit of love and respect.
He was also physically and verbally abused by his sister in his childhood. His brother Jaime is the only person with whom he has had any sort of a close relationship.
3. Cunning but kind –
He is capable of extreme cunning and takes calculated measures against his enemies, but is also capable of sympathy and genuine kindness towards those whom he perceives as helpless or outcasts like himself
4. Heartbroken, but not hopeless –
He has suffered heartbreak of the most terrible form possible, when his father had his wife raped by his entire guard and made them pay her, calling her a prostitute. However, Tyrion doesn’t lose his capacity for love as he again falls in love.
5. Experienced, undaunted, witty dude –
This is one person who has been through all kinds of highs and lows in his life, but his spirit remains undaunted, unbroken and fearless.
He has known immense power in his homeland and has also been a bound and chained prisoner in a foreign land. He is regularly taunted and ridiculed due to his size and deformities. He is threatened and beaten up for his sharp, acerbic tongue. However, none of that ever tames his spirit (or tongue) and he retains a sense of humor throughout, which is pretty darn impressive.
Talking about humor and sarcasm, I would love throw his conversation here,
[Tyrion is brought before Lysa, after asking to confess the crime he didn’t commit]
Lysa Arryn: You wish to confess your crimes?
Tyrion Lannister: Yes, My Lady. I do, My Lady.
Lysa Arryn: [smiles triumaphantly] The sky cells always break them! Speak, Imp. Meet your gods as an honest man.
Tyrion Lannister: [meekly] Where do I begin, my lords and ladies? I am a vile man, I confess it. My crimes and sins are beyond counting. I have lied and cheated, gambled and whored. I’m not particularly good at violence, but I’m good at convincing others to do violence for me. You want specifics, I suppose. When I was seven, I saw a servant girl bathing in the river. I stole her robe and she was forced to return to the castle naked and in tears. I close my eyes, but I can still see her tits bouncing…
Tyrion Lannister: When I was ten, I stuffed my uncle’s boots with goat shit. When confronted with my crime, I blamed a squire. Poor boy was flogged, and I escaped justice. When I was twelve I milked my eel into a pot of turtle stew. I flogged the one-eyed snake, I skinned my sausage. I made the bald man cry into the turtle stew, which I do believe my sister ate. At least I hope she did. I once brought a jackass and a honeycomb into a brothel...
[ Lysa explodes in rage, realizing that Tyrion is making fun of her]
Lysa Arryn: Silence!
Robin Arryn: What happened next?
Lysa Arryn: [angrily] What do you think you’re doing?
Tyrion Lannister: Confessing my crimes.
(Source for conversation: Imdb)
Nikhilodeon 