Hooked on the "Game"

Has anyone been watching the mesmerizing television series, "A Game of Thrones"? I so love this show!

The Game of Thrones television series was created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of the fantasy novel, “A Song of Ice and Fire” written by author George R. R. Martin, the first of which is titled “A Game of Thrones.” It roughly follows the multiple storylines of “A Song of Ice and Fire” and is set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The series tells the story of the difficult and violent dynastic struggles among the realm's noble families for control of the Iron Throne.

The characters and plot content are derived from much of European history. Each of the show’s characters have their own individual story lines which are brilliantly intertwined within the plot and all are extremely complex.

Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, who is played by Sean Bean, is the head of the Stark family whose members are involved in most of the series's intertwined plot lines. He and his wife Catelyn “Lady Kat” Tully (Michelle Fairley) have five children. 
 

Ned's old friend King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) shares a loveless and betrothed marriage with Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) who has taken her twin, the "Kingslayer" Sir Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) as her secret lover. She loathes her younger brother, the clever dwarf Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage).  Cersei's father is the famously wealthy Lord Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), and her oldest son is the cruel Joffrey (Jack Gleeson).

Across the Narrow Sea, siblings Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) are the exiled children of the king overthrown by Robert Baratheon  and are on the run for their lives while trying to win back the throne. Daenerys has been married to Khal (King) Drogo, played by actor Jason Momoa, the leader of a nomadic Dothraki tribe.

(“Daenerys” as played by the lovely Emilia Clarke) 

My personal favorite; however, is definitely the character of Daenerys deemed “The Mother of Dragons” and a Khaleesi (Dothraki for “queen”) who, although starts off very timid and easily intimidated during the first season, quickly proves to be one of the show’s many strong and empowered female characters. In short, she is the daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen and is one of the last survivors of House Targaryen. She was forced into marriage to Khal Drogo, a Dothraki warlord, by her brother Viserys who had hoped to "buy" Drogo's Khalasar (army) to conquer Westeros. Daenerys soon learns the Dothraki language and customs, and gains enough confidence in herself to oppose her brother. 

She eventually conceives a child believed to be the long-prophesied Dothraki conqueror. After Drogo kills her brother, Viserys, for his constant cruelty to and outright disrespect of Daenerys whom he calls, “the moon of my life,”, she realizes for the first time that she is a true heir to the Targaryen dynasty, and; therefore, responsible for reclaiming the throne for herself. 

Shortly thereafter, Drogo is badly wounded in battle and Daenerys requests Mirri Maz Duur, a priestess of a temple the Dothraki have conquered, to heal him. She agrees to do as she is asked, but warns Daenerys that there will be a price to pay in turn for saving Drogo's life. Upon Daenerys' urging to heal the Khal no matter what the cost, she then summons the forces from beyond to save him. When Daenerys insists on seeing Drogo in the midst of the conjuring, she effectively places her unborn child in the middle of it all, and, subsequently loses him. The priestess essentially saves Drogo and, also in revenge for Drogo's crimes against her people, places him in a catatonic state leaving Daenerys little choice but to smother him so that he may rest in peace. She has a funeral pyre prepared for him which included three unhatched dragon eggs she had received as a wedding present. She then walks into her husband Drogo’s funeral fire emerging the next morning from the ashes unharmed and with three hatched dragons of whom she named Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion ~ hence earning her the title “The Mother of Dragons.” Drogo's Khalasar, witnessing this, swear allegiance to her.

Hubby and I began watching this series right after the first season had started and had to download the episodes. But, once we began watching it, we were completely hooked! Not only is it a fascinating story but, believe me, this series never lets up and you will not want want to miss a minute of it!

Song of Ice and Fire

A Game of Thrones (1996) A Clash of Kings (1998) A Storm of Swords (2000) A Feast for Crows (2005) A Dance with Dragons (2011) The Winds of Winter (forthcoming) A Dream of Spring (forthcoming)