The books take place in a time and place where the social mores are very different than our world. Life is not as valuable to people of this primitive (by our standards) society, and because of this we can not honestly judge them by the values of our world and our time. Just as we cannot honestly judge historical figures from our worlds ancient history using our values and beliefs. To do so, we would have to then say that just about every leader of the ancient world was evil, from Marcus Crassus (who crucified several thousand revolting slaves along the road to Rome after he put down Spartacus) to Caesar who crucified the pirates that had taken him hostage after he was ransomed.
Evil is such a tricky term, especially when you are looking at the situation through the filter of modern values and mores.
Evil is such a tricky term, especially when you are looking at the situation through the filter of modern values and mores.
While a part of this is true, we also need to realize that if we are not to look at these characters from modern perspectives, we need to use the perspective of the society in which they reside, and they are evil even by those standards. Cersei and Jaime have an incestuous relationship, Jaime is a regicide and an oathbreaker, Cersei hopes to commit fratricide, and so on.
Most people would laugh away some of these reasons to call them evil or even wrong, though their own world would not hesitate in branding them as evil and accursed.
I am not trying to in any way condone the actions of Jaime or Cersei et al, yet what they did they did to protect their children and family. Any parent would do whatever was necessary to save the lives of their children, even if it meant doing somehting horrible. I challenge anyone on this board to HONESTLY say that they would not kill someone to protect their child. If you say you wouldn't then either you are not a parent, or you are a liar.
The total bullshit-ness of this argument is astounding. Cersei and Jaime deliberately disregarded their own safety and that of their children when the spent years f*cking around in strange castles. They know quite well that Robert would kill them and their kids the moment they were discovered. Yet, having sex was more important?
By your argument, it is completely normal parental behavior to risk your child's life by having forbidden sex, and then murder another innocent child when you're discovered! Arrant nonsense.
ASoI&F Quickpoll: Evil characters
18/03/2010 02:04:24 PM
- 1400 Views
Re: ASoI&F Quickpoll: Evil characters
18/03/2010 02:32:48 PM
- 857 Views
Confusing likability with goodness
18/03/2010 08:59:40 PM
- 852 Views
Arya may not be "good"...
18/03/2010 09:15:46 PM
- 907 Views
Do you think a child can be evil? *NM*
18/03/2010 09:18:06 PM
- 361 Views
We sometimes hear about kids doing horrible things
18/03/2010 09:41:30 PM
- 735 Views
Is that because they may not understand the consequences of their actions?
18/03/2010 09:45:33 PM
- 811 Views
Most likely, yes. Plus their reasons for doing bad things lack deeper inferior motives.
18/03/2010 10:09:25 PM
- 846 Views
Arya is old enough to understand cause and effect...
18/03/2010 11:04:31 PM
- 938 Views
Soldiers do the same thing.
19/03/2010 03:23:35 AM
- 772 Views
Just what I was about to say, yeah *NM*
19/03/2010 07:55:47 AM
- 333 Views
Soldiers kill for the sake of their country, their cause, or their hope...
19/03/2010 11:24:16 PM
- 1161 Views
Re: Soldiers kill for the sake of their country, their cause, or their hope...
20/03/2010 12:29:55 AM
- 793 Views
Arya is not a soldier. Soldiers are not individually responsible for the results of war.
20/03/2010 11:22:43 PM
- 947 Views
Arya is legitimately the most evil...
18/03/2010 09:45:04 PM
- 1128 Views
No, she's not
18/03/2010 11:45:23 PM
- 787 Views
Cersei doesn't have true justification
18/03/2010 11:47:44 PM
- 912 Views
what he said! especially about Cersei being seriously mentally ill *NM*
19/03/2010 04:38:19 AM
- 298 Views
Re: Arya is legitimately the most evil...
19/03/2010 10:50:56 PM
- 779 Views
I was looking forward to his response as well.
19/03/2010 11:13:35 PM
- 889 Views
to be accurate, the child was not yet disabled when he was pushed from the tower
20/03/2010 10:52:42 PM
- 892 Views
Evil is such a limiting term to use.
20/03/2010 12:18:24 PM
- 754 Views
Try reading the books
20/03/2010 10:50:01 PM
- 962 Views
I've read them a few times.
21/03/2010 01:47:52 PM
- 847 Views
Just a "few" times?
21/03/2010 06:07:14 PM
- 899 Views

Only three times.
21/03/2010 11:20:12 PM
- 803 Views
Jon Connington- Hand to Aerys. Lost to Hoster, Eddard and Robert. Exiled. *NM*
22/03/2010 04:09:59 AM
- 377 Views
people seem to be forgetting
21/03/2010 09:11:04 PM
- 911 Views
Some of that is BS...
22/03/2010 04:18:06 AM
- 832 Views
ROFLMAO. Most people complain that my values are medieval & out of touch with the modern world!
23/03/2010 01:54:58 AM
- 1192 Views
To clarify, "evil" means VERY, VERY BAD.
23/03/2010 01:12:39 AM
- 1007 Views