‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8: Episode 4
‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8: With Episode 4, Daenerys becomes a Macbeth by flaw while Cersei stands as a Macbeth by birth
Daenerys’ wrath to get back at Cersei at the wake of the deaths of her beloved ones is a travesty of her descend to madness.
When speaking of tragedy, playwright George Bernard Shaw had said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it.” However, when speaking of tragedy in Episode 4 of ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8, there can be only two tragedies in Westeros. One is the rule of a Mad Queen who loses all that her heart desires. The other is for the Mad Queen to gain all that she aspires for. After losing her most faithful warrior, Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) in the Battle of Winterfell, Daenerys barely realized she would have a lot more to lose than gain and with today’s episode, the Mother of Dragons once again lost those she loved the most.
Episode 4 brought us back to King’s Landing, where Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) along with the Golden Company and the Iron Fleet had already prepared a snaring trap for the Mother of Dragons. Unable to fathom the panoply of arrows which showered upon her when Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) rode close to King’s Landing, she had to witness the fall of yet another dragon- this time the casualty being Rhagael. This was the inception of the concatenation of events that will finally lead to what can perhaps be the greatest flaw in the Dragon Queen- her wrath. At this point, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Daenerys is gradually approaching towards a pedestal from where on tragic heroes meet their ultimate demise. Daenerys’ journey, throughout Episode 4, was carefully wrapped in her urgency to pursue what her heart desires, the Iron Throne. At the same time, it was enough to concern both Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) of the consequences which might befall upon Westeros once the Dragon Queen gets what she desires.
Unlike Episode 3, which provoked apathy more than empathy among some audience, Episode 4 seemed to have turned the wheel back to where ‘Game of Thrones’ became one of the most iconic TV shows in all history. In its tendency to create an impermeable web of subplots which in their own time reveal the darkest corners of the storyline, Episode 4 saw revenge being hoisted as the ultimate battle cry. Cersei’s embellished rule can be easily smeared by Daenerys’ autocracy and yet, the very scene where Cersei stands at the top of the tower looking down at Daenerys’ handful of Unsullied was sufficient for us to realize that ‘Game of Thrones’ still hasn’t released its most notorious weapon.
The wheels have turned, and the Dragon Queen is left with one dragon. All those who have loved her unconditionally are dead, and all those who respect her for her will to break chains now fear her. She is now merely ambling through the crevices of Cersei’s goliath reign, and it will perhaps not be long that this upheaval of her army will be the biggest fallout for Daenerys. When Macbeth watched the bushes rustle in front of his castle he remained adamant claiming that he would not have to fear a man born of a woman. Prophecies can always be tricky (‘Game of Thrones’ is a standing proof of that) and ultimately Macbeth was killed by Macduff the man who was ripped off a woman’s womb. Daenerys’ life has compelled her to believe in a destiny where she is the breaker of chains, the most suitable ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. On the other hand, Cersei’s childhood taught her she needs to be a Queen to keep all that she loves the most.
For Cersei, power is what drives her to live on. (IMDb)
Like Macbeth, the throne is merely an instrument of power for the two women. Episode 4 clearly exposed their greed for the throne, and their little regard for the people of King’s Landing. Yet unlike Macbeth, nobody whispered this urgency to gain power in their ears. Both Daenerys and Cersei had made conscious choices to have power in their hands, and both are now being warned to keep their greed at bay. While Daenerys was driven by the hope of a destiny, Cersei was driven by a requirement. In that one scene, where the two queens refuse to give away their power- which ultimately caused the death of a beloved character- we get the clear glimpse of the madness of Aerys Targaryen and the selfish advocacy of Robert Baratheon. More so, just like the unnecessary deaths of Lady Macduff and her children, Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) pays the price with her life. This was once again where ‘Game of Thrones’ showed us just how bathetic some consequences can be- a direct recalling of Rickon’s death in Season 6 during the Battle of the Bastards.
Their combined desire for the Iron Throne will be their greatest flaw. (IMDb)
Thus Shaw’s saying on tragedy about not gaining the heart’s desire and also having it at your disposal almost form the underpinning structure of Episode 4. The latter is at the moment the tragedy for Jon Snow (Kit Harington), who only recently realized his rightful claim to the Iron Throne. As Aegon Targaryen, the love child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, Jon’s claim to the Iron Throne is a non-partisan one and yet he chooses not to sit on the Iron Throne. However, as Lord Varys says, his choice will perhaps play no significant role here since Jon’s being the King of Westeros will put an end to several squabbles. Again it is a tragedy for Daenerys as this only means her years of wars and conquests, and the sacrifice of her children only mean she has to hand over the throne to someone who does not desire for it. Desire is what has been driving every character in ‘Game of Thrones’, and with Episode 4 desire becomes nothing short of an unhinging ambition for them.
Let’s just say, Episode 4 of ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 satiated our need to watch the show take an unusual turn- as it always has. The death of Rhagael, Missandei, Daenerys’ disoriented state, her arrogance to not abide by her own words, and her concern that Jon’s secret will be her greatest threat actually took us back to Stannis Baratheon’s last moments when he lost the greatest army in all of Westeros. It all ultimately comes down to what the heart wants and what one can do for it. Daenerys can burn down kingdoms for what she wants, Cersei was be a notorious liar, and Jon can only remain silent for what he wants. What their desire will lead them to can be found out when Episode 5 returns to HBO on May 12 at 9 pm.
