CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY
Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, and Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell, were once really good friends. The closest description that George R. R. Martin has gotten to actual ages is that Rob and Ned are no longer super-attractive 20-something-year-olds at the peak of their physical prowess. (Robert's physical decline is especially noticeable, apparently; he seems to have swung from "20-something with washboard abs" to "40/50 something with several chins"). In private, as Robert visits the grave of Ned's sister, the two discuss Ned becoming the Hand of the King. This sounds like basically the worst job ever - the king just gets to do whatever he chooses, and the Hand of the King is the one who actually gets it done. You could say that the King is the brain and the Hand is the brawn, but it seems a bit more complicated than that.
At the end of the chapter, Robert mentions that Joffrey and Sansa should get married, so the Baratheon and stark houses can properly be united. (It would seem that Rob marrying Ned's sister, Lyanna, would have done that, but then she died.) Anyway, he says their children don't have to get married yet, since Sansa is 11 and Joffrey is 12, but they should at least be engaged. Somehow this doesn't seem like a good idea.
QUESTIONS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
1. Did the relationship between Rob and Ned deteriorate because they landed in two different environments, or did something else happen?
2. If Rob and Ned have barely spoken since they helped Rob take the Iron Throne, why does Rob trust Ned so much?
3. What is the point of the Hand of the King position? Is this some kind of advisor, or was the role created by someone who wanted to run the throne without ACTUALLY having the responsibility of the throne?
4. When was the Hand of the King created? Is it something that Aerys Targaryen had when he was king? Is it something Rob brought up?
OTHER CHARACTERS MENTIONED HERE:
Tyrion Lannister - called "The Imp," because he is super clever and he is a Little Person (not some High Fantasy Archetype of someone three inches tall - Tyrion is a human whose endocrine gland didn't release enough growth hormones).
Cersei Lannister - Rob's wife. Jamie's twin. Apparently she turns out to be one of the strongest women in the series.
Jamie Lannister - Cersei's twin brother. Is he the Kingkiller?
Sandor Clegane
Tywin Lannister
Lysa Arrys
Rickard Stark - Ned's father, deceased
Brandon Stark - Ned's brother, deceased
Lyanna Stark - Ned's sister, formerly engaged to Robert Barantheon; she asked to be buried in the Stark crypt and not among the Barantheons
Aerys Targaryen - the Mad King whom Rob overthrew. Interesting other side to how Viserys sees the overthrowing.
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY
At the welcoming feast for the royal family, Jon Snow is excluded from the Table of Important People because Robert might take offense to the bastard. (Seeing as Rob appears as the sort of man who has fathered a lot of bastards, I don't think he'd mind, but that's just me). Jon is not part of the Main Table, and that is that.
This gives him the chance to talk to Benjen Stark, Ned's brother and a member of the Night's Watch. Jon wants to join the Watch, but Ben essentially tells Jon that Jon is too young, too drunk, and still a virgin, so Jon has no idea what he's missing. Ben also tells Jon to get older and get laid, and then to consider joining.
This upsets Jon, who goes outside, followed by his direwolf, Ghost. Tyrion Lannister follows, and it becomes LIFE ADVICE CORNER WITH TYRION LANNISTER: that Jon should make being a bastard his armor, not his weakness, so it could never hurt him. Tyrion also says that "not all bastards need to be dwarfs," which is kind of important.
QUESTIONS:
1. is there an age limit on joining the Night's Watch?
2. What does Tyrion do in his spare time?
No comments:
Post a Comment