Women's Value
Gender roles is an everyday life situation in which women and men are expected to act a certain way based on their gender. Nowadays we have slowly began to break that stereotype for both men and women, who are able to identify as what they believe themselves to be, which in my opinion is an awesome change in society. This however is not the case when it comes to Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is a TV series based on the medieval era with many things happening in reference to wars and claiming back land, but within all of the occurring gender roles are strongly incorporated and are heavily implied within society.
There is a clear difference when it comes to being a man and a woman during this time. Men are depicted in Game of Thrones as warriors that are always ready for battle. The women on the other hand are considered more dependent and are unable to do any real justice for themselves. The difference between male and female can be clearly seen in the fact that men go to war and fight and women stay behind, conceive, nurture, and obey their husbands.
There are many examples but one primary example is Daenerys Targaryen, who is one of the most beloved characters in Game of Thrones. She was sold off by her brother Viserys and Illyrio Mopatis to Khal Drogo in exchange for an army to Viserys. Her own brother sold her off for an army! There is no price that could be put on another human that would be worth selling to, let alone your own sister. This is a clear example of the power men had over women. No matter their opinion, it was going to be done because women in this setting had no say in their own life. If your brother needed an army and the only way of getting that army was by selling you, that was your job in helping him get his way.
Another aspect to bring up is that women who are victim to gender inequality would be poor women whose land had been conquered by others. Take for example Khal’s army the Dothraki, a strong army with skilled warriors. After conquering any land, their celebration consisted of raping the women of that land. This was done to make sure they knew who was now in control and from that day forward were then considered not free people.
This practice also shows us that women are thought to be less than men by dehumanizing them for something that is unchangeable and part of nature. Women have a big part in society while it might not be acknowledge it still doesn’t erase them. Women incorporate important elements to final decisions as well as interchangeable moments. So much happens in the Game of thrones and while yes, men hold a great power, women also have a big part in what decisions are made proving that their presence produces change just like men.
Comments
Post a Comment