The many faced masculinities in A Game of Thrones

Abstract

Game of Thrones is a stunning medieval fantasy which tells the story of the immense struggle for power in an ancient world named ‘The Seven Kingdoms’. It was originally written as a series of novels by the American author George R. R. Martin in 1996 and adapted to the TV screen by HBO in 2011. The series has completed its sixth season and is scheduled to go on for a total of eight seasons. Since its first broadcast in 2011, A Game of Thrones has attracted millions of viewers on a global scale and has received a total of 38 Emmy Awards. In A Game of Thrones, gender is one of the central themes, as power relations generally evolve around different gender roles. This study analyses masculinity in A Game of Thrones and the different types of masculinities which are identified through various male and female characters. This classification places all of the characters in two distinct gender categories. It also reveals the impact of these diverse forms of masculinities on the lives of the main characters and the general storyline of the production. Thus, the paper deconstructs the constructed masculinities in A Game of Thrones by exposing their representation through the main characters.