[The Prince] must stick to the good as long as he can, but, being compelled by necessity, he must be ready to take the way of evil.
-Niccolo Machiavelli
Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in George R. R. Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire, is a known villain. She organized the attempted murder of a young boy, slept with multiple partners to get her way, captured and beat her brother’s significant other, and even ordered the deaths of her husband’s bastard sons. Her list of villainous acts seems callous and malicious, but a closer look at her motivations suggest otherwise. All of her actions display a consistent goal: pursuing and maintaining political power. In The Prince, a scholarly essay that defines the ideal ruler, Niccolo Machiavelli gives various instructions on how a ruler should comport himself to stay in a position of authority. He claims that the state is the highest achievement of man and to obtain it, one must be virtuous, wise, and revered. These traits are typically expected of an effective leader, but Machiavelli also explicitly advises a ruler to be ruthless, and when “compelled by necessity, take the way of evil.” This instruction does not exclude deception, manipulation, or murder. In other words, what must be done should be done. Seen through this new perspective, Cersei Lannister’s actions epitomize those of an effective ruler, who governs with brave, decisive actions. Instead of reckless villainy, her acts are justifiable for the preservation of her rule, the defense of her family’s prestige, and the protection of her subject’s well being.
According to Machiavelli’s The Prince, to maintain power a ruler must always foresee possible dangers and defend himself by any means necessary. In other words, ‘the ends justify the means,’ even if said ‘means’ involve death. Within the Seven kingdoms, King Robert Baratheon slowly drinks himself to death while the Queen, Cersei Lannister, raises her three children. Like any good wife and queen, she stands by Robert and her kingdom, even when her husband raised a hand to her. Once Eddard Stark arrives as the Hand of the King, also known as ‘his right-hand man,’ he begins investigating suspicious activities. He eventually discovers that Robert did not father any of queen Cersei’s children, and that the real heirs to the throne are scattered across the kingdom. With this new information, Eddard threatens to tell the King the truth unless Cersei and her children leave the kingdom. Foreseeing the end of her reign, Cersei devised a plan to safeguard her family’s interests. She exploits Robert’s fondness for drinking by poisoning his wine, leading to a fatal accident. Once Robert returned to the castle, it was only a matter of time before his death. By removing the king, Eddard’s suspicions could no longer lead to a major scandal that would remove Cersei or the Lannister family from power. At first glance, murdering the King appears like a politically motivated assassination, or perhaps a hidden lust for power, but certainly not a defensive action. However, she only connives to remove the king when he poses a threat to her position in power. Given these motivations, Cersei is completely within her rights to remove the circumstances that would ensure her downfall.
While oftentimes you must protect yourself from danger first, in times of peace and prosperity Machiavelli believes that “Every Prince will want to be considered merciful, but mercy should not be mismanaged” (Machiavelli Ch. 17). With the immediate danger out of the way, Cersei turns her attention to governing by naming herself as regent to her son, the new king Joffrey Lannister. She advised her son to imprison Eddard Stark, removing him as a further threat to her or her family while they remained on the throne. As a prisoner, Eddard ‘s only way of regaining his freedom would be to plead guilty and accept a forced exile from the capital. Although Cersei strongly advocates this course of action, a rash and impulsive Joffrey orders his execution, and bypasses Cersei’s vehement objections. Cersei again foresees a possible conflict between her family and that of the powerful Stark family, whose patriarch was unjustly executed. But this is a problem that does not have an easy solution. A long protracted war between two well-armed and heavily supported armies is the worst outcome for a kingdom that is already worn down and buried in debt. Cersei’s main concern is the stability of the kingdom and the ability of her family to rule effectively, both of which would be compromised by Joffrey’s reckless decision. The concern she has for her kingdom shows that Cersei is not motivated by cold-blooded revenge, but only by the efficacy of the Lannister family and the protection of her subjects from further armed conflicts. Her desire to keep the goodwill of the people is prudent in the long run, and will be one of the Lannister’s major tools while in control of the kingdom.
While Machiavelli believes that acting out of self-interest is an inherent human quality, the motivations for a ruler are complicated by also having to take the goodwill of the people into account. This belief means that the interests of the ruler and the ruled are tied together, which Cersei realizes with war on the horizon. Wars are costly in terms of money, human lives, as well as the goodwill that was built up with major time and effort. Cersei believed that her family was the best equipped for the kingdom being in the state that it was. Fortunately for her, the Lannisters have obtained a considerable amount of wealth, and have used it to buy the influence of other powerful factions, as well as being able to add to their own military might. With this strong army behind them, they are able to defend against any coalition the Starks might be able to raise in opposition. Cersei’s family is also in an ideal economic position to relieve the kingdom of its debt situation, which was incurred by Robert Baratheon before he assumed the throne. Removing the existing debt allows more money to be spent to rebuild and recover from the last war. Further elevating the Lannisters dominance and prestige, Cersei places selected family members into positions of authority for the purposes of helping herself, and the people. However, Cersei’s desire for the Lannisters to remain on the throne is not borne from a wanton lust for power, nor simply a self-serving desire to be protected from her enemies, but rather in the hopes that the fortunes of the common people will flourish with hers. Her belief is that the vast resources the Lannisters possess, their unending coffers, multitude of allies, and overwhelming influence, is the best way to provide for the safety and continued growth of the entire kingdom.
Despite Cersei’s motivations for her actions, she still has her enemies. Lord Eddard Stark’s family knows that the Lannisters are powerful and have a tendency to manipulate situations in their favor. To the Starks, Cersei represents the puppeteer behind all their unjustified success. After all, she did try to organize the murder of their youngest son to hide her affair. While they have reason to be upset, they don’t have the entire kingdom’s interests at heart. With the death of Eddard, the head of the family, the Starks would no longer have a strong and respected leader like the Lannisters have. Her now late husband’s brother also possesses a deep dislike for Cersei, claiming that she seeked the throne for herself all along instead of the love and marriage of his brother. Who could blame him for being suspicious after Robert’s mysterious murder? But he is unable to see that Cersei did hold great affection for King Robert, and it was he who was unfaithful in his marriage. Although her detractors would claim that Queen Cersei is nothing more than a cold-blooded and power hungry being, she is quite the opposite. She does desire the throne, and will do anything within her power to maintain it, but with the altruistic intent of being the most capable rulers for the entire kingdom.
The fantasy genre revolves around an epic battle between good and evil, but George R. R. Martin’s fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire rejects pigeonholing its characters into this dichotomy. The depth of Cersei Lannister’s ambition for power knows no bounds, and although on the surface her actions are despicable, they are necessary for the preservation of herself, her family, and ultimately for the greater good for the people of the kingdom. The validations for her actions are mirrored in Machiavelli’s book The Prince, a treatise on governing written in the Sixteenth Century that is still relevant today. Foremost among its principles is the belief that rulers can and should do whatever is necessary for the preservation of their power, and that they should exercise their power for the betterment of their subjects. Seen through the lens of The Prince, Cersei Lannister’s actions are justified, and imperative for any ruler who wishes to stay in power. Although Machiavelli’s book mentions no feminine words such as ‘Queen’ or ‘herself,’ no one can deny that Cersei Lannister is nothing short of the perfect example of a ruler that Machiavelli was talking about.
Works Cited:
Martin, George R.R. A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam Spectra, 1996.
Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, trans. William K. Marriott (Project Gutenberg,
2006), chap. 18, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h.htm.
“The Prince,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, accessed September 17, 2012, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince
katiedalton01 