Game of Thrones. Sexism and Politics in "A Song of Ice and Fire"

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 1, Vienna University of Economics and Business , language: English, abstract: In this paper I want to analyze interdependences of George R. R. Martin’s "Game of Thrones" with focus on gender diversity and sexism as well as on the political and economic situation that has created such a world mastered by paternalism and capitalism and governed by a peculiar and institutional kind of gender imbalance, sexual subjection and hierarchical structure. After watching the first five Seasons of HBO’s TV series "Game of Thrones" full up with the foreseeable female nudity I was remembered that this is still a big thing in our modern society as well. In fact, when George R. R. Martin is writing about his imaginings about family relationships, economic depressions and individual distress, it is tough not to think about sexuality, which is definitely connected to it. Relating to the series nudity and sexuality is universal and the show is rotating around a “fuck them all” mentality, whereas this sexual fetishism is both ubiquitously and forcing. The revenant use of bareness is arbitrary and stimulating, but when along with agony it appears often as too provoking. It shows a world full of suppression and patricide, misogyny and neutering, decruitment and bondage. Especially, for female actors, who are exposed to male desires with diverse showings for intercourse - propagation, desecration, rape and incest. There are plenty graphic embodiments of sex and sadistic torment. Particularly, violence occurs with sexual actions, since female showrunners are repetitively slated and humiliated, for example when Sansa Stark was raped by her mentally ill husband Ramsay Bolton. This illustrates that the destiny of high-born ladies is depending on the nature of her husband, a hazardous allegation in a society where forced marriages are daily fare. Another scene where Sansa was nearly raped is displayed as a natural outcome of gorgeous females when they are not sheltered by men. The tried violation is shown as both as an ordinary event and as an acknowledgement that women can get hurt by men without consequences, since all of that is ostensibly legitimate.