Margaery Tyrell
| Margaery Tyrell | |
|---|---|
| A Song of Ice and Fire character | |
 HBO promotional still of Natalie Dormer as Lady Margaery Tyrell. | |
| First appearance |
A Game of Thrones (Mentioned) A Clash of Kings (Features) |
| Last appearance | A Dance with Dragons |
| Created by | George RR Martin |
| Portrayed by | Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) |
| Information | |
| Aliases |
The Little Queen Maid Margaery |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Queen of Westeros |
| Family |
Mace Tyrell (father) Alerie Tyrell (mother) Ser Loras Tyrell (brother) Garlan Tyrell (brother) Willas Tyrell (brother) Queen of Thorns (grandmother) |
| Nationality | Westerosi (of House Tyrell) |
Margaery Tyrell /ˈmɑrdʒəri tɪˈrɛl/ is a fictional character created by American author George R. R. Martin. She is a supporting character in Martin's award-winning Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy books, and a main character in HBO's adaptation of the series, Game of Thrones, where she is portrayed by Natalie Dormer. Margaery is first mentioned in A Game of Thrones and first appears in A Clash of Kings.
Character profile
Family and background
Margaery is the only daughter of Alerie Tyrell (née Hightower) and Mace Tyrell the Lord of House Tyrell, one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms. She is the sister of Ser Loras Tyrell, Garlan Tyrell and Willas Tyrell. She is the granddaughter of Lady Olenna Redwyne, who has mentored her in politics and court intrigue. The Tyrells' seat of power is Highgarden, capital of the Reach.
Storylines
Character in A Song of Ice and Fire
Margaery is first mentioned in A Game of Thrones, when Renly Baratheon shows Eddard Stark and later King Robert Baratheon her picture and asks them whether she looks like Lyanna Stark. Margaery appears in A Clash of Kings, where we learn she has wed Renly Baratheon, a union that signifies her family's support for Renly's claim to the Iron Throne. After Renly's assassination, the Tyrells switch allegiance and Margaery is instead offered to wed King Joffrey Baratheon. In A Storm of Swords Margaery takes up residence in the palace at King's Landing, and she gains much love from the local people through the charitable activities of herself and her bannermen. Margaery forms an amiable relationship with the King's ex-fiancee Sansa Stark [1] and through Sansa she learns much about Joffrey's true nature. Margaery, alongside her grandmother Olenna Redwyne, plot to have Sansa wed to Willas Tyrell, however the details of their plot are revealed to the Lannisters and Sansa is instead wed to Tyrion Lannister. Margaery weds King Joffrey but he is murdered on their wedding night. In A Feast for Crows Margaery marries Joffrey's younger brother, Tommen Baratheon. Margaery remains popular with the people of King's Landing and encourages Tommen to engage in some leadership activities, however her ideas are stymied by Cersei Lannister. Margaery's position is of some consternation to Cersei, who sees her as a threat to the power grip she has over Westeros. Cersei schemes to dispose of Margaery and so accuses her of adultery and treason. On these charges Margaery is imprisoned by the Faith. However Cersei's plans backfire and she herself is incarcerated. In A Dance with Dragons Margaery is released from her prison into the custody of Lord Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill, where she awaits a trial by judges of the Faith.
Character in Game of Thrones
Margaery's backstory and overall story have, as of the show's third season, remained largely unchanged from the books, with the major difference being that her prominence has been greatly increased for the screen. Margaery first appears in the second season, following her marriage to Renly. Margaery's season 2 appearances establish that she is well aware that her marriage is a political one, and displays pragmatism regarding Renly's homosexuality and his relationship with her brother, Ser Loras. Following Renly's assassination, Margaery indicates to Littlefinger that she is aware her erstwhile brother-in-law, Stannis, is more likely to be behind the assassination than Brienne of Tarth. She also makes it clear that her ambition is to be the Queen of Westeros, and will not settle for anything less.
In season 3, Margaery has relocated to King's Landing and taken up residence in the Red Keep. Margaery swiftly proves that she is one of the few people capable of dealing with Joffrey, and becomes a foil to Cersei, who as in the books despises Margaery. The series also expands on Margaery's relationship with Sansa Stark, establishing a friendship between the two, although as Sansa is the legal heir to the North, Margaery and the Tyrells stand to benefit as much as anyone from such a friendship.
Reception
A Song of Ice and Fire
Adam Whitehead of the wertzone feels Margaery's rivalry with Cersei is a major driving force in A Feast for Crows.[2] Hahn Nguyen of wickedlocal.com feels that Margaery is a background character whose cunning is only addressed subtly. She states that; "In the books, I felt [Margaery] was just pushed to the background. A pawn," and "Margaery's cunning was hinted at in the books, especially in her lunch with Lady Olenna and Sansa."[3] In a similar vein, Sean T. Collins writing for Rolling Stone feels that author Martin has been vague about Margaery's ambition and political cunning and describes her as a; "mute mystery whose motives and level of involvement in the game of thrones are unknown [by A Clash of Kings]"[4] However other writers feel Margaery's political ambition is more obvious. Madeline of Feministing writes; "Margaery is an ambitious politico as well as being a damn good actress – she plays the part of the tragic, virginal twice-widow so well that almost no one suspects that she is dead set on winning the throne. Despite frequently being used as a bartering chip, Margaery uses her womanhood to her advantage, knowing that producing an heir will shoot her to power."[5] Similarly Danica Liu writing for The Duke Chronicle describes Margaery as "subtle and graceful" and like most of the women in A Song of Ice and Fire, deals in the currencies of power.[6] Feminist writer, Rhiannon of feministfiction describes her feelings towards the character as "indifferent" and feels the TV version of the character is more interesting.[7]
Game of Thrones
David Sims writing for The AV Club enjoyed the introduction of Margaery's character in What Is Dead May Never Die commenting; "the fun twist to this plot is that Margaery Tyrell is obviously not the blushing maiden she appears to be, but an operator just like everyone else," and "Margaery could just be a cypher, a mostly silent cog in Renly's plans for dominance, but instead she's going to be a lot more." He uses her character to praise the writing of Game of Thrones, stating that it; "rarely traffics in cliched characterization."[8] Jenna Busch of Zap2it calls Margaery a "power player" who will "do anything to stay on the throne."[9] Writer and editor Silvia Moreno Garcia describes Margaery as "a sleeker, more determined player of this game of thrones" when compared to her book characterization and goes on to comment that she is a "shrewd politician," who might give the other good players a run for their money." She also believes she is "older and wordlier than the one in the books."[10] In "Valar Dohaeris," Diana Huang of University of California's Highlander News appreciated the development of Margaery's character and called her "self aware and quick-witted" and believes she has the power to wreak havoc in King's Landing.[11]
Many commentators notice Margaery's desire and ability to gain the support of the public. Rhiannon of feministfiction writes; "this Margaery is ambitious but kind, clearly sweet and generous, but also a master at working people's emotions in her favor. Graceful, elegant, and aware of how powerful every word can be. She's an expert at the game that Sansa has only just begun, and it is stunning to see her."[7] Tiffany Brown, writing for TV After Dark, states "Margaery has gained the favor and love of the people of King's Landing, and has even garnered the affections of her future king."[12] Natalie Dormer, the actress who plays Margaery, when interviewed by HitFix discussed Margaery's political savviness:Margaery brings this whole new element to the Game that you haven't seen before, which is basically PR. It's quite a modern ethos on PR and courting public affections, hopefully. We've all seen politicians kiss babies. It doesn't mean that she's insincere in her genuine hope to do charitable work and it's just an interesting new comment on how you handle the masses and how you win power that maybe we haven't seen in Westeros before.She also noted that Margaery comes from a matriarchal family and "that she's more cut from the cloth as a protegee of her grandmother, so she knows what it's like for a woman to be in charge."[13]
References
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Sansa LXI.
- ↑ Whitehead, Adam (February 9, 2010). "A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin". the wertzone. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ↑ Nguyen, Hahn (April 1, 2013). "TV Guide - Game of Thrones By the Book: Tyrion's Nose, Margaery's Hunger and Sliced Nipples". Wickedlocal.com. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ↑ T Collins, Sean (June 2012). "'Game Changers': The 10 Biggest changes between game of thrones and the books". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ↑ "In the game of feminism you win or you well no you pretty much win". Feministing. August 25, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ↑ Liu, Danica (October 1, 2012). "In the game of feminism you win or you well no you pretty much win". The Chronicle (Duke University). Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Game of Thrones: Valar Dohaeris". Feminist Fiction. April 4, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ↑ Sims, David (April 15, 2012). "What is Dead May Never Die For Newbies". The AV Club. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ↑ Busch, Jenna (April 9, 2012). "What is Dead May Never Die Preview". Zap2it. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ↑ Moreno Garcia, Silvia (April 17, 2012). "Review: Game of Thrones 2.03". Innsmouth Free Press. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ↑ Huang, Diana (April 1, 2013). "Game of Thrones Valar Dohaeris Review". The Highlander. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ↑ Brown, Tiffany (April 2, 2013). "The Peoples' Princess: Game of Thrones Episode (3×01) "Valar Dohaeris" – MVA Revealed Review". TV After Dark. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ↑ Feinberg, Daniel (March 31, 2013). "Interview: 'Game of Thrones' co-star Natalie Dormer discusses her Margaery Tyrell". HitFix. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
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