Abuse Of Power In Literature

It almost seems as if human nature itself promotes violence among individuals; however, it is not the only pushing force that causes a person to lift a knife against their fellow man, and certainly not the most powerful. Grief, anger, and a corrupted mind all serve to instigate violent acts in both literature as well as the real world. Although a person can pick up a fictitious book about murder and laugh it off as nothing more than a story, it is important to realize that everything that was ever written about social interactions of any kind was inspired by a real life event, and, just as in imaginary worlds where a character ends up causing their own downfall or that of others, there are real individuals who take actions that eventually …show more content…
It is important to note that it is not the only motivation that exists—a person may want something because they believe it belongs to them, but it is a very dominant pushing factor for many actions by those either in power or seeking power. This hunger for more is very strongly mirrored in Game of Thrones, it being the main motivator for most of the actions of its characters. After the King of the Seven Kingdoms, Robert, dies it leaves his two siblings warring with the other dominant Houses over the throne. Stannis Baratheon, the oldest sibling, believes the Iron Throne to be his by right, as he learns from Eddard Stark that the queen’s children are incest-born bastards with no right to rule, therefore making him next in the line of succession. The younger brother, Renly, opposes his older sibling because he believes himself to be a better king even if he had no legitimate claim to the throne. Queen Cersei’s actions are driven by a desire to rule that has been ingrained in her since childhood and a want to elevate her children in terms of power. Her younger brother Tyrion, however, is molded by the treatment he receives from his family both for being a dwarf and for killing his mother during labor. While the Lannisters are, for the most part, driven by power, the survivors of House Targaryen have more reasons for their wanting the throne. Viserys, the older brother, grows up outraged that he has been denied the throne by the usurpers and that he is forced to wander as a beggar. He and his sister, Daenerys, want the Iron Throne because they believe it to be their birthright as it has been stolen from their family. Many times it seems that people only want something because they believe beyond all else that it is already theirs, or it has been promised to them; when this is the case, those people may do things that they otherwise would not