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Chapter 29: Sansa
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Game of Thrones, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Politics and Power
Climate Change and Collective Action
Gender and Power
Honor and Integrity
Identity
Summary
Analysis
Ned goes to see the body of the knight who Gregor killed while jousting the day before. The knight, Ser Hugh, had been Jon Arryn’s squire before Jon Arryn died, and Ned wanted to talk to him. Ned can’t help but think that it wasn’t a coincidence that the knight died in the tournament. Ned then talks with Robert. Robert wants to fight in the melee, part of the tournament that will come later that afternoon. Ned advises against it, saying that no one would dare strike the king. Robert says he dislikes being king. He would rather fight and drink. That’s all he’s ever been good at, anyway. Sometimes he dreams of running off, but he doesn’t because he can’t bear to think of Joffrey on the throne, taking whispered orders from his mother Cersei. Robert doesn’t understand how he had a son like Joffrey.
The detective story within the novel continues. Potential conspiracies threaten to undermine Ned’s investigation, including the accidental death (or perhaps intentional murder) of Ser Hugh. Robert also explicitly states his lack of interest in being king. While Robert and Viserys are not similar in personality or temperament, they are similarly ineffectual as leaders. Cersei’s maneuvers toward power illustrate that she is more interested in that kind of power than Robert. The novel also suggests that she may perhaps be more suited to the position of power than Robert but that she, like Daenerys, is deprived of that power due to her society’s rigid patriarchy.
Themes
Ned goes to the final day of the tournament. The Hound jousts against Jaime Lannister, and the Hound wins. Next up, the Knight of Flowers jousts against Gregor. Gregor’s horse is acting up before they begin, and the Knight of Flowers unseats Gregor. Gregor unsheathes his sword and kills his horse, blaming it for his defeat. He then goes toward the Knight of Flowers with his sword raised. The Hound steps in at the last second and briefly fights with his brother Gregor before Robert shouts at them to stop. The Knight of Flowers thanks the Hound and then says that the Hound should be crowned the victor of the tournament. After the tournament, Ned sees Arya, who skipped the festivities. She diligently practices the “dance” that Syrio has been teaching her.
The novel portrays three versions of masculinity in this passage. Gregor is violence personified. The Hound represents the idea of force used for noble means and for self-defense as well as the defense of others. And the Knight of Flowers represents the idea of a gracious sportsman. The novel shows how, within the world’s patriarchal system, these possibilities are thought to be only available to men. Meanwhile, it seems like Arya would be able to fit in well in the world of jousting and tournaments, but she is deprived of that possibility because she is a girl.
Themes
When Ned is alone, a man who won’t say his name asks to see him. Ned lets the man into his room, and it takes him a few moments to realize that it’s Varys, who is in disguise so that Cersei’s men won’t recognize him. Varys tells Ned that Robert is in grave danger. The Lannisters are trying to kill him. They had planned to have it done during the melee, so it’s a good thing Ned urged Robert not to take part. Ned then asks Varys what happened to Jon Arryn. Varys says he was killed with the tears of Lys, an almost undetectable poison. Varys intimates that Ser Hugh, Jon Arryn’s former squire, may have been involved. Ned asks why Jon Arryn was killed, and Varys says because Jon Arryn had been “asking questions.”
The Lannisters seem to be planning a concerted effort to attain power, going so far as to plan Robert’s death. Jon Arryn’s death also seems to be part of that conspiracy carried out by the Lannisters to get power. Ned finally begins to get some answers in his investigation into the death of Jon Arryn. Varys tells him definitively that Jon Arryn was murdered. However, Varys stops short of telling Ned exactly why Jon Arryn was murdered, which leaves more stones for Ned to unturn as he continues his investigation.
Themes
