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Chapter 39: Eddard
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
Catelyn wakes up on the morning of Tyrion’s trial intent on speaking with her sister Lysa. Catelyn wants to stop the trial. She thinks that Tyrion has expertly played her sister, and Lysa fell right into the trap. On her way to see Lysa, Catelyn sees her uncle, Ser Brynden. Brynden says that the Lannisters are gathering forces. He intends to return to Rivverrun, the home of Catelyn and the Tullys, to defend it against the Lannisters, even though Lysa has commanded him to stay at the Eyrie. Brynden says he plans to go anyway, and Catelyn asks him to come to her with Winterfell when they leave. She’ll supply him with troops as well, she says, and Brynden agrees.
Catelyn recognizes the strategy that Tyrion has deployed. The strategic back and forth between Catelyn and Tyrion makes it clear that they are also involved in the “game of thrones.” Their actions have already led Jaime to attack Ned and his men, and it seems clear that if Catelyn were to lose Tyrion as her prisoner, she would also lose a bargaining chip in the game of politics and power that the Starks and Lannisters are currently playing.
Themes
When Catelyn speaks to Lysa, Lysa refuses to call off the trial. She is convinced that her champion will defeat the soldier for hire, Bronn, who will fight for Tyrion. Catelyn tries to remind Lysa that Tyrion is her prisoner, not Lysa’s, but Lysa won’t hear any of it. She says that Tyrion killed her husband, Jon Arryn, contradicting the letter she wrote to Catelyn, in which Lysa claimed that Cersei had been behind the murder. Catelyn thinks that her sister has changed her story out of convenience, because Tyrion is right in front of her while Cersei is protected by the Red Keep hundreds of miles away. Nearby, Robert Arryn shrieks as he watches a puppet show. He tells his mother that he wants to see Tyrion, whom he calls “the bad man,” fly.
Lysa’s refusal to call off the trial is reminiscent of her decision to make Catelyn climb to the Eyrie in the night, even though the climb was dangerous. Lysa seems impulsive and unpredictable to the point that she follows her whims without any concern about where those whims might lead or the far-reaching consequences of her actions. The novel also shows that Lysa’s mental instability is significantly impacting her son Robert Arryn.
Themes
Ser Vardis (Lysa’s champion) and Bronn (the hired soldier who stands in for Tyrion) begin to fight. Bronn runs around the room as Vardis chases him. Bronn’s strategy appears to be to dodge Vardis’s attacks until Vardis is worn out. As Catelyn watches, she remembers when Littlefinger fought Brandon after her father said she would marry Brandon. Brandon tried to spare Littlefinger and asked him to yield multiple times as he overpowered him. Littlefinger wouldn’t yield until Brandon struck him, landing an almost mortal wound.
Catelyn’s memory of Littlefinger reveals the extent of Littlefinger’s love for her. It seems that he was willing to die for her to try and prove to Catelyn how much he loved her. The extremity of his past love again raises questions about how those previous feelings toward Catelyn impact how he now feels about her and the Starks. Namely, does he want to support them to honor the feelings he had for Catelyn? Or would he want to sabotage Ned and Catelyn to get back at Catelyn for spurning his feelings?
Themes
At the Eyrie, Bronn and Vardis continue to fight. Bronn lands a couple of blows against Vardis. Vardis charges at Bronn in a last-ditch effort to win but breaks his sword in the process. Bronn knocks Vardis over and stabs him through the ribs. Robert Arryn tells Lysa again that he wants to see Tyrion fly, but Lysa says that Tyrion is now free to go. She also ensures that his and Bronn’s weapons are returned and that they have supplies. Tyrion and Bronn then leave the Eyrie together.
Bronn doesn’t rely on brute force to defeat Vardis. Instead, he uses his smaller stature (in comparison to Vardis) to gain a strategic advantage. That strategy recalls Tyrion’s advice to Jon, that if one embraces one’s perceived weakness, that weakness can become a source of strength. Bronn does just that and wins the fight as a result.
Themes
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