Breaking the wheel: exploring representations of female archetypes in Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Coopey, Louise ORCID: 0000-0003-1762-3354 (2023). Breaking the wheel: exploring representations of female archetypes in Game of Thrones (2011-2019). University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis interrogates the representation of the female archetypes of the monstrous mother and the warrior woman in HBO’s Game of Thrones (2011-2019). As a complex text that pushed the boundaries of what is possible on television during its run, Game of Thrones is unusual in terms of the prominence of strong women. Simultaneously labelled feminist and anti-feminist on account of the centrality of women and the debates surrounding issues like sexual violence and the objectification of their bodies, the show has produced numerous discourses that question whether its representation can be considered progressive. This thesis develops the concept of layered complexity as a means by which representation in twenty-first century televisual texts may be read and explores the extent to which that produces progressive discourses that challenge the construction and transgress the limits of existing female archetypes. In exploring those archetypes, this thesis develops an understanding of how representation functions in modern televisual texts. It harnesses detailed textual analysis to read the construction of characters in conjunction with existing scholarship on the archetypes of the monstrous mother and the warrior woman.

Two distinct theoretical frameworks are pursued, structuring the thesis into twin sections, one for each archetype. The first section deals with the monstrous mother through the characters of Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), with chapters on the mother archetype, dysfunctional motherhood, reproductive power and monstrosity. The second section deals with the warrior woman through the characters of Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), with chapters on the warrior woman archetype, her aesthetics, codes of conduct and performativity.

Through the televisual text’s four dimensions of layered complexity - the storyworld, seriality, narrative, and deeply entwined arcs – this thesis argues that Game of Thrones’ intricately woven televisual landscape offers the potential to address television’s under-representation of certain archetypes. In exploring, reversing and reconstructing established archetypes, it reflects the realities of modern identities and makes the case for more inclusive categories of identification and representation.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):