Is it time to rewatch Game of Thrones? We definitely think so! With the eight-season mega-series finished and a second season of House of the Dragon currently in production, as fans, we need to find ways to continue celebrating the spectacle. One of the many aspects that make the show as much of an all-time great as it is, is its wildly in-depth, multidimensional characters. The one we would like to highlight today is none other than Cersei Lannister (played by Lena Headey).
Cersei Lannister is the daughter of Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), twin sister to Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and elder sister to Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage). After her husband, King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) passed away, she became a widow, watching the right to the Iron Throne pass down to her eldest son Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), and then to her youngest son Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), before eventually claiming the Seven Kingdoms for herself. Upon Tommen’s unexpected suicide, Cersei became the twentieth ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, making her the first recognized queen ruler of the region.
Cersei is one of the most cunning, manipulative, and deviant characters of the entire series. Time and time again, her wits prove to be one of the most powerful weapons in all of Westeros, constantly getting what she pleases through the manipulation of those around her. Her plans remain secretive to her, yet her loyalty remains strong with only three people: her children. Even Tyrion, her own brother, said to her that her only redeeming quality is the love she has for her kids. She would do anything to retain her power of the Seven Kingdoms, and would go even further beyond that to protect her children.
Game of Thrones fans have long debated who is the greater villain: Joffrey Lannister or Ramsay Bolton. Meanwhile, only one villain has left their mark across all eight seasons. She is smarter than both of them, more respected than both of them, and, in a way, more cruel and vile, as her actions are carefully calculated, rather than presented through a fit of rage. Like all characters, her personality comes apparent through the use of dialogue. But with many great lines, only 10 can stand on top. Here are Cersei Lannister’s 10 best quotes from Game of Thrones, ranked:
10 “People will whisper. They’ll make their jokes. Let them. They’re so small, I can’t even see them.”
Likely, the only person Cersei has shown love for outside of her children is her brother Jaime. This isn’t, however, a wholesome brotherly/sisterly love, but rather an intimate one. Incest is not uncommon in the Seven Kingdoms, often times practiced by the Targaryen family. Cersei and Jaime have a very strange relationship that drives up and down throughout the series like a vicious rollercoaster. At the end of the day, their gravities can’t help but pull each other close together. They came in this world together as twins, so they must experience it and leave it together (according to Cersei). This quote comes in a conversation with Jaime about how he feels they should cut back on this affair, believing that word is finally getting out. Cersei clearly doesn’t care. She is not bothered by the whispers of those below her and proceeds to leap on her twin brother in an act of passion.
9 “I thought if I could make something so good, so pure, maybe I’m not a monster.”
Even for someone as evil and vile as Cersei, it is impressive to see her in a moment of self-reflection. Unlike her son, Joffrey, who is a little, angry, insecure tyrant who has yet to figure out how his actions negatively affect those around him, Cersei is old and mature enough to see the glaring imperfections of herself. This quote, in particular, is centered around her seemingly good-natured daughter, Myrcella (played by both Aimee Richardson and Nell Tiger Free). She is her monster, and everyone perceives her as a monster, but through her children, maybe there is a light of goodness ready to be shined.
8 “Everyone who isn’t us is an enemy.”
Cersei Lannister is highly experienced in the political game of this fictional world. In Westeros, you need useful and powerful allies to remain in the circulation of the infamous, metaphorical “wheel.” Cersei, of course, is aware of this, but her conversations with these allies tend to have hidden implications of disloyalty. At the end of the day, for her, it is the Lannisters versus everyone. It is their world to take, their war to win. In a conversation with her son, King Joffrey Baratheon, she instills this level of narcissism into him.
7 “Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same.”
Can something that is necessary also be a weakness? Love is paradoxical in Game of Thrones. In order to win, and then to flourish, you can’t just simply be hungry for power. There has to be something worth fighting for. The greedy do sometimes win, yes, but their reign doesn’t last too long. Maybe part of Daenerys’s “break the wheel” campaign was centered around the idea of love and freedom, but we later see that she succumbed to the animalistic tendencies of those she resented most. Again, Cersei proves that she has one of the brightest minds in Game of Thrones. Even though she does love her children and her brother Jaime, maybe one day that love will break in strength and will lead to her demise.
6 “Half the Targaryens went mad, didn’t they? What’s the saying? ‘Every time a Targaryen is born the Gods flip a coin.'”
After Robert’s Rebellion, the history of the Targaryens can only be visited in history books, as the rest of the family, if there were any left, would reside in a foreign land called Essos. What makes Tywin somewhat of a good father to Jaime and Cersei is how he prepared them for adulthood. Through his guidance, Jaime became one of the best swordsmen in Westeros, and Cersei one of the brightest, most knowledgeable minds. She is well aware of the history of the Targaryens. Some of them may be decent-hearted people, while others would burn down a city with dragonfire without second guessing. This also goes to show the rivalry between the Lannisters/Baratheons and the Targaryens. The Targaryens ruled the kingdoms for centuries, only for King Robert to lead a campaign to end the reign of the Mad King, with Jaime delivering the final blow. Every time a Targaryen is born the Gods flip a coin, which side of the coin did Daenerys fall on?
5 “The only way to keep your people loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy.”
In the game of thrones, you win, or you die. You have to play the game in order to survive, and sometimes you have to play dirty. Cersei is the master of mental warfare, able to act accordingly for each situation she’s in. If telling the truth gets her ahead, she will. If she needs to lie, she will. If she needs to provide hope, she will. If she needs to instill fear, she will, and she will vigorously. There is a fine line between fear and loyalty. Cersei has discovered this and uses it as a weapon. If those who follow you fear you more than they fear the enemy, then not only will they be scared to be disloyal or commit treason, but they will be more ferocious in battle, believing they are fighting for/with the more powerful leader.
4 “Tears aren’t a woman’s only weapon. The best one’s between your legs.”
While Cersei may seem to be in control at all times, she still experiences some prejudices of being a woman. There has never been a Queen who sits on the Iron Thrones as the undisputed ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. This was entirely seen as a man’s position to hold, with a male Hand, and a Queen sitting right by his side. Cersei, as clever and cunning as it comes, has figured out ways to turn her biological sex into a weapon of advantage, rather than reaping in its detriments. Cersei’s best use of putting this quote in action is when Euron Greyjoy sails the Iron Fleet back to King’s Landing, in hopes of gifting Cersei 20,000 men in exchange for her hand in marriage. Cersei, Queen at the time, is quietly shopping around for a potentially formidable husband to sit beside her on the Iron Throne, but Euron is merely just a pawn to the female Lannister.
3 “Look at me! Look at my face! It’s the last thing you’ll see before you die.”
In season five, Cersei is arrested and imprisoned by the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). She is thrown into a dark, dirty cell underneath the Great Sept of Baelor by three nuns: Unella (Hannah Waddingham), Moelle (Maggie Hayes), and Scolera (Mary Jordan). Of the three septas, Unella is the one that most frequently visits the Queen Mother in her cell, offering a ladle of water under the conditions that she confesses to her crimes. Cersei eventually confesses, but it takes some work, as early on she remains prideful and infuriated, refusing to confess and becoming heavily dehydrated. This is the lowest Cersei has been in her life, but despite this, she believes she will get her revenge on the septas, the High Sparrow, and the Faith Militant.
2 “I choose violence.”
Cersei has had a long-lasting conflict with the High Sparrow, working vigilantly to acquire a point of superiority over him and the Faith Militant. Lancel Lannister (played by Eugene Simon), nephew of Tywin and cousin of Cersei, leads a life now driven by faith after serving as a squire to King Robert. In this confrontation in season six, Lancel, accompanied by his Militant brothers, attempts to collect Cersei and take her to a meeting with the High Sparrow. Cersei tries to weasel her way out of the meeting, but Lancel is under the impression that she has no choice in the matter. To defend her, the Mountain intimidatingly steps forward, ready for battle. Brother Lancel says, “Order your man to step aside or there will be violence” before Cersei orders the Mountain to attack.
1 “When you play the game of thrones, You win or you die.”
If you had to sum up Game of Thrones in one quote, this might be the one you use. The brutal reality of George R.R. Martin’s world comes to fruition with this single quote by Cersei. In this scene, Ned Stark (Sean Bean) talks to Cersei about how he knows that all of her and King Robert’s children are actually the sons and daughters of Jaime Lannister, her twin brother. Cersei seems rather unbothered by the comment and the threat, thanking the Gods that her children are of pure Lannister blood. When King’s Landing fell, the realm was Ned’s for the taking, but his heart and purpose was never on ruling. This is seen as a weakness to Cersei. She believes that someone foolish enough to not claim the throne when it was theirs to claim has a fate of certain death. One of the many, many times that Cersei was right.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
