Original by George R.R. Martin Game of Thrones plan looked very different from his current one A Song of Ice and Fire books, and it was better that he replaced his initial vision of Jaime's arc with Cersei's story instead of. The Lannister family plays a key role in A Song of Ice and Fire books, but Tyrion and Jaime's journeys are almost unrecognizable from where they began. Original by Martin Game of Thrones The outline, written in a letter in 1993, characterized the two brothers very differently from the finished books – and it took them to shocking places.
In fact, Tyrion Lannister even burned down Winterfell in Martin's first draft, something that's hard to imagine given his current character arc. This is one of the many ways Martin Game of Thrones plan was very different from the final product. The revelation of Jon Snow's parentage is one of the few visions that has stuck, but almost every other character changed from the beginning of Martin's story until its publication. This includes Jaime Lannister, whose narrative appears to have been given, at least partially, to Cersei. Fortunately, this choice makes more sense for the story.
GRRM's Original Game Of Thrones Plan Put Jaime On The Iron Throne Instead Of Cersei
Jaime initially became king after Joffrey's death
Game of Thrones fans know Jaime Lannister as the “Regicide,“ but he became king of Westeros in the first A Song of Ice and Fire contour. Tyrion would have been responsible for Joffrey's death in this version of the story – rather than just being accused of it – and Jaime would have succeeded his and Cersei's son. This wouldn't be shocking in and of itself, but Martin clarified that he would remove any threats to his new crown and then placed the blame for these deaths on his younger brother:
Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey to the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders.”
Although the Jaime Lannister we know Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire is a complicated and often unpleasant character, this direction seems unimaginable for him. For one thing, the final version of Jaime has a soft spot for Tyrion and would probably never put him in such a position. He is also less concerned about the Iron Throne and power than the other members of his family, although he helps them defend their claim. Basically, Jaime's final portrayal is very different from what Martin initially planned for him.
And it seems Cersei became Jaime's replacement after Martin reworked his sketchas she received the ruthless nature he would have shown and ruled the Seven Kingdoms as queen regent after Joffrey's death. If Game of Thrones If there's any indication, Cersei will also claim the Iron Throne again after her other children die. Cersei doesn't eliminate the line of succession, she doesn't exactly denounce Joffrey doing this to Robert Baratheon's bastards. In short, Jaime's original story seems to have been twisted to suit Cersei, which makes more sense.
Replacing Jaime's original plan with Cersei's story made more sense for Game Of Thrones
It matched George RR Martin's themes and made the Lannisters more interesting
Having Cersei plotting the Iron Throne instead of Jaime worked well A Song of Ice and Firetopics, such as Martin's series repeatedly sees its female characters resisting the patriarchal power system in which they operate.. Cersei's desire for the Iron Throne stems from a desire to prove herself to her father, who views her as inferior to her brothers, as well as a need to control her own circumstances. Cersei creates a more interesting contrast with Daenerys and Sansa than Jaime would have, and Jaime's disinterest in the Iron Throne also makes it more intriguing.
Martin has a tendency to subvert expectations in his books, and Cersei and Jaime's final characterizations buck common archetypes.
Martin has a tendency to subvert expectations in his books, and Cersei and Jaime's final characterizations buck common archetypes. Having a female character who was created for a traditional role turn into a ruthless political player works for her story. Likewise, someone raised in Jaime's position should be interested in obtaining a high position or sitting on the Iron Throne. However, the fact that Jaime has no desire to pursue such things adds layers to his character.
It's unclear whether Jaime's story was the same as Martin's original Game of Thrones plan, but having him kill the Mad King wouldn't make sense with his actions later either. If Jaime was truly interested in the Iron Throne, he could have claimed it long before Joffrey's death – and probably without killing the entire line of succession, as the outcome of Robert's rebellion was not decided by blood, but rather by Robert's decision. achievements and influence.
Ignoring Cersei's role in the original Game of Thrones plan would have been a mistake
It's unclear whether Cersei existed or what she would have done in the first draft
In addition to making more sense in the context of Martin's story, having Cersei in Jaime's role was good for another reason: it made her a more active participant A Song of Ice and Fire. Cersei was not listed as one of the “key players“in Martin's initial draft, neither was she referenced as a supporting character. Given that Robert and Joffrey had the same roles in the original setup, it can be assumed that Cersei was around somewhere. However, she was forgotten and less developed , and it's unclear how she fit into the Lannister family.
How Cersei would still have been raised in a powerful family alongside Tyrion and Jaime — which would have been worse in Martin's original version ASOIAF – it was inevitable that she would also be a dynamic and complicated character. It wouldn't make sense to leave the third Lannister brother asideso it was good that Martin decided to include her (and make her even worse than her brothers in the end).
Jaime's A Song of Ice and Fire story also benefited from George R.R. Martin's change of plans
His redemption would have been more difficult with the original draft
Jaime Lannister's character arc also benefited of Martin dismantling his original A Song of Ice and Fire plan, as his redemption arc wouldn't have been easy to pull off given the circumstances. Of course, it's unclear whether Jaime would have achieved redemption in Martin's original story. Even in the current books, he is still on his way rather than being more clearly redeemed as his Game of Thrones counterpart. But given that Jaime's evolution is one of the strongest elements of the ASOIAF, it would be a shame to rob readers of such a surprising twist for the character.
It's hard to see how such a journey would have fit with him claiming the Iron Throne, and having no relationships with characters like Tyrion or Brienne to guide him in the right direction would likely have kept him cruel and power-hungry. Killing the entire line of succession – including potentially Sansa and Joffrey's son – would also have been harder to forgive than pushing Bran out of a tower. Needless to say, the changes Martin made to his original Game of Thrones plan drawn up for all Lannisters.