The Case Against Cersei Lannister

I love Cersei Lannister. I know, hear me out. Cersei is a human garbage monster of the most intriguing kind. As portrayed in TV series she’s manipulative and harsh, humanized by the only love she has: the love for her children. As portrayed by the books, she’s so vile that when you finally have access to her thoughts via POV chapter you were likely shocked to find she’s just as terrible as you thought; maybe even worse. Cersei also has razor-sharp wit, wealth and reputation, and a lack of morals that create a dangerous combination for someone who seeks the power and approval of her powerful father. But how much is Cersei like Tywin Lannister? Or, more specifically, how much power does she really wield? Most importantly, how good is she at playing the Game of Thrones? I recently had a Twitter conversation inspired by a character crossover, which is one of my favorite activities for the imagination – thinking of characters from two different worlds and playing with the possibilities. In this case, it was a crossover between Westeros and Washington, DC – two political war zones.

I want to see a Cersei Lannister vs Claire Underwood battle soooooooo bad! (@robertcyoung) March 2, 2015

What followed was a predictable barrage of support in Cersei’s favor: “Cersei would win,” “Cersei by a landslide,” and “Cersei is ruthless.” I’d venture to disagree – I’d take Claire, personally – yet that’s all fair enough. I should probably just spend time with a psychologist discussing my love fo…