Last week The Hollywood Reporter played out the tired old routine of cornering a Game of Thrones actress in an interview and making her answer for the show’s perceived misogyny.
This time it was Natalie Dormer’s turn, the actress who plays the cunning, strong Queen of Westeros, Margaery Tyrell. When asked about the show’s sexism criticisms, Dormer said it’s not her responsibility to defend the show, just act it out.
When pressed she said: “The fact that in their writing they occasionally portray misogyny or chauvinism is just being accurate to the different tones and colors that exist in society. So as for the more unsavory parts of Thrones, it’s good if it makes people have the conversation. That’s what good drama does.”
Emilia Clarke had the same problems with journalists trying to craft high-traffic headlines. When questioned on the “criticisms” by Entertainment Weekly, Clarke had an indignant response.
…it’s depiction of women in so many different stages of development. There are women depicted as sexual tools, women who have zero rights, women who are queens but only to a man, and then there are women who are literally unstoppable and as powerful as you can possibly imagine. So it pains me to hear people taking Thrones out of context with anti-feminist spin.
What is strange about the constant cries of sexism dogging the show is just how powerful the women actually are in the show.
Spoilers Ahead: At the time this piece was published, we have Daenerys with an absolutely massive army kicking the ass of a bunch of slave-loving men. Then we see her meet up with Yara and have an empowering conversation while their manservants, Tyrion and Theon, get sidelined. When Margaery and her brother Loras get imprisoned by the High Sparrow, Loras breaks first and is a total wimp about it. Margaery thinks on her feet and finds a clever way out of the situation all while spiting Cersei in the process. Brienne of Tarth kicked the Hound’s ass one-on-one for christ sake!
How can a show be so sexist when we have so many strong women, influencing almost every plot line of the show? By the end of the season we will most likely see women controlling huge swaths of the world. Daenerys in Slaver’s Bay, Yara, the Iron Fleet, Ollena at Highgarden, the Sand Snakes in Dorne, and, if my predictions are true, Cersei will take back control of King’s Landing.
So why the criticism? It seems to come mainly from the show’s portrayals of sexual violence.
Rape is prevalent in Thrones, a medieval fantasy world, as it was with our own world during that era. It’s disheartening to see our favorite characters in those situations, but to omit sexual violence would be giving men and the ugly side of human nature a pass. The show draws its strengths from its realism and grittiness. A world without the threat of rape would make the show exist in a disingenuous fantasy world where sieging armies and forced marriages don’t come with all their tragic consequences.
So yes, terrible things happen in Thrones, but the women are almost always strong enough to overcome the setbacks, no matter how despicable. Sansa bounced back and got bloody revenge on her rapist. Daenerys escaped threats of sexual violence by burning a bunch of men alive. Little lady lord Lyanna Mormont is indisputably the best new addition to the cast since the short-lived Black Viper.
We need to start giving the strong female characters and performances some more credit. Not only are they making the show great and interesting, they’re showing that women can have so many unique roles in action fantasy. And most of them are completely eclipsing their male costars.
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