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Game of Thrones is a television series based on the books of George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire. It initially aired in 2011 on HBO before slowly becoming a cult favorite. Game of Thrones takes place in an imaginary place called Westeros. It's a realm where mighty houses, old resentments, and competing spirits all battle over the Iron Throne.
In Game of Thrones, scheming and backroom politics are just as lethal as swords. In Kings Landing and Winterfell, players deceive, manipulate, and employ secrets to acquire power.
Characters such as Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, Varys the Spider, and Cersei Lannister are manipulators. Manipulation, however, in the show is not political alone — oftentimes it is personal. Lovers, friends, and even relatives are lied to in an effort to seize power.
Even the good men, like Ned Stark and Jon Snow, must make hard choices in a world where telling the truth is a vile act. Trust is dangerous, and honor is costly.
Game of Thrones does not see good men live happily ever after or bad men get their vengeance. It is a morally nuanced space, where the smart will succeed — even if not necessarily for the right reasons.
With the passage of the series, manipulation dictates who rises and who falls, dynasties come and go, kings ascend to the throne, and plot twists happen because characters make good — or bad — decisions.
By examining the ten best manipulations that inspired Westeros, we can understand that ultimately, fueling the story is power, ambition, betrayal, and the complexity of human decisions.
Petyr Baelish betrays Ned Stark
By far the largest shock betrayal in Game of Thrones is Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish's backstabbing of Eddard Stark. Ned believed Littlefinger when he told him that he would be by his side against the Lannisters. Yet when it was time to demonstrate it, Littlefinger stabbed Ned in the back and had him arrested and eventually killed.
This act not only cost Ned his life, but it also shattered the peace across the realm. It spearheaded the start of the War of the Five Kings, plunging Westeros into decades of war, bloodshed, and violence.
And by taking advantage of that turmoil, he did not just supplant House Stark—he played a role in destroying the monarchy as a whole.
Lysa Arryn's killing of her husband
The entire Game of Thrones begins with the clandestine murder of the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn. All people assumed that it was carried out by the Lannisters, but it was later revealed that he was poisoned by his wife, Lysa Arryn. She did so on the orders of Petyr Baelish because he was manipulating her in his own interest.
This single quiet behind-the-scenes action was crafted to create tension and mistrust between the Lannisters and the Starks. It succeeded admirably. It is the death of Jon that sends Ned Stark off to King's Landing, where he blunders right into the political snare that kills him.
Cersei Lannister burns the Great Sept of Baelor
Publicly shamed and imprisoned by the Faith Militant, Cersei Lannister gets her revenge. Rather than appearing for her trial, she secretly has wildfire laid under the Great Sept of Baelor. Then, after having gotten them to blow the whole Sept to smithereens during the trial of Loras Tyrell, she kills the High Sparrow, Queen Margaery, and pretty much all her enemies in one massive explosion.
This is a horrific and callous scene. Cersei does not merely kill her political enemies—she dismantles the old religious order and humiliates her own son, King Tommen, into such pieces that he takes his own life.
With him out of the way, nothing can stop her, and she seizes the throne for herself. It's the most obvious proof of just how far Cersei will go.
The Red Wedding
The Red Wedding is probably the most terrifying betrayal throughout the series. Robb Stark, his mother Catelyn, and most of his bannermen are gathered for a wedding at the Twins, believing they are under the protection of the holy rules of hospitality. Walder Frey, Roose Bolton, and Tywin Lannister orchestrate a massacre behind their backs.
When the feast is in progress, gates are shut and carnage is unleashed. Robb, Catelyn, and their bannermen are massacred mercilessly. This is what destroys most of the Stark leaders and puts an end to their revolt. Tywin Lannister arranges the betrayal by using Frey and Bolton as his dirty hands.
Sansa and Arya Stark outwit Littlefinger
Petyr Baelish had been playing people against one another for years, including Sansa Stark. He attempted to isolate Sansa from Arya to pit the Stark sisters against each other in wielding power over the North. But this time, he made a mistake.
With the assistance of Bran, who is now the Three-Eyed Raven and can discern what is true, Arya and Sansa reveal Littlefinger's deceit and lies. They accuse him of his misdeeds before the Northern lords, and Arya kills him.
It is the conclusion of Littlefinger's great game and the beginning of a greater North.
Death and resurrection of Jon Snow
Jon Snow, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, joins forces with the Wildlings ahead of time against the real enemy: the White Walkers. But this is taken advantage of by the majority of his other soldiers as a betrayal. Some of whom, including new recruit Olly, murder him to take his place.
But Jon didn't die. He is resurrected by Melisandre, the Red Priestess. After his resurrection, he doesn't remain under his vows anymore. Being resurrected makes him new. He breaks norms, kills Ramsay Bolton, and ultimately finds himself fighting against Daenerys.
Ironically, the betrayal intended to demotivate him only makes him more powerful and lands him on a path that alters the destiny of the entire realm.
Night King resurrects Viserion
On a perilous rescue mission outside the Wall, Daenerys brings her dragons along to save Jon Snow and his friends. But one of her dragons, Viserion, is slain by the Night King with an ice axe. And then he commits the unthinkable deed of bringing back the dead dragon by making him a wight at his behest.
With its undead Viserion, the Night King now possesses a horror-filled new arsenal. Blue fire bursts from the dragon as it destroys much of the Wall, leaving it open for the army of the dead to rush into Westeros.
It is a turning point. It illustrates that even the most powerful forces, such as dragons, can be turned against by the enemy.
Arya Stark kills the Night King
All these years, the fans' minds have been set on Jon Snow or Daenerys to be the ones who would kill the Night King. Things do change, though, and it is Arya Stark who kills the White Walker menace. During the Battle of Winterfell, as everybody else is trying to survive, Arya moves stealthily through chaos and strikes the Night King by surprise, freezing him in shock and slaughtering his army.
Arya's previous life as a Faceless person and her capacity to go unnoticed make her the perfect individual to commit this act.
Daenerys's descent into the Mad Queen
By the last season, Daenerys loses nearly everything that she had believed in. Missandei is beheaded, Jorah passes away in combat, and Jon Snow—whom she cares for—buries himself deeper within himself and moves further from her. To add to her miseries, Westerosi lords reject her, and she is left alone and unwanted.
When King's Landing is eventually captured in the last battle, peace is declared by the dragons' bell-ringing. But Daenerys pays no heed to the surrender and incinerates the city with her dragon and slaughters thousands of innocent civilians.
This turnaround is brought about by internal struggles and external factors. She is manipulated, isolated, and taken prisoner. Her dream of "liberating" the world has turned to destruction.
Jon Snow kills Daenerys
After seeing Daenerys burn King's Landing to the ground, Jon Snow is forced to make a difficult decision. Tyrion informs him she would not stop, and Jon realizes she may become a dictator. Although he loves her, Jon kills Daenerys in order to preserve the world from further destruction.
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It's a betrayal and a sacrifice. Jon gives up his happiness and kingship for the greater good that he thinks it is. It also leaves Westeros suspended in limbo, though, without a direction or an elected king.
It's the best example of how power corrupts, how good men are placed in these no-win situations, and even love can't overcome the ruthless game of thrones.
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