Game of Thrones - Characters & Cast

Her primary motivation is to reclaim the Iron Throne, which she believes is her birthright. Initially driven by a desire for justice and to create a better world, her motivation shifts towards achieving her goal by any means necessary, fueled by a messianic complex and a belief in her absolute right to rule.

Daenerys begins her journey as a timid, exiled princess, sold into marriage by her abusive brother. She grows into a powerful queen and a liberator of slaves in Essos, the "Breaker of Chains." Her belief in her own destiny to rule the Seven Kingdoms becomes an obsession. As she faces betrayal and loss in Westeros, her methods become increasingly ruthless, culminating in her fiery destruction of King's Landing. Her arc is a tragic descent from a beloved liberator to a feared tyrant, ultimately killed by Jon Snow to prevent further destruction.

Jon is consistently motivated by a strong sense of duty and a desire to protect the innocent. He is not driven by personal ambition but by the necessity of leadership in the face of overwhelming threats. His primary goal evolves from finding his place in the world to uniting humanity against the Night King.

Jon starts as the brooding, illegitimate son of Ned Stark, an outsider who joins the Night's Watch to find purpose. He rises through the ranks, becoming Lord Commander and forging an alliance with the Wildlings to face the White Walkers. After being murdered by his own men and resurrected, he leaves the Watch, is declared King in the North, and becomes a central leader in the war against the dead. His discovery of his true parentage—that he is Aegon Targaryen and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne—creates a conflict with Daenerys and ultimately forces him to choose between love and duty, leading him to kill her and accept exile beyond the Wall.

Tyrion's core motivation is survival and the desire for the respect and acceptance he was denied by his family. He has a genuine, albeit cynical, belief in good governance and often tries to steer powerful rulers towards more just and peaceful solutions, seeking to build a better world despite his personal disillusionment.

Tyrion begins as a witty, hedonistic outcast of the powerful Lannister family, despised by his father and sister. Using his intelligence as his weapon, he navigates the political landscape of King's Landing, serving briefly as Hand of the King. Falsely accused of murdering his nephew, King Joffrey, he escapes after killing his father and flees to Essos. There, he becomes an advisor to Daenerys Targaryen, hoping to temper her worst impulses with his wisdom. However, his influence wanes, and he makes several strategic errors. He ends the series as Hand of the King to Bran Stark, using his intellect to rebuild the broken kingdom.

Cersei's motivations are twofold: the preservation of her family (specifically, her children) and the acquisition and maintenance of personal power. She is driven by a deep-seated resentment of the patriarchal society that overlooks her abilities and a prophecy that foretells her doom, which she spends her life trying, and failing, to prevent.

Cersei is introduced as the shrewd and ruthless queen of Robert Baratheon, fiercely protective of her children and her lover-brother, Jaime. Her arc is defined by a relentless quest for power and a refusal to be controlled by the men around her. Over the seasons, she suffers immense loss—the deaths of all three of her children—which fuels her paranoia and cruelty. She outmaneuvers all her political rivals, destroying the Sept of Baelor and seizing the Iron Throne for herself. Her reign is one of fear and tyranny, and she ultimately dies in the arms of Jaime as the Red Keep collapses around them, a victim of the very power she fought so desperately to hold.

Initially motivated by a desire to reunite with her family, Arya's primary drive becomes vengeance after her father's death. She maintains a "kill list" of her enemies, which guides her actions for much of the series. Her motivation evolves from pure revenge to a broader purpose of protecting her family and, ultimately, forging her own destiny independent of any title or lord.

Arya begins as a feisty tomboy who rejects the traditional role of a lady. After witnessing her father's execution, she escapes and begins a brutal journey of survival, traveling across Westeros and eventually to Braavos. There, she trains with the Faceless Men, a guild of assassins, shedding her identity to become "no one." However, she ultimately reclaims her name, returns to Westeros, and uses her deadly skills to exact revenge on those who wronged her family, most notably by assassinating Walder Frey. She plays a pivotal role in the Great War by killing the Night King. In the end, having avenged her family and saved the world, she chooses a path of exploration, sailing west of Westeros to discover what lies beyond the known world.