Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones
is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. The show was both produced and filmed in Belfast and elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Filming locations also included Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, and Spain.[1] The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons.
Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones has several plots and a large ensemble cast and follows several story arcs. One arc is about the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms and follows a web of alliances and conflicts among the noble dynasties either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence from it. Another focuses on the last descendant of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty, who has been exiled and is plotting a return to the throne, while another story arc follows the Night's Watch, a brotherhood defending the realm against the fierce peoples and legendary creatures of the North.
Game of Thrones attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, and international fan base. The series was acclaimed by critics for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values, although its frequent use of nudity and violence (including sexual violence) was criticized; the final season received further criticism for its condensed story and creative decisions, with many considering it a disappointing conclusion. The series received 58 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most by a drama series, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019. Its other awards and nominations include three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation (2012–2014), a 2011 Peabody Award, and five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama (2012 and 2015–2018). In 2019, the show's final season established a new record for most Emmy nominations received in the same year by any regular series with 32, breaking the 25 years-long records of 26 nominations established by NYPD Blue in 1994; it also established Game of Thrones as the drama series with the most overall Emmy nominations, with a total of 161.[2]
Of the ensemble cast, Peter Dinklage has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2011, 2015, 2018, and 2019) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2012) for his performance as Tyrion Lannister. Alfie Allen, Gwendoline Christie, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Diana Rigg, Carice van Houten, Max von Sydow, and Maisie Williams have also received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for their performances
Setting
Main article: World of A Song of Ice and Fire
Game of Thrones is roughly based on the storylines of A Song of Ice and Fire,[3][4] set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the continent of Essos. The series chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among the realm's noble families for the Iron Throne, while other families fight for independence from it. It opens with additional threats in the icy North and Essos in the east.[5]
Showrunner David Benioff jokingly suggested "The Sopranos in Middle-earth" like Game of Thrones' tagline, referring to its intrigue-filled plot and dark tone in a fantasy setting of magic and dragons.[6] In a 2012 study, out of 40 recent television drama shows, Game of Thrones ranked second in deaths per episode, averaging 14 deaths.[7]
Themes
Main article: Themes in A Song of Ice and Fire
The series is generally praised for what is perceived as a sort of medieval realism.[8][9] George R.R. Martin set out to make the story feel more like historical fiction than contemporary fantasy, with less emphasis on magic and sorcery and more on battles, political intrigue, and the characters, believing that magic should be used moderately in the epic fantasy genre.[10][11][12] Martin has stated that "the true horrors of human history derive not from orcs and Dark Lords, but from ourselves."[13]
A common theme in the fantasy genre is the battle between good and evil, which Martin says does not mirror the real world.[14] Just like people's capacity for good and for evil in real life, Martin explores the questions of redemption and character change.[15] The series allows the audience to view different characters from their perspective, unlike in many other fantasies, and thus the supposed villains can provide their side of the story.[12][16] Benioff said, "George brought a measure of harsh realism to high fantasy. He introduced gray tones into a black-and-white universe."
In early seasons, under the influence of the A Song of Ice and Fire books, the main characters were regularly killed off, and this was credited with developing tension among viewers.[17] In later seasons, critics pointed out that certain characters had developed "plot armor" to survive in unlikely circumstances, and attributed this to Game of Thrones deviating from the novels to become more of a traditional television series.[17] The series also reflects the substantial death rates in war.[18][19]
Inspirations and derivations
Although the first season closely follows the events of the first novel, later seasons have made significant changes. According to David Benioff, the series is "about adapting the series as a whole and following the map George laid out for us and hitting the major milestones, but not necessarily each of the stops along the way".[20]
The novels and the adaptations base aspects of their settings, characters, and plot on events in European history.[21] Most of Westeros is reminiscent of high medieval Europe, from lands and cultures,[22] to the palace intrigue, feudal system, castles, and knightly tournaments. A principal inspiration for the novels is the English Wars of the Roses[23] (1455–1485) between the houses of Lancaster and York, reflected in Martin's houses of Lannister and Stark. The scheming Cersei Lannister evokes Isabella, the "she-wolf of France" (1295–1358). She and her family, as portrayed in Maurice Druon's historical novel series, The Accursed Kings, was the main inspiration of Martin's.
Writing
Game of Thrones used seven writers in six seasons. Series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the showrunners, write most of the episodes each season.[60]
A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin wrote one episode in each of the first four seasons. Martin did not write an episode for the later seasons, since he wanted to focus on completing the sixth novel (The Winds of Winter).[61] Jane Espenson co-wrote one first-season episode as a freelance writer.[62]
Bryan Cogman, initially a script coordinator for the series,[62] was promoted to producer for the fifth season. Cogman, who wrote at least one episode for the first five seasons, is the only other writer in the writers' room with Benioff and Weiss. Before his promotion, Vanessa Taylor (a writer during the second and third seasons) worked closely with Benioff and Weiss. Dave Hill joined the writing staff for the fifth season after working as an assistant to Benioff and Weiss.[63] Although Martin is not in the writers' room, he reads the script outlines and makes comments.[60]
Benioff and Weiss sometimes assign characters to particular writers; for example, Cogman was assigned to Arya Stark for the fourth season. The writers spend several weeks writing a character outline, including what material from the novels to use and the overarching themes. After these individual outlines are complete, they spend another two to three weeks discussing each main character's individual arc and arranging them episode by episode.[60]
A detailed outline is created, with each of the writers working on a portion to create a script for each episode. Cogman, who wrote two episodes for the fifth season, took a month and a half to complete both scripts. They are then read by Benioff and Weiss, who make notes, and parts of the script are rewritten. All ten episodes are written before filming begins since they are filmed out of order with two units in different countries.[60]
Benioff and Weiss write each of their episodes together, with one of them writing the first half of the script and the other the second half. After that they begin with passing the drafts back and forth to make notes and rewrite parts of it.
Casting
Nina Gold and Robert Sterne are the series' primary casting directors.[50] Through a process of auditions and readings, the main cast was assembled. The only exceptions were Peter Dinklage and Sean Bean, whom the writers wanted from the start; they were announced as joining the pilot in 2009.[51][52] Other actors signed for the pilot were Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon, Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen, and Mark Addy as Robert Baratheon.[52][53] Addy was, according to showrunners Benioff and Weiss, the easiest actor to cast for the series, due to his audition performance.[54] Some of the characters in the pilot were recast for the first season: Catelyn Stark was initially played by Jennifer Ehle, but the role was recast with Michelle Fairley.[55] Daenerys Targaryen was also recast, with Emilia Clarke replacing Tamzin Merchant.[56][57] The rest of the first season's cast was filled in the second half of 2009.[58]
Although many of the cast returned after the first season, the producers had many new characters to cast for each of the following seasons. Due to the large number of new characters, Benioff and Weiss postponed the introduction of several key characters in the second season and merged several characters into one or assigned plot functions to different characters.[26] Some recurring characters were recast over the years; for example, Gregor Clegane was played by three different actors, while Dean-Charles Chapman who played Tommen Baratheon also played a minor Lannister character
Language
The Westerosi characters of Game of Thrones speak British-accented English, often (but not consistently) with the accent of the English region corresponding to the character's Westerosi region. The Northerner Eddard Stark speaks in actor Sean Bean's native northern accent, and the southern lord Tywin Lannister speaks with a southern accent, while characters from Dorne speak English with a Spanish accent.[136][137] Characters foreign to Westeros often have a non-British accent.[138]
Although the common language of Westeros is represented as English, the producers charged linguist David J. Peterson with constructing Dothraki and Valyrian languages based on the few words in the novels;[139] Dothraki and Valyrian dialogue is often subtitled in English. It has been reported that during the series these fictional languages have been heard by more people than the Welsh, Irish, and Scots Gaelic languages combined.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon