Game of Thrones: An Essay in Political Theory - The Men of the 'Night's Watch'

19 Pages Posted: 16 Feb 2021

See all articles by Christoph Bezemek

Christoph Bezemek

University of Graz, Faculty of Law, Institute of Public Law and Political Science

Date Written: September 23, 2019

Abstract

In 2019 I started to work on a small volume on the popular TV franchise 'Game of Thrones' from a political theory perspective; convinced that the show’s plot means not only to expose oneself to the thrills of a sex- and violence-laden fantasy adventure. Watching ‘Game of Thrones’, I thought, requires to do more than simply love or hate the protagonists as they fail or succeed in fighting, scheming and plotting their way to the ‘Iron Throne’. It requires to make political judgments about the agents and their actions. Thus: why not use the characters of the show, the challenges they face, the institutions that determine their fate and the social and legal norms that govern their conduct as a background for an essay in political theory? Save for one chapter, alas, the book has never been written. This chapter (originally intended to be the sixth) focuses on the 'Night's Watch'.

Keywords: Game of Thrones, Night's Watch, Political Theory, Monasticism, Ascetics, Equality, Rule of Saint Benedict, Celibacy, Vows

Suggested Citation

Bezemek, Christoph, Game of Thrones: An Essay in Political Theory - The Men of the 'Night's Watch' (September 23, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3756958 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3756958

Christoph Bezemek (Contact Author)

University of Graz, Faculty of Law, Institute of Public Law and Political Science ( email )

Universitaetsstrasse 15 / FE
A-8010 Graz, 8010
Austria

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