A Game of Thrones: Song
of Screen and Paper
By Elizabeth Eckhart
Following a piece great
literature, there is often a high chance of an eventual play, movie,
or television series based on the work, and along with these
adaptations, inevitably, comes the battle between which is better.
Fans of JRR
Tolkien’s Lord
of the Rings trilogy
would have no problem rattling off a list of annoying changes Peter
Jackson made in the movies, in spite of the film franchise’s
massive success in the box office. George R.R. Martin’s Game
of Thrones is no different. HBO debuted its
television adaptation in 2011, and the show begins
its fourth season on April 6, 2014 (you can find details
here on streaming previous seasons for binge-watching) to a
chorus of media fanfare, including everything from billboards in
major cities to every imaginable merchandising
tie-in.
Will the show’s need to
entertain and continue its production schedule eventually make it
part from the books altogether? It’s too soon to say, but it’s
not too soon to take a look at some of the biggest differences
between book and show thus far:
1. In the books, many of
the characters are significantly younger than the show portrays. Robb
and Jon are 17 on the show, but 14 in the books. Bran is 10 instead
of 7, and Rickon is 6 rather than 3. Arya is 9 in the books but 11 on
the show, and finally her sister Sansa also receives an additional
two years (making her 13) on the show. The change in ages might be
one difference, however, that most fans don’t mind. A
thirteen-year-old Daenerys being forced to wed and bed Khal Drogo
might be a little uncomfortable, as would many adult scenes
throughout the storyline if the ages
were not changed.
2. One of the most
noticeable changes involves the scenes between Arya Stark and Tywin
Lannister. In the book, Arya serves many people during her stay at
Harrenhal, but Tywin Lannister is never one of them. While the
switch-up allows the viewer to get a glimpse
of both characters’ storylines at the same time, it might
result in readers of the book feeling as if the show has lost some
credibility.
3. HBO puts many
relationships out in the open throughout the first three seasons,
including those that George R.R. Martin had so far only hinted at in
his work. Most notable is Loras
Tyrell’s tryst with Renly Baratheon. While it can
be picked up in the reading, HBO took the relationship a few steps
further by making it a fairly well-known fact.
4. Of all the character
changes on the show, Lady
Talisa is one of the biggest differences. Lady Talisa doesn’t
even exist in the books, despite her large role on the show. She is a
replacement for Lady Jeyne Westerling, whom Robb marries in the
books. The original Jeyne is not a nurse Robb meets on the
battlefield, as he meets Lady Talisa, though Jeyne does help nurse
his wound back to health when they do meet. The change in storyline
gives the viewer a better look at Robb’s life on the show (in the
novels, Robb’s storyline mostly plays out in the background) but
the change of character from Jeyne to Talisa is still questionable.
5. Game
of Thrones is known for its use of strong
female characters, both on paper and on screen. At this point in the
books, much is still unknown about Margaery Tyrell regarding her
personality and internal thoughts. The show, on the other hand, has
brought her front and center, and made her political prowess one of
her most captivating qualities. This is one of the best changes,
since television Margaery
is much more interesting.
At the end of the day, are
there a lot more changes from book to show than those on this list?
Of course there are. But many of the changes seem to have been made
with careful consideration and for good reasons. Overall, HBO has
done the books incredible justice, and it will be exciting to see
what they do with the rest of the series!
