Game of Thrones ushered in a new wave of fantasy media on television that is still being felt today. Based on the incomplete A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin, it follows the lives of several noble families on the continents of Westeros and Essos as they vie for power, all while a dark threat stirs in the north that threatens to destroy the world of the living. Beloved for its dark tone, complex characters, and its “anyone can die” mentality, the show inspired fantasy media to take a darker, more grounded approach to their magical worlds. Sadly, the writing fell hard after the show eclipsed the last book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, before ending in one of the most infamous finales in television history.
Many of Game of Thrones’ most recognized quotes, such as “Winter is Coming,” have become staples of popular culture and are recognized by even the most casual of observers. Befitting its grim setting, not all of these quotes are uplifting. The show delivered many lines, elevated by the performance of its stellar cast, that reminded us of how bleak and nihilistic the world could be at times, which helped audiences empathize more with the characters and long to see change in the status quo.
10
“Who has a better story than Bran the Broken?”
Tyrion Lannister (Season 8, Episode 6)
Months after the death of Queen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), the surviving lords of Westeros hold a council to decide what is to be done with Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and John Snow (Kit Harington), both prisoners of the Unsullied led by Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson). Tyrion manages to steer the talk towards who will be Westeros’ new king. Tyrion nominates the Three-Eyed Raven, Brandon Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), as the perfect choice, which he justifies with this quote.
The sadness of this quote is, admittedly, in a meta sense rather than within the story, but it still cuts hard into the hearts of fans. After nearly a full decade of watching these characters struggle with the question of who would sit on the throne, settling on Bran over Jon, the legitimate heir, or literally any other choice, was heartbreaking, especially since the last few seasons had turned him into a robot devoid of personality. It also doesn’t help that Tyrion’s comment about Bran having the best story rings hollow when one remembers Bran was absent for Season 5, and in the grand scheme of things, he contributed very little once he got his powers.
9
“By what right does the wolf judge the lion?”
Jaime Lannister (Season 3, Episode 5)
Exhausted from the painful surgery to save his right arm after losing his hand, Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) decides to share a bath with his traveling companion, Brienne of Tarth (Gwendolyn Christie). During their soak, Jaime tells Brienne the real reason why he killed Mad King Aerys II Targaryen (David Rintoul): he was planning to blow up King’s Landing with Wildfire in a bid to deny his enemies the city. When Brienne asks why Jaime never told Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), Jaime bitterly says that Stark judged him guilty on sight, then utters this quote before collapsing into Brienne’s arms.
The sadness of this line comes both from Coster-Waldau’s gripping performance and how true it is to the world. Westeros is full of killers, be they rank-and-file soldiers just following orders, or lords who kill one another for power or in the name of justice and stability. Nobody is truly in a position to judge anyone for killing. Still, it’s done anyway, and it turned Jaime Lannister’s greatest moment into a source of mockery and ridicule from his peers.
8
“If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”
Ramsay Bolton (Season 3, Episode 6)
Following a mutiny by his men, Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) finds himself at the mercy of Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon), bastard son of Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton), though he doesn’t know it yet. To make a game out of it, Ramsay offers Theon the chance to guess who he is before Ramsay gets Theon to beg him to cut his finger off. When Theon asks if guessing right will let him go free, Ramsay coldly whispers this line.
While Theon’s betrayal of the Starks was a cold one, it’s not worth seeing the poor man be mutilated and mentally broken. Thus, Ramsay’s line represents the last shred of hope for Theon splintering before him: nobody is coming to save him, and he has no hope of escape. It’s also, in a way, a chilling reminder to the audience of what kind of show they are watching. Come the end of Season 3, most of the Starks are dead after the Red Wedding, so things did indeed feel their most grim.
7
“Egg, I dreamed that I was old.”
Aemon Targaryen (Season 5, Episode 7)
Aemon Targaryen (Peter Vaughan) was a faithful servant of the Night’s Watch who had the chance to be king after most of his family died, but chose instead to keep to his Maester vows and pass the crown to his younger brother, Aegon V. As he lay dying with his pupil Samwelll Tarly (John Bradley) and Sam’s girlfriend, Gilly (Hannah Murray), by his side, Aemon began hallucinating that he was with his brother, whom he nicknamed Egg. Shortly before he passed, Aemon grabbed hold of Sam’s hand, then, after some labored breaths, spoke his final line.
Something about Aemon dying, believing that he was with his brother and young again, rather than a blind old man separated from the last of his family, is so heartbreaking. It’s a melancholic gift that he could pass on in a moment of joy, and it stands as something we all wish for when it’s our time to go. With Vaughan’s passing in 2016, the line hits even harder, but forever cements his place as one of the best actors in the show.
6
“My real father lost his head in King’s Landing. I made a choice, and I chose wrong.”
Theon Greyjoy (Season 3, Episode 4)
Before Ramsay revealed his true intentions, he posed as an Ironborn sent by Theon’s sister, Yara (Gemma Whelan), to rescue him and bring him to Deepwood Mott. During the journey, Theon confesses to Ramsay about his actions, how he did everything to make his father, King Balon (Patrick Malahide), proud, including defying orders and allowing Dagmar Cleftjaw (Ralph Ineson) to murder two orphans to pose as the corpses of Brandon and Rickon (Art Parkinson) Stark. When Ramsay says that there might still be time to make his father proud, Theon remorsefully responds with this quote.
Theon’s storyline is a tragic tale about a young man torn between two worlds while truly belonging to neither, so it was inevitable that either choice would have consequences. Unfortunately, Theon realizes too late that, while the Starks were his captors, they also treated him more fairly than his true family. This kind of regret is something everyone can relate to: we’ve all made the wrong choices for what we thought were valid reasons, only to realize the value of what we gave up too late to change it.
5
“I loved that girl, like she was my own. She was good, she was kind, and you killed her!”
Davos Seaworth (Season 6, Episode 10)
While Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) was negotiating with Jon at the Wall, King Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) was convinced by the Red Priestess, Melisandre (Carice van Houten), to sacrifice his daughter, Shireen (Kerry Ingram), for better weather. It was ultimately pointless: Stannis’ army was destroyed by the Boltons, and Brienne executed him after the battle. Melisandre initially kept the details of Shireen’s death to herself, but before the Battle of the Bastards, Davos found evidence of Shireen’s death by fire. He confronted her after the battle in Jon’s presence and bellowed this line through barely held-back tears.
Cunningham speaks every word with raw, unfiltered emotions, which highlights why Davos was always one of the show’s unsung heroes. Davos has already lost Mathos (Kerr Logan) to Melisandre’s dogma and had to hear her whisper how pure his death by Wildfire was back in Season 3, and now he learns that the girl who taught him to read and looked up to him as a second father was also burned, and for what? It also highlights the cruel fact that the innocent are the ones who always suffer in the name of power, be it religious or political.
4
“You gave me away. Your boy. Your last boy. You gave me away like I was some dog you didn’t want anymore. And now you curse me because I’ve come home.”
Theon Greyjoy (Season 2, Episode 3)
When Theon attempts to broker an alliance between his father and King Robb Stark (Richard Madden), he instead learns that Balon has plans to use the ongoing war to declare himself King of the Iron Islands and claim the North by right of conquest. When he comments that Theon’s time with the Starks has made him weak, Theon points out how it wasn’t his choice: Balon gave up Theon after his rebellion was crushed by the armies of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). This earns Theon a smack from his father, but as he storms out of the room, Theon shouts these words at him.
Theon spent much of Season 1 boasting about Ironborn culture and his position as his father’s heir, but this line shows that he was trying to convince himself as much as those he was speaking to. The unfortunate truth is that Balon will never see Theon as his son, but as a reminder of the two he lost in his foolish rebellion. Allen’s delivery of the line also sells it: you can feel Theon’s mounting frustration about being hated for things outside his control, which leads him down his path of self-destruction.
3
“I wish I was the monster you think I am.”
Tyrion Lannister (Season 4, Episode 6)
Accused of poisoning King Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), Tyrion is forced to stand before a sham trial, where his former lover, Shae (Sibel Kekilli), is brought forth to give false testimony as revenge for Tyrion breaking her heart to save her life. Enraged, Tyrion calls out the entire court for condemning Tyrion without proper evidence, even mentioning how he led the defence of the city in the Battle of the Blackwater. As his speech becomes more venomous, he speaks the above quote before explaining that he would give his life if it meant he could watch everyone in the court die.
Had Tyrion been born as tall as anyone else, people would praise him for his cunning mind and his bravery. Instead, he is mocked and looked upon with suspicion and contempt, and after years of suffering this, Tyrion begins to believe their words. It’s a heartbreaking case of society creating its own monsters through the creation of “the other,” brought to life by one of Peter Dinklage’s best performances.
2
“Do you know what it’s like to be told how lucky you are to be someone’s prisoner?”
Theon Greyjoy (Season 2, Episode 10)
Theon’s brilliant capture of Winterfell with only 20 men turns into a catastrophe when he refuses to give up his prize. He soon finds himself surrounded by the army of Ramsay Snow, who torments Theon by blowing a horn all night. Winterfell’s Maester, Luwin (Donald Sumpter), tries to offer Theon counsel, especially when he reminisces about the first time he came to the city after the rebellion. Theon bitterly comments on how everyone kept reminding him that his captors treated him fairly, before breaking down with this quote.
This line is the perfect encapsulation of Theon’s position. Yes, the Starks treated him fairly, and he grew close to Robb like a brother, but there was always the lingering knowledge that, if Balon ever stepped out of line, Eddard Stark would kill Theon because it was his duty. One can only imagine the psychological torment that would do to a child.
1
“Hold the door!”
Meera Reed / Wylis (Season 6, Episode 5)
When Bran ignores the instructions of the Three-Eyed Raven (Struan Rodger and Max von Sydow), it allows the Night King (Richard Brake and Vladimir Furdik) to attack their cave. As the Children of the Forest and Bran’s direwolf, Summer, give their lives in the defence, Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) instructs Bran to warg into Hodor (Kristian Nairn) to help her pull his body to safety. However, since Bran was also time traveling to gain the last of the Three-Eyed Raven’s wisdom, this allows Hodor’s past self, Wylis (Sam Coleman), to see the present. He soon collapses to the ground as present Hodor blocks an army of wights from pursuing Meera and Bran, repeating Meera’s command to hold the door.
This line and the accompanying visuals became one of Game of Thrones‘ most shocking moments as it completely changed what we knew about a fan-favorite character. Hodor goes from being a lovable, gentle giant to a tragic victim of forces beyond his comprehension, and he grew up his whole life knowing that this would be his fate. The worst thing is that Bran was controlling Hodor at the time of his death, meaning he didn’t even have autonomy at the end of the road. Whenever fans of Game of Thrones hear these three words, it’s sure to evoke feelings of sadness and tragedy.