When the popular television series “Game of Thrones” ended last month, fans bemoaned the long wait until the final season. Speculation pegs next summer as the earliest possibility. In the meantime, posts on the dragon Viserion’s blue flames, memes on the hookup of fictional characters Jon Snow and Daenerys and chatter about potential battle strategies indicate that there is plenty to ponder.
It’s easy to see why the show has so many fans: Its episodes feature complex characters played by good-looking actors engaged in exciting battles rendered with state-of-the-art visual effects.
But as a scholar of American media and religion, I believe there’s something else going on as well: “Game of Thrones” storytelling gives its audience the opportunity to contemplate and debate fundamental concerns about the meaning of human life – issues that are central to all world religions.
‘Game of Thrones’ 101
The HBO show is based on science fiction and fantasy writer George R.R. Martin’s book series – “A Song of Ice and Fire” – and was adapted by writers David Benioff and D.B Weiss for television. It made its American debut in April 2011.
The plot, at its most basic, is a power struggle: who has it, who wants it and how they plan to get it. Interwoven are themes of honor, justice, revenge and redemption layered between issues of ethics, morality and familial bonds. Further complications involve incest, angry gods and avaricious bankers.
“Game of Thrones” has been lauded for its acting and production values, although, some critics have objected to graphic depictions of violence, torture and rape.
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