2. *Vocabulary Exam #4: 15 minutes
*Discussion Lao Tzu/Machiavelli: Examples
and preparation
*Group Preparation for discussion of
Philosophy and A Game of Thrones.
*Class Discussion
*Essay #2 writing tips
*Group Preparation for Cicero
*Homework
*AGENDA
5. *“He must, therefore, never raise his thought from this
exercise of war, and in peacetime he must train himself
more than in time of war; this can be done in two ways: one
by action, the other by the mind,” says Machiavelli.
* “Do you recall your history Bran”
* “And that‟s Torrhen Stark, the King Who Knelt. He was the last
King in the North and the first Lord of Winterfell, after he yielded
to Aegon the Conqueror. Oh, there, he‟s Cregan Stark. He fought
with Prince Aemon once, and the Dragonknight said he‟d never
faced a finer swordsman.
6. In teams, discuss your ideas
about applying Lao-Tzu and
Machiavelli to A Game of
Thrones.
You have about 10 minutes!
Make sure you have textual
support for your assertions!
Eddard Stark
Catelyn Stark
Robert Baratheon
Cersei Lannister
Joffrey Baratheon
Tyrion Lannister
The Night‟s Watch
Khal Drogo
Daenerys Targaryen
Viserys Targaryen
Petyr Baelish
Lord Stannis
Syrio Forel
8. *“The Master is above the people,
and no one feels oppressed” (30).
* “[Arya‟s] father used to say that a lord
needed to eat with his men, if he
hoped to keep them. “Know the men
who follow you,” she heard him tell
Robb once, ” and let them know you.
Don‟t ask your men to die for a
stranger.”
Eddard Stark
9. Upon slaying Will in the beginning of the novel,
[Eddard] explains to his son, “No man is more
dangerous [than] the deserter [who] knows his
life is forfeit if he is taken, so he will not flinch
from any crime, no matter how vile.”(Martin 16)
It is clear to the reader that there IS in fact a
proper justification and a manifest cause for an
execution to take place. Although we may not
necessarily agree with the cause, there is a code
of honor among knights and guards.
Unfortunately there seems to be more honor in
dying at the hands of the enemy, rather than at
the hands of your kingdom.
“And if he must take
someone‟s life, he
should do so when
there is proper
justification and
manifest cause…”(
Machiavelli 15)
10. * “A great nation is like a great
man: When he makes a
mistake, he realizes it. Having
realized it, he admits it” (LaoTzu 31).
* “The Prince” is divided into
different categorizes labeled the
characteristics and ruling of
men. There was only a small bit
of information on the women of
the government in which he
describes the things that are
important in a men‟s life. He
relatively compares women to
that of property as he advocates,
“and this will always be so when
he keeps his hands off the
property and the women on his
citizens and his subjects”
Arya proclaims, „”I hate
needlework! It‟s not fair!”‟ (75)
As Arya would be better off as
a knight than as a proper lady
learning to sew, the
government in Lao-Tzu,
Machiavelli, and A Game of
Thrones would never allow a
female to perform the acts of a
male. These philosophies show
that a female was only
effective as she cares and does
everything she can to assist her
husband or any elderly men.
These sayings almost treat
women and females as though
they were objects and of a
lower human being than that of
a male.
11. * “it would be good to be
considered generous”
(Machiavelli 43).
* “You are far too generous,
Lady Stark. The honor of
carrying a great lady like
yourself is all the reward they
need” (Captain of the ship
Catelyn took south; Martin
165).
12. According to Machiavelli, a prince “must,
therefore, never raise his thought from this
exercise of war; and in peacetime he must
train himself more that in time of war; this
can be done in two ways: one by action, the
other by the mind. And as far as actions are
concerned, besides keeping his soldiers well
disciplined and trained, he must always be
out hunting, and must accustom his body to
hardships in this manner”
Robb Stark
“He was Robb the Lord now, or trying to be. He
wore a real sword and never smiled. His days
were spent drilling the guard and practicing his
swordplay, making the yard ring with the sound
of steel as Bran watched forlornly from his
window. At night he closeted himself with
Maester Luwin, talking or going over account
books. Sometimes he would ride out with Hallis
Mollen and be gone for days at a time, visiting
distant holdfasts. Whenever he was away more
than a day, Rickon would cry and ask Bran if
Robb was ever coming back.” (163)
13. * “everyone sees what you seem to
be, few perceive what you are,
and those few do not dare to
contradict the opinion of the many
who have the majesty of the state
to defend them [...] for ordinary
people are always deceived by
appearances and by the outcome
of a thing; and in the world there
is nothing but ordinary people; and
there is no room for the few, while
the many have a place to lean on”
(Machiavelli 47).
* “„My words lied. My eyes and my arm
Syrio Forel
shouted out the truth, but you were
not seeing [...] Watching is not seeing,
dead girl. The water dancer sees”
(Syrio Forel; Martin 363).
14. * “If you let restlessness
move you you lose touch
with who you are.” (LaoTzu Verse 26)
* [Robert] isn‟t the same King
he was when he first took
over. Robert has always been a
man who knew what he liked.
But Ned noticed changes as
soon as he visited Winterfell,
“those pleasures were taking
a toll on the king.” (Martin 42)
Ned also remembered,
“Robert as he was the day he
took the throne, every inch a
king.” (Martin 486)
* Robert Baratheon
15. *“Ned was aghast.
*“For governing a
country well there
is nothing better
than moderation.”
(Lao Tzu 28)
„Aerys Targaryen left a
treasury flowing with
gold. How could you let
this happen?‟”
Littlefinger gave a
shrug. „The master of
coin finds the money.
The king and the Hand
spend it.‟” (Martin 133134)
16. “For a prince must have
two fears: one, internal,
concerning his subjects;
the other, external,
concerning foreign
powers” (Machiavelli 50).
“This child will soon enough
spread her legs and start
breeding more dragonspawn
to plague me” (Martin 112).
“They all want something,
money or land or justice.
The lies they tell…and my
lords and ladies are no
better. I am surrounded by
flatterers and fools. It can
drive a man to madness,
Ned. Half of them don‟t
dare tell me the truth, and
the other half can‟t find it”
(Martin 47).
17. * He is the “the fox [that]
cannot protect itself from
wolves […] Those who play
only the part of the lion do
not understand matters. A
wise ruler, therefore, cannot
and should not keep his word
when such an observance of
faith would be to his
disadvantage and when the
reasons which made him
promise are removed. And if
men were all good, this rule
would not be good; but since
men are a sorry lot and will
not keep their promises to
you, you likewise need not
keep yours to them.”
(Machiavelli 46)
Petyr Baelish
* “‟Is there a man in your
service that you trust utterly
and completely?‟ […]
„Distrusting me was the
wisest thing you‟ve done
since you climbed down off
your horse‟” (Petyr to Ned;
Martin 258).
18. * “A wise ruler, therefore,
cannot and should not keep his
word when such observance of
faith would be to his
disadvantage and when the
reasons which made him
promise are removed”
(Machiavelli 46).
“Everyone sees what you
seem to be, few perceive
what you are” (Machiavelli
47).
*“I did warn you not to
trust me, you know”
(Petyr Baelish: Martin
442).
“I am desperately
sentimental, sweet lady.
Best not tell anyone. I
have spent years
convincing the court that I
am wicked and cruel”
(Baelish: Martin 169).
19. * “The queen stood. „And what of
* 80 (36)
“When you wish to contract
something,
You must momentarily expand it;
When you wish to weaken something,
You must momentarily strengthen it;
When you wish to reject something,
You must momentarily join with it;
When you wish to seize something,
You must momentarily give it up.
This is called “subtle insight.”
my wrath, Lord Stark?‟ she asked
softly. Her eyes searched his face.
“You should have taken the realm
for yourself. It was there for the
taking. Jaime told me how you
found him on the Iron Throne the
day King‟s Landing fell, and made
him yield it up. That was your
moment. All you needed to do was
climb those steps, and sit. Such a
sad mistake.‟ […] „Oh, but it was,
my lord,‟ Cersei insisted. „When
you play the game of thrones, you
win or you die. There is no middle
ground.‟” (334)
20. *Machiavelli says to be,
“careful never to let anything
slip from his lips which is not
full of the five qualities
mentioned above: he should
appear, upon seeing and
hearing him, to be all mercy,
all faithfulness, all integrity,
all kindness, all religion”(49).
Cersei [lays] a soft hand
on her wrist “Such a
beautiful child. I do
hope you know how
much Joffrey and I love
you”(457; Cersei to
Sansa).
21. * “it is much safer to be feared
than to be loved” (Machiavelli
44). As long as the ruler
“makes himself feared in such
a manner that he will avoid
hatred,” being feared is
better than being loved (44).
* “My mother bids me let Lord
Eddard take the black, and
Lady Sansa has begged mercy
for her father…But they have
the soft hearts of women. So
long as I am your king,
treason shall never go
unpunished. Ser Illyn, bring
me his head!” (Martin 726).
22. * One of the philosophies of Machiavelli is the idea of being feared rather
than being loved. Machiavelli says, ”it is much safer to be feared than to
be loved” (46) because of the matter of betrayal and loyalty. In A Game
of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Prince Joffrey takes the throne after
his father‟s death. As a result of being a new King, King Joffrey, who
wants others to understand the extent of power he has, beheads Eddard
Stark. Instead of sending Eddard Stark to the wall as most criminals have
the option to, he chooses to kill Eddard Stark to use as an example to
those who would betray him. Even as his council urged him to change his
mind, “Joffrey shook his head” (607) and “a million people had let out
their breath at once” (608) to the death of Eddard Stark. Here,
Machiavelli's advice was followed thoroughly as Joffrey shows his power
as king in order to have others fear him. If people valued their own lives
over everything else, they would not oppose Joffrey, despite his cruel
and unreasonable actions. As Machivelli says “fear is held together by a
dread of a punishment which will never abandon you” (46).
* When King Joffrey sees Sansa Stark after the beheading of her father, we can
see that Sansa is fearful of losing her life as she pleads “I won‟t do any
treason, I‟ll be good, I swear it” (622). Sansa‟s fear and pleading gives the
reaction and loyalty King Joffrey expected after using her father as an
example to those who betrayed him. As Ser Meryn says,”[King Joffrey] wants
[Sansa] to love him…and fear him” (622) following Machivelli‟s advice,
perfectly.
23. * “it is essential to understand
this: that a prince , and
especially a new prince, cannot
observe all those things by
which men are considered
good, for in order to maintain
the state he is often obliged to
act against his promises,
against charity, against
humanity, and against
religion.[…] He should know
how to enter into evil when
necessity commands”
(Machiavelli 23)
* “Let a prince therefore act to
seize and to maintain the
state” (Machiavelli 24)
* “He was a traitor. I
never promised to
spare him, only that
I‟d be merciful, and I
was. If he hadn‟t been
your father, I would
have had him torn or
flayed, but I gave him
a clean death.
(Joffrey; Martin 743)”
26. * Lao-Tzu says, “Whoever
can see through all fear /
will always be safe,”
(Jacobus 26).
* “The inspiration came to
Tyrion Lannister suddenly.
„…tell her that I wish to
confess my crimes” (Martin
417)
Though Tyrion previously
encountered writing on his
cellar wall: “Gods save me,”
he knows he is in a place
where no man should be. In a
cell where people rot and
perish and the only escape is
either to fly away or walk
through the gate, Tyrion
knows he‟s in a troubling
predicament. However,
overcoming the fear of where
is he, Tyrion is still able to
craftily think to get out of his
cell and soon be released
from imprisonment.
27. *One of Machiavelli‟s principal philosophies is on keeping
promises. While alluding to Alexander VI, Machiavelli says
that “there never was a man who had more forcefulness in
his oaths…and who honored his word less; nevertheless, his
tricks always succeeded perfectly” (47).
*This quotation can be connected to Tyrion Lannister, who is
known for his cunning and clever mouth. While imprisoned
in one of The Eyrie‟s infamous sky cells, Tyrion promises to
give Mord all the gold he is carrying in exchange for
delivering a message. Tyrion carried out his promise, but
not before taking all the silver out of his pouch and leaving
only the gold, which is what he promised. He snidely said,
“„I kept the silver,…but you were promised the gold, and
there it is” (456).
28. If a nation is
centered in
the Tao, and
it nourishes
its own
people and
doesn’t
meddle in the affairs of
others, it will be a light to
all nations of the world”
(Lao-Tzu 29).
The Night‟s Watch
“the Night’s Watch
would take no part in
the battles of the
realms it guarded”
(Maester Aemon; 553).
29. *
Machiavelli writes that “a prince,
therefore, must not have any other
object nor any other thought, nor
must he take anything as his
profession but war, its institutions,
and its discipline; . . . A prince who
does not understand military
matters . . . cannot be esteemed by
his own soldiers, nor can he trust
them” (38).
The Dothraki agree in that they
“follow only the strong” (Martin
519). [. . .] “Khal Drogo was a head
taller than the tallest man in the
room, yet somehow light on his
feet, as graceful as the panther in
Illyrio‟s menagerie.” [. . .] “Drogo
had never lost a fight” (Martin 27).
30. “A prince either spends his own money and that of his
subjects or that of others; in the first case he must be
economical; in the second he must not restrain any part of his
generosity. And for that prince who goes out with his soldiers
and lives by looting, sacking, and ransoms, who controls the
property of others, such generosity is necessary; otherwise he
would not be followed by his troops” (Machiavelli 44).
31. * “a prince, therefore, must not have
any other object nor any other
thought, nor must he take anything
as his profession but war, its
institutions, and its discipline [. . .]
not only does it maintain those who
were born to that position, but many
times it enables men of private
station to rise to that position”
(Machiavelli 40).
*“I‟d let his whole khalasar fuck
Viserys Targaryen
you if need be, sweet sister, all
forty thousand men, and their
horses too if that was what it
took to get my army. (Viserys
to Daenerys about wedding
Khal Drogo)
32. *Machiavelli argues that
“a prince who does not
understand military
matters… cannot be
esteemed by his own
soldiers, nor can he
trust them”(Machiavelli
40).
*“My brother will never
take back the Seven
Kingdoms… He could
not lead an army even
if my lord husband
gave him one”
(Daenerys; Martin
233).
33. * Do you agree with Machiavelli’s thesis that
stability and power are the only qualities
that matter in the evaluation of
governments? If not, what else matters?
* Can we have Lao-Tzu’s peace, even though
there is ambition, materialism, war, and
famine on earth? How is it possible?
*
35. * Write about literature in the present
tense.
* Write in third person (avoid “I” and
“you”)
* Be specific: Avoid “thing” and words
with “thing” in them: something,
anything, everything.
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Coordinating Conjunctions
Remember, you need a comma and a coordinating conjunction to
connect two complete sentences:
Machiavelli holds that the skill of war making is what a prince must
*necessarily* make his career on, for war making is the primary means by
which he can advance his state.
Use a comma after an introductory clause:
As the Lord of Winterfell, he carries out the execution of the deserter
himself rather than assigning the dreadful task to one of his subordinates.
36. Form new teams for this unit. Remember, 50% of
your team must be new to you!
THEN, DISCUSS THE DIVISION OF LABOR FOR CICERO
Questions for Critical Reading (page 129)
We will come back together to go over the homework
before we leave!
37. Read A World of Ideas: Marcus Tullius Cicero
"The Defense of Injustice" (119-129)
Post #23 Questions for Critical Reading:
(page 129)
Post #24 QHQ Cicero
Essay #2 is due by noon on Friday:
palmoreessaysubmission@gmail.com
*HOMEWORK
