machiavelli and lau tzu in a GOT

1. EWRT 2
*

2. *AGENDA
*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

3. *You win or you die
*

4. A strategy of using textual evidence
*

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
Robb Stark
Jon Snow
Robert Baratheon
Cersei Lannister
Joffrey Baratheon
Tyrion Lannister
The Night’s Watch
Khal Drogo
Daenerys Targaryen
Viserys Targaryen
Petyr Baelish
Varys
Lord Stannis
Syrio Forel

7. *The
Starks

8. Eddard Stark
We can apply the philosophy of
Lao-Tzu to the character
Eddard Stark. He views “his
enemies [not as] demons, but
human beings like himself”
(31.25) when he says, “if you
would take a man’s life, you
owe it to him to look into his
eyes and hear his final words.”
(14)

9. Machiavelli claims that, “A man
who wishes to make a vocation
of being good at all times will
come to ruin among so many
who are not good” (42).
Before his death, “He damned them all: Little Finger, Janos
Slynt and his gold cloaks, the queen, the Kingslayer […] Yet in
the end he blamed himself. “Fool,” he cried to the darkness,
“thrice-damned blind fool” (524). Eddard realizes that it did
him no good to be a good person because he is surrounded by
bad people who are willing to disregard rules and honor. Ned
is killed along with his justice.

10. *“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).

11. Harshness is vital to keep order and prevent harm.
Robb, who succeeds [Ned] as Lord of Winterfell,
rises to power as a king in his own right through
unflinching determination and excessive bloodshed.
When his mother attempts to persuade him to make
peace with the Lannisters to end the war and avoid
unnecessary suffering, Robb replies that his sword
“‘is the only peace [he has] for Lannisters’” (Martin
742). Robb has the advantage on the battlefield. By
dismissing chances to make peace, he allows himself
more opportunities to win and keeps his army
motivated.Robb Stark
Machiavelli’s assertion that “it is absolutely necessary that [the prince] not
worry about being considered cruel; for without that reputation he will never
keep an army united or prepared for any combat” (Machiavelli 44) is
confirmed beyond all doubt when the forces under Robb’s command proclaim
him as their king. In being cruel, Robb ensures that his destiny is not left in
the hands of others. When seeking power, even to secure justice, good people
must resort to extreme measures. Anything less will mean complete failure.

12. *
*“If you want to govern
the people, / you must
place yourself below
them. / If you want to
lead the people, / you
must learn how to
follow them” (Page 30,
Verse 66).
*“Jon was showing Dareon
how best to deliver a
side-stroke [...] “Your
feet should be wider
apart,” he urged. “You
don’t want to lose your
balance. That’s good.
Now pivot as you deliver
the stroke, get all your
weight behind the blade.”
(Martin 259)

13. *“‘My words lied. My eyes and my arm
shouted out the truth, but you were
not seeing [...] Watching is not seeing,
dead girl. The water dancer sees”
(Syrio Forel; Martin 363).
*“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).
Syrio Forel

14. *“For governing a country
well there is nothing better
than moderation.” (Lao Tzu
28)
Machiavelli wrote that a prince
should not take advantage of his
country’s finances, and should use
the money of others before his
own. “[…] but if, after obtaining
this, he had lived and had not
moderated his expenditures, he
would have destroyed that
empire. […] for spending the
wealth of others does not lessen
your reputation but adds to it;
only the spending of your own is
what harms you” (Jacobus 44),
“You know as well as I that
the treasury has been
empty for years. […] The
Crown is more than six
million gold pieces in debt,
Lord Stark. The Lannisters
are the biggest part of it,
but we have also borrowed
from Lord Tyrell, the Iron
Bank of Braavos, and
several Tyroshi trading
cartels” (Martin 194),

15. Robert Baratheon
Robert Baratheon’s actions in A Game of
Thrones support such a claim. Robert’s
Rebellion begins when Rhaegar
Targaryen decides to take Lyanna Stark
for himself. By kidnapping Lyanna,
Rhaegar goes against Machiavelli’s
advice, an action that later leads to the
downfall of the Targaryen dynasty. This
is supported by Robert’s drive to “kill
every Targaryen [he] can get [his] hands
on” even after he has become king
(Martin 113). Not only that but Ned
asserts that Robert is still angry with
Rhaegar, despite the Targaryen being
“fifteen years dead” (356).
Machiavelli claims that a prince keep
“his hands off the property and the
women of his citizens and his
subjects” to maintain his position of
power (Machiavelli 44).

16. We know that King Robert has
previously slain the last ruling King
when Prince Joffrey tells Sansa,
“[The battleground] is where my
father killed Rhaegar Targaryen,
you know. He smashed in his
chest, crunch, right through the
armor” (Martin 149). At that
moment fear arises in the people
who once favored the dead king,
and now they become the people
of the new King. They are afraid
to defy him because of the
unknown consequences of their
disloyalty.
“One should like to be
both one and the other;
but since it is difficult to
join them together, it is
much safer to be feared
than to be loved when one
of the two must be
lacking” (Machiavelli:
Jacobus 44).

17. *“As his men died around him,
Littlefinger slid Ned’s dagger
from its sheath and shoved it
up under his chin. His smile
was apologetic. ‘I did warn
you not to trust me, you
know’” (Martin 49).
Petyr Baelish
Machiavelli says that a
prince should keep his
word and live by integrity
and not deceit. But those
who wish to accomplish
great deeds care little for
keeping their promises and
know how to manipulate
the minds of men.

18. While in the dungeons with the
former hand of the king, Eddard,
he asks Varys who he serves. He
replies, ” ‘Why, the realm, my
good lord, how ever could you
doubt that? I swear it by my lost
manhood. I serve the realm, and
the realm needs peace'” (Martin
636).
This is the embodiment of the
idea of “the ends justify the
means.” In the first excerpt in
the Qualities of the Prince,
Machiavelli writes how it is
wholly impossible to be such an
altruist person due to human
nature and the state of the
world. He writes that a person
must be intelligent enough to
recognizes that the positive
traits that people look for in a
leader can ultimately destroy
you if you if you do not have
the slightest inkling of cunning
(Machiavelli 41).

20. [Machiavelli] writes about the way
princes need to be well versed in war;
“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; because that is the
only profession which befits one who
commands.”
“Lord Tywin drained his cup, his face expressionless. ‘I put the least
disciplined men on the left, yes. I anticipated that they would break. Robb
Stark is a green boy, more like to be brave than wise. I’d hoped that if he
saw our left collapse, he might plunge into the gap, eager for a rout. Once
he was fully committed, Ser Kevan’s pikes would wheel and take him in the
flank, driving him into the river while I brought up the reserve’” (692).

21. Machiavelli’s philosophy of using the nature of
the beast can be applied to Tywin Lannister in
A Game of Thrones.
“a prince must know how to make good use of
the nature of the beast, he should choose
among the beasts the fox and the lion; for the
lion cannot defend itself from traps and the
fox cannot protect itself from wolves” (46).
“Tywin Lannister was as much fox as lion. If
indeed he’d sent Ser Gregor to burn and pillage—
and Ned did not doubt that he had—he’d taken
care to see that he rode under cover of night,
without banners, in the guise of a common
brigand. Should Riverrun strike back, Cersei and
her father would insist that it had been the Tullys
who broke the kings peace, not the Lannisters”
(391).

22. Machiavelli states that a prince must have
a respectable public image, and “must be
prudent enough to know how to escape
the bad reputation of those vises that
would lose the state for him”(Machiavelli
41)
Cersei is described, “as beautiful as men
said. A jeweled tiara gleamed amidst her
long golden hair, it’s emeralds a perfect
match for the green of her eyes. (Martin
36) showing her as a perfect embodiment
of a queen, however the reader knows her
to be deceitful and manipulative. We see
this when she artfully tricks [The King]
into entering the tournament: “She
forbade him to fight, in front of his
brother, his knights, and half the court.
Tell me truly, do you know any surer way
to force King Robert into the melee?”
(Martin 219)

23. Machiavelli says that the king
“should appear, upon seeing
and hearing him, to be all
mercy, all faithfulness, all
integrity, all kindness, all
religion” (26). Joffrey follows
this advice prior to beheading
Ned in front of the public
because it makes him look
like he is all mercy and all
integrity. He acknowledges
Sansa’s request to be kind to
Ned, which shows mercy, and
his final decision to behead
Ned makes him look like a
proponent for justice no
matter the person involved.

24. *Tyrion Lannister
“Well, my legs may be too small for
my body, but my head is too large,
although I prefer to think it is just
large enough for my mind. I have a
realistic grasp of my own strengths
and weaknesses. My mind is my
weapon” (Martin 118).
Bronn on the other hand is a
sellsword, he has no title to his name
neither does he have honor but his
ability with his sword allows him to
take on foes stronger than he was.
According to Catelyn, she “misliked
the man. Courage he had, and
strength, but there was no kindness in
him, and little loyalty” (Martin 354).
their companionship is
“necessary [that one has to]
be a fox in order to
recognize traps and a lion in
order to frighten the
wolves”. (Machiavelli 230)

25. Lao-Tzu and
Tyrion Lannister
One of Lao-Tzu’s
points of view tells us
that, “The Master sees
things as they are,
without trying to
control them” (24 Lao-
tzu).

26. *
“As each rider swung down from
his saddle, he unbelted his arch
and handed it to a waiting slave,
and any other weapons he carried
as well. Even Khal Drogo himself
was not exempt” (Martin, pg.
390).
“Weapons are the tools of violence;
all decent men detest them”
(Jacobus pg. 25 line 19).

27. “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).

28. *
*“Cesare Borgia was considered
cruel; nonetheless his cruelty has
brought order to Romagna,
united it, restored it to peace
and obedience. [...] Therefore, a
prince must not worry about the
reproach of cruelty when it is a
matter of keeping his subjects
united and loyal; for with a very
few examples of cruelty he will
be more compassionate than
those who, out of excessive
mercy, permit disorders to
continue.. ” (Qualities of the
prince 43).
*When the khaleesi wanted
to order her dothraki
soldiers to stop raping
women and reap their
rewards It is said by Ser
Jorah himself about
Daenerys that: “‘You have
a gentle heart, but you do
not understand. This is how
it has always been. Those
men have shed blood for
the khal. Now they claim
their reward.’” (Game of
thrones 456).

29. *
*“The Master is above
the people, and no one
feels oppressed. She
goes ahead of the
people, and no one
feels manipulated. The
whole world is grateful
to her.”(32)
*This can be best show
by Daenerys’s decision
of freeing the slaves
and tell them they are
free to go if they want
to.(673)

30. *“I’d let his whole khalasar fuck
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)
*“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).
Viserys Targaryen

31. *
*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?

32. *

33. *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
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.
But
Or
Yet
So
Coordinating Conjunctions

34. 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!

35. *HOMEWORK
 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 via
Kaizena