Lit Circle Setting

“Edwyn Frey shoved her aside. The music drowned all other sound, echoing off the walls as if the stones themselves were playing. Robb gave Edwyn an angry look and moved to block his way . . . and staggered suddenly as a quarrel sprouted from his side, just beneath the shoulder. If he screamed then, the sound was swallowed by the pipes and horns and fiddles. Catelyn saw a second bolt pierce his leg, saw him fall. Up in the gallery, half the musicians had crossbows in their hands instead of drums or lutes. She ran toward her son, until something punched in the small of the back and the hard stone floor came up to slap her. "Robb!" she screamed. She saw Smalljon Umber wrestle a table off its trestles. Crossbow bolts thudded into the wood, one two three, as he flung it down on top of his king. Robin Flint was ringed by Freys, their daggers rising and falling. Ser Wendel Manderly rose ponderously to his feet, holding his leg of lamb. A quarrel went in his open mouth and came out the back of his neck. Ser Wendel crashed forward, knocking the table off its trestles and sending cups, flagons, trenchers, platters, turnips, beets, and wine bouncing, spilling, and sliding across the floor.”



   This quote is significant to the story’s setting because it conveys the unpredictably brutal nature of the story, and also provides evidence towards the time period. It portrays the events of the “Red Wedding”, wherein one of the main characters is tragically betrayed in an underhanded move by one of the main antagonist’s cronies. This passage gives good examples of vital factors in the novel, such as when it takes place, cultural features of the time frame, and also the moral standards of that era. The use of weapons like daggers and crossbows indicate a level of technology equivalent to our medieval time period. The hostility of the book’s culture is exemplified by the actions of the musicians, as even they are contributing to the attack. None of the people seem to feel remorse or hesitate to kill people attending a wedding, a normally joyful occurrence.



Objects: The Iron Throne, Arya’s coin, Brienne’s kingly letter and Stannis’ map table



The Iron Throne is both figuratively and literally the seat of power in the Seven Kingdoms. It is made from thousands of swords surrendered by the King’s enemies, melted together with a dragon’s breath. This is important because it provides a rare example of the story’s fantastic elements, namely dragons. It often represents the ambitions of many characters, as sitting on the throne is often a primary motivation.

   The second object is Arya’s coin, which she gives to a ship captain in order to obtain passage. It was given to her by a member of the Faceless Men, a group of foreign assassins, with the instructions to give it to any man from Braavos. That is the home of this assassin’s guild, and is so far away that it’s not visited until the 4th book. The events involving the coin give a sense of the shape of the world. They detail both several towns on the eastern coast of Westeros and the city Braavos, which is across a large body of water called the Narrow Sea.

   Third comes the letter given to Brienne, signed by the king. She receives it so that she can remain unhindered in the task given to her. The people of Westeros would do whatever she asked as long as she had the letter in hand, such is the power of the king. It illustrates the king’s ultimate power, and how archaic the social systems are.

   The fourth and final object is a gigantic table located in a castle. It is painted with a map of Westeros, and shows the geographical location of every important town, keep or castle in the country.



 

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