A Storm of Swords

In the series’ first novel, A Game of Thrones, Jaime was a major antagonist, pushing Bran out of the tower to preserve the secret of his incestuous relationship with his sister, Queen Cersei. In this novel, Martin makes Jaime a point-of-view character, allowing him to redeem himself as a character with noble qualities. Jaime’s character arc embodies Seeking Honor in a Dishonorable World: He learns to once more embrace the oath he swore to knighthood.

Jaime’s character development is catalyzed by his relationship with Brienne of Tarth, who functions as his foil. Where Brienne believes that it is noble to keep her oath to Catelyn, Jaime believes that it is impossible to live nobly when serving dishonorable lords. When Brienne protests at the sight of a horrifying war crime, Jaime brushes off her distress as naivete: “True knights see worse every time they ride to war […] And do worse, yes” (25). Jaime’s cynical beliefs were instilled in him during his time as a member of Aerys Targaryen’s Kingsguard. Choosing Jaime for the Kingsguard solely to spite Jaime’s father, Tywin, Aerys enlisted Jaime in his plot to incinerate King’s Landing to prevent it from falling into Robert Baratheon’s hands.