History Foil / GameOfThrones

** To Gendry. Both are the children of adultery on the part of the royal couple of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister, but Robert's illegitimate son Gendry is unacknowledged, poor, hardworking, brave, kind, and clever whereas Cersei's [[spoiler:illegitimate]] son Joffrey is his polar opposite: presumed to be the legitimate son of Robert Baratheon, spoiled, idle, cowardly, cruel, and idiotic. Gendry grows up in poverty in Flea Bottom, does not receive the illegitimate surname given to noble-born illegitimate children because he is an unacknowledged son of Robert Baratheon, does not know he is the son of a king [[spoiler:until later on in the series]], grows up as a blacksmith's apprentice with his apprentice fee funded by an unknown lord, and defends those weaker than himself. Meanwhile, Joffrey grows up in the royal Red Keep, mistakingly believes himself to be the son of a king, and relishes in using his power to abuse his subjects. Gendry befriends and protects [[{{RebelliousPrincess}} Arya Stark]] while she is disguised as a commoner boy, and she cares about him deeply while neither of them knew he is of Baratheon blood. Joffrey is formally betrothed to [[{{PrincessClassic}} Sansa Stark]] to make a Stark-Baratheon match in marriage, but abused and bullied her and she grew to hate him.

** To Gendry. Both are the children of adultery on the part of the royal couple of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister, but Robert's son Gendry is unacknowledged, poor, hardworking, brave, kind, and clever whereas Cersei's son Joffrey is his polar opposite: presumed legitimate, spoiled, idle, cowardly, cruel, and idiotic. Gendry grew up in poverty in Flea Bottom, and is controlled and mistreated by high borns due to his low status but still protects those weaker than himself; while Joffrey grew up in the Red Keep, and relishes in using his power to abuse his subjects. Gendry befriended and protected [[{{RebelliousPrincess}} Arya Stark]] while she was disguised as a commoner, and she cared about him deeply even though neither of them knew he was a Baratheon; while Joffrey was formally betrothed to [[{{PrincessClassic}} Sansa Stark]] to make a Stark-Baratheon match, but abused and bullied her and she grew to hate him.

** To Littlefinger. Both are ostentatious NonActionGuy politicians who excel at SnarkToSnarkCombat, but Renly grew up as a privileged high lord while Littlefinger only rose from a very minor noble by being a ruthless SelfMadeMan. Renly's [[TheCharmer charm]] and NiceToTheWaiter qualities sharply contrast Littlefinger's TheSociopath and BadBoss traits, Renly loathes the Lannisters and seeks to oust them while Littlefinger supports them, and Littlefinger is an UnluckyChildhoodFriend infatuated with Catelyn while Renly's love for Loras is reciprocated.

** To Joffrey. Both are sadistic [[BastardBastard Bastard Bastards]] whose favourite pastime is ColdBloodedTorture. However, where Joffrey is a DirtyCoward, Ramsay shows impressive combat skills; where Joffrey believes he is legitimate and entitled to power, Ramsay's bastard background drives him to achieve; and where Joffrey is a StupidEvil SmugSnake, Ramsay at least shows a talent for short-term schemes (his siege of Winterfell and his torturous games) if not for long-term plots.

* Theon Greyjoy to Jon Snow. As an illegitimate son and a hostage respectively, Jon wants to be a legal Stark and Theon just wants to ''be'' a Stark, both suffer from WellDoneSonGuy and are DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife. However, where Jon is of Stark blood and is raised with his family by his father Ned Stark, Theon is of Greyjoy blood and is raised away from his remaining family since age 10 among another family. Jon earns his own honour and looks to fulfill his aspirations by joining the Night's Watch while Theon betrays his adopted family to seek the approval of blood relatives who distrust and mistreat him. Also, Jon’s father, Ned Stark, actually loves and protected Jon whereas Theon’s father, Baelon Greyjoy, doesn't really seem to have much, if any, affection for Theon.

* Bran and Tommen, who are both sons of a MamaBear and far more gentle then their aggressive older brothers. However, Bran is determined, brave, proactive and [[spoiler:has magic powers]] Tommen can't be described as any of those. Also, [[spoiler: Bran survives a fall from a tower; Tommen doesn't]].

** To Tyrion Lannister. Both are highly-intelligent and profligate second sons with a wide reputation for wit and depravity who are unable to marry their lovers. However, whereas Tyrion is despised by his family and by society in general and forced into a political marriage against his will, Oberyn is accepted by his family and loved by the people of Dorne and enjoys an open relationship with his lifelong paramour, Ellaria Sand, with whom he has several children.

* Lancel Lannister to Loras Tyrell. They're both PrettyBoy knights who once squired for a Baratheon and are in an illicit relationship with a monarch, but whereas Loras is the emotionally dominant partner to Renly Baratheon, Lancel is almost a total doormat in his dalliance with Cersei Lannister. When it comes to battle, Loras co-leads the glorious winning charge to honor his lover's memory while Lancel is last seen having his grievous wound punched by his lover for suggesting escorting Joffrey back to the battle. Ironically, both Lancel and Loras [[spoiler:died at the same time]] in the same event orchestrated by none other than Cersei Lannister. Where Renly would never harm a hair on Loras's head and Loras stays loyal to Renly even after Renly's [[spoiler:death]], Cersei abuses Lancel and afterward, he ends up turning against her, testifying against Cersei with Sparrow's cult, and Cersei not only has Lancel, Loras, and Margaery [[spoiler:killed in an explosion]] in the sept, but she ensures Lancel suffers by having him [[spoiler:stabbed repeatedly prior to death]].

* Joffrey and Tommen, possibly the most different siblings in the Series. Joffrey is cruel, vindictive, petty, idiotic and hates his mother. Although Tommen didn't fare much better at ruling and was less proactive than Joffrey, he's much kinder and is a MamasBoy and is a huge ActualPacifist. Joffrey while betrothed to Sansa once said "Let them have her" to Tyrion during the Riot and [[spoiler: when Tommens wife is killed He commits suicide]] Joffrey wouldn't have cared less

* Theon Greyjoy to Jon Snow. As a bastard son and a hostage respectively, Jon wants to be a legal Stark and Theon just wants to ''be'' a Stark, both suffer from WellDoneSonGuy and are DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife. The difference appears when Jon finds a new conduit for his honor and ambition in the Night's Watch while Theon betrays his adopted family to seek the approval of blood relatives who distrust and mistreat him. Also, Jon’s father, Ned Stark, actually loves and protected Jon whereas Theon’s father, Baelon Greyjoy, doesn't really seem to have much, if any, affection for Theon.

* Lancel Lannister to Loras Tyrell. They're both PrettyBoy knights who once squired for a Baratheon and are in an illicit relationship with a monarch, but whereas Loras is the emotionally dominant partner to Renly, Lancel is almost a total doormat in his dalliance with Cersei. When it comes to battle, Loras co-leads the glorious winning charge to honor his lover's memory while Lancel is last seen having his grievous wound punched by his lover for suggesting escorting Joffrey back to the battle. Ironically they both died at the same time in the same event orchestrated by none other than Cersei. So while Renly would never harm a hair on Loras's head, and Loras stayed loyal to him even after his death, meanwhile not only did Cersei abuse Lancel, he turned against her and testified against her with the Sparrow's cult, but she went out of her way to not only kill him, but make sure he suffered as well before he died by having him be stabbed repeatedly prior to being blown up along with Loras and Margaery and the sparrow.
* Roose Bolton to Eddard Stark. Both are northern lords with bastard sons, but very different personalities. Ned is an honorable, honest, kind, and content man whereas Roose is treacherous, deceitful, cruel, opportunistic, dishonorable and hypocritical. Roose tells his illegitimate son Ramsay, "''My'' banners, not yours. You're not a Bolton; you're a Snow," whereas Ned tells his illegitimate son Jon, "You are a Stark. You may not have my name, but you have my blood." Ned loves Jon as one of his sons, acknowledges him, and raises him alongside his true born siblings whereas Roose treats Ramsay poorly and only acknowledges Ramsay when he has no other choice. Ironically, in the end, Roose [[spoiler: legitimizes his bastard son, gives him the family name and makes him his heir]], something Ned never did. At the same time, according to GRRM, Roose only did this because he had no other choice and states: "Ramsay gets nothing from Roose."

* Bran and Tommen, who are both sons of a MamaBear and far more gentle then their aggressive older brothers. However, Bran is determined, brave, proactive and [[spoiler:has magic powers]] Tommen cant be described as any of those. Also, [[spoiler: Bran survives a fall from a tower; Tommen doesn't]].

* Roose Bolton to Eddard Stark. Both are northern lords with bastard sons, but very different personalities. Ned is an honorable, honest, kind, and content man whereas Roose is treacherous, deceitful, cruel, opportunistic, dishonorable, cruel and hypocritical. Roose tells his illegitimate son Ramsay, "''My'' banners, not yours. You're not a Bolton; you're a Snow," whereas Ned tells his illegitimate son Jon, "You are a Stark. You may not have my name, but you have my blood." Ned loves Jon as one of his sons, acknowledges him, and raises him alongside his true born siblings whereas Roose treats Ramsay poorly and only acknowledges Ramsay when he has no other choice. Ironically, in the end, Roose [[spoiler: legitimizes his bastard son, gives him the family name and makes him his heir]], something Ned never did. At the same time, according to GRRM, Roose only did this because he had no other choice and states: "Ramsay gets nothing from Roose."

* Roose Bolton to Eddard Stark. Both are northern lords with bastard sons, but very different personalities. Ned is an honorable, honest, kind, and content man whereas Roose is treacherous, deceitful, cruel, and opportunistic. Roose tells Ramsay, "''My'' banners, not yours. You're not a Bolton; you're a Snow," whereas Ned tells Jon, "You are a Stark. You may not have my name, but you have my blood." Ned loves Jon as one of his sons, acknowledges him, and raises him alongside his true born siblings whereas Roose treats Ramsay poorly and only acknowledges Ramsay when he has no other choice. Ironically, in the end, Roose [[spoiler: legitimizes his bastard]], something Ned never did.

** To Roose Bolton. Both are stoic, Magnificent Bastard characters with posh accents as well as deconstructions of the EvilOverlord trope. Whilst Tywin is all about sending a message to people who cross him, Roose is all about trying to keep his own sadistic impulses in check. They also have sociopathic descendants, a son and grandson respectively who practice StupidEvil.

** House Stark represents the best qualities of the North: honor, cooperation, loyalty and humility. House Bolton represents the absolute worst: cold, unfeeling, savagery, cruelty, and betrayal.

** To Sansa Stark. An aspiring KnightInShiningArmour and Princess Classic with romantic ideals of living HappilyEverAfter with their PrinceCharming, both learn the hard way that life isn't a fairy tale when their dreams turn into nightmares. By Season 3, they are both reduced to miserable political pawns and end up betrothed to someone they don't want to marry but maintain something of a StepfordSmiler persona. The major distinction is that Loras still has the support of his powerful family, which Sansa, as a prisoner, completely lacks. Then in later seasons their roles are reversed: Loras is taken prisoner by the Crow and Sansa is somewhat liberated, at least from King's Landing. Then again when Sansa wound up with the Boltons and Loras is to devote himself to the Crow's faith, sparing himself, as Cersei is to undergo trial. Then reversed yet again when Sansa reunites with her brother Jon and takes Winterfell and they beat the Boltons while Loras and his sister along with the Sparrow are killed by Cersei.

* Lancel Lannister to Loras Tyrell. They're both PrettyBoy knights who once squired for a Baratheon and are in an illicit relationship with a monarch, but whereas Loras is the emotionally dominant partner to Renly, Lancel is almost a total doormat in his dalliance with Cersei. When it comes to battle, Loras co-leads the glorious winning charge to honor his lover's memory while Lancel is last seen having his grievous wound punched by his lover for suggesting escorting Joffrey back to the battle.

** To Sansa Stark. An aspiring KnightInShiningArmour and Princess Classic with romantic ideals of living HappilyEverAfter with their PrinceCharming, both learn the hard way that life isn't a fairy tale when their dreams turn into nightmares. By Season 3, they are both reduced to miserable political pawns and end up betrothed to someone they don't want to marry but maintain something of a StepfordSmiler persona. The major distinction is that Loras still has the support of his powerful family, which Sansa, as a prisoner, completely lacks.

Similar to [[Foil/ASongOfIceAndFire its book counterpart]], a wonderful result of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters in the show is the extraordinary amount of [[{{Foil}} this trope]]:

** To [[KnightErrant Brienne of Tarth]]. Both are non-knight [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]] who come to serve on the traditionally knights-only Kingsguard. However, Brienne seeks to uphold the lofty notion of chivalry despite being denied knighthood because of her gender whereas Sandor is a BloodKnight who disdains knightly chivalry as an absurd construct and actively refuses knighthood. Brienne also remains [[UndyingLoyalty Undyingly Loyal]] to her king while Sandor deserts his king during battle, and Brienne is motivated to uphold her vow to protect the Stark girls whereas Sandor is motivated to keep Arya close so that he can sell her for money.

** To Arya Stark, her younger sister. In the novels, George R. R. Martin designed Sansa to be Arya's foil. This is present in the adaptation as well. They are both Starks of Winterfell but Sansa is a PrincessClassic who loves traditional feminine arts and her parents have great hopes for her and expect her to excel at court, while Arya is a RebelliousPrincess who wants to fight and ride with the boys, and Ned & Catelyn worry about her behaviour. However, Sansa is a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter at court, believes Joffrey and Cersei are kindly nobles, is manipulated by them and ends up their prisoner; meanwhile Arya is GenreSavvy, quickly recognizes the Lannister's are sociopaths and manages to escape Kings Landing. They both spend a great deal of time with Sandor "The Hound" Clegane who takes them both captive at one time or another and ends up showing them his softer side. But it's also part of their development and their very different BreakTheCutie arc. Sansa spends the War of the Five Kings in the royal court, is used as a pawn for her status, learns how to manipulate and play the games of high borns, becomes ensnared in the politics of King's Landing, is dependent on her wits to survive and sees firsthand the ruthlessness and backstabbing of a DeadlyDecadentCourt; Arya experiences the war disguised as a commoner, suffers with the small folk, hones her physical skills and falls under the view and guidance of characters of varying moral fibre. Arya slowly becomes a methodical ChildSoldier who falls in with an amoral killing cult that believes in death for everyone while Sansa has become NumberTwo to Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, using her father's honorable reputation to defend a murderer from facing the consequences of his actions and becoming a willing accomplice. In both cases, the sisters are forced to discard their whole identities in order to pursue vengeance and survival.

** To Littlefinger. Both are ostentatious NonActionGuy politicians who excel at SnarkToSnarkCombat, but Renly grew up SpoiledSweet as a privileged high lord while Littlefinger only rose from a very minor noble by being a ruthless SelfMadeMan. Renly's [[TheCharmer charm]] and NiceToTheWaiter qualities sharply contrast Littlefinger's TheSociopath and BadBoss traits, Renly loathes the Lannisters and seeks to oust them while Littlefinger supports them, and Littlefinger is an UnluckyChildhoodFriend infatuated with Catelyn while Renly's love for Loras is reciprocated.

** To Arya Stark, her younger sister. Sansa is a PrincessClassic who loves traditional feminine arts, her parents have great hopes for her and expect her to excel at court, while Arya is a RebelliousPrincess who wants to fight and ride with the boys, and Ned & Catelyn worry about her behaviour. However, Sansa is a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter at court, believes Joffrey and Cersei are kindly nobles, is manipulated by them and ends up their prisoner; meanwhile Arya is GenreSavvy, quickly recognizes the Lannister's are sociopaths and manages to escape Kings Landing. Sansa spends the War of the Five Kings in the royal court, is used as a pawn for her status, learns how to manipulate and play the games of high borns, and is dependent on her wits to survive; Arya experiences the war disguised as a commoner, suffers with the small folk and hones her physical skills.

** [[TechnicianVersusPerformer Tywin Lannister to Robb Stark]]. Tywin is a proud, aged grand strategist, though nothing is said of his tactical abilities with decades of experience in war and administration, who treats everyone (including his family) like chess pieces and acts like arrogant royalty. Robb is a young, ModestRoyalty tactician, though less is known of his strategy with little experience, who treats everyone (including his family and men) with honor, love and respect and acts like ModestRoyalty.

** [[TechnicianVersusPerformer Tywin Lannister to Robb Stark]]. Tywin is a proud, aged grand strategist, though nothing is said of his tactical abilities with decades of experience in war and administration, an older man who treats everyone (including his family) like chess pieces and acts like arrogant royalty. Robb is a young, ModestRoyalty tactician, though less is known of his strategy with little experience, a younger man who treats everyone (including his family and men) with honor, love and respect and acts like ModestRoyalty.

** [[TechnicianVersusPerformer Tywin Lannister to Robb Stark]]. Tywin is a proud, aged grand strategist with decades of experience in war and administration who treats everyone (including his family) like chess pieces. Robb is a young, ModestRoyalty tactician with little experience who treats everyone (including his men) with honor and respect.

* Sansa and Arya have TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry going on until courtly Sansa becomes involved in the DeadlyDecadentCourt of King's Landing while tomboyish Arya travels the war-torn riverlands amid the common people, resulting in similar BreakTheCutie arcs. Arya slowly becomes a cold and methodical ChildSoldier while Sansa maintains an innocent persona while becoming an accomplice to one of Westeros' foremost [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bastards]].

** To Margaery Tyrell. Both have an ArrangedMarriage with Joffrey, but Sansa as an HonourBeforeReason Stark from the sheltered North, truly believes he's PrinceCharming, is utterly unprepared to negotiate the dangers of court, loses her family and ends up a prisoner to the Lannisters and abused by Joffrey. Margaery - a savvy and cunning Tyrell - is purely motivated by her ambition to become Queen, is aware of what a sociopath Joffrey is and learns to manipulate him, and is supported by her powerful family.

** To Gendry. Both are the children of adultery on the part of the royal couple of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister, but Robert's son Gendry is unacknowledged, poor, hardworking, brave, kind, and clever whereas Cersei's son Joffrey is his polar opposite: presumed legitimate, spoiled, idle, cowardly, cruel, and idiotic.

* Ros to Sansa. Both are redhaired Northern girls who are eager to leave for King's Landing, believing it will accompany an increase in status (Sansa wishing to be a PrincessClassic, Ros a HighClassCallGirl). Both go through a process of BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor and BreakTheCutie, and become targets of Joffrey's sadism. Both also fall under the tutelage of Littlefinger. The difference is their different social status: Ros is a common prostitute, whereas Sansa is a highborn lady. Littlefinger in particular views Sansa as the reincarnation of Catelyn Tully, [[PeerlessLoveInterest the woman too highborn for him to ever be with]], and so he remains fixated on her and eventually [[spoiler:helps her escape Joffrey's cruelty]]. Ros, conversely, he views as completely disposable and when she fails him he thinks nothing of [[spoiler:selling her to Joffrey to be brutally murdered.]]

A wonderful result of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters is the extraordinary amount of this trope.
** Daenerys Targaryen:
*** To Sansa Stark. Both are young maidens who enter an ArrangedMarriage pact, but Daenerys is married almost immediately to a brutal barbarian who turns out to have a sensitive side and frees her from her abusive brother whereas Sansa endures a long betrothal to a handsome prince who turns out to be a total sadistic [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who separates her from her loving family. Daenerys' childhood as a NobleFugitive has also left her far less naive than Sansa.
*** To Robert Baratheon. Both are excellent at galvanizing support, can be ruthless to their enemies, seize power by right of conquest, and struggle with the realities of establishing a new order of things. Both show visible unhappiness at the realization that conquest is far easier than postwar administration and reconstruction, but Daenerys shows a commitment to learning how to rule that Robert never showed.
*** To Joffrey Baratheon. Both are products of BrotherSisterIncest from a [[TheBeautifulElite powerful house hailed for their good looks]] with a certain sense of entitlement and a vindictive streak for those who cross them. However, whereas Joffrey grew up a sadistic RoyalBrat, Daenerys grew up a NobleFugitive who understands the plight of the lower classes and the value of kindness.
** Cersei Lannister:
*** To Daenerys Targaryen. Both are queens who buck at traditional gender roles and can be merciless to people who threaten them or their children, but whereas Cersei antagonizes her subjects and subordinates with disdain, Daenerys constantly gets [[ChronicHeroSyndrome distracted by her empathy for them]] and sidetracked by her need to save every individual.
*** To Catelyn Stark. Both are beautiful women who entered an ArrangedMarriage to cement a dynastic alliance, but while Catelyn [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage grew to love her husband]] and was content with her station, Cersei [[AwfulWeddedLife grew to despise her husband]] and constantly yearned for more power. Both are also [[MamaBear Mama Bears]] who have difficulty controlling their newly-crowned sons after losing their husbands.
** Joffrey Baratheon
*** To Robb Stark. Both are young men who come to power in the wake of [[spoiler: their father's death]], one by the acclaim of his bannermen, the other in a powerplay at a DeadlyDecadentCourt. Both pursue relationships with women against the advice of their mothers which ultimately leads to [[spoiler: their sudden demise at a wedding]]. Despite his youth, Robb is AFatherToHisMen who [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething leads from the front]] while Joffrey is TheCaligula and a DirtyCoward.
*** To Stannis Baratheon. These two become very direct foils in the Battle of the Blackwater when Stannis personally leads the assault, proving that despite his flaws he truly believes in his cause and is willing to put himself him in tremendous danger for it. Meanwhile, Joffrey [[MilesGloriosus brags endlessly before the battle]] but proves a DirtyCoward who panics at any setback and prevails only because others do all the work.
*** To Gendry. Both are the children of adultery on the part of the royal couple of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister, but Robert's son Gendry is unacknowledged, poor, hardworking, brave, kind, and clever whereas Cersei's son Joffrey is his polar opposite: presumed legitimate, spoiled, idle, cowardly, cruel, and idiotic.
** Renly Baratheon
*** To Ned Stark. Renly is an flashy-but-astute NonActionGuy politician who can navigate a DeadlyDecadentCourt while Ned is a modest, stoic warrior who is ill-suited for intrigues. Ned and Catelyn have an openly PerfectlyArrangedMarriage whereas Renly and Loras must maintain a SecretRelationship because homosexuality is a taboo.
*** To Stannis. The two brothers are night and day to each other. Where Renly is a young, charismatic, good looking guy who is seems to be well-liked and respected by everyone and in turn is easily able to round up a army-Stannis is a older, dull, average looking man who despite his military skills and rightful claim to the throne, struggles to rally a army and just does not really seem to be really respected by anyone.
*** To Littlefinger. Both are ostentatious NonActionGuy politicians who excel at SnarkToSnarkCombat, but Renly grew up SpoiledSweet as a privileged high lord while Littlefinger only rose from a very minor noble by being a ruthless SelfMadeMan. Renly's [[TheCharmer charm]] and NiceToTheWaiter qualities sharply contrast Littlefinger's TheSociopath and BadBoss traits, Renly loathes the Lannisters and seeks to oust them while Littlefinger supports them, and Littlefinger is an UnluckyChildhoodFriend infatuated with Catelyn while Renly's love for Loras is reciprocated.
*** To Robb Stark. Both are young, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure sensible]], [[NiceGuy nice guys]] who aspire to be TheGoodKing, but where Robb is ModestRoyalty warrior who excels on the battlefield, Renly is an [[ErmineCapeEffect ostentatious]] courtier whose strength is his political acumen. This is most clear when Renly marries precisely the right woman for an alliance whereas Robb throws away an alliance to marry his lover.
*** To Joffrey Baratheon. Both are introduced into Season 2 presiding over a tournament. Joffrey is pleased when his non-knight Kingsguard, Sandor Clegane, kills a fellow competitor whereas Renly's tourney features no death and culminates in the elevation of a female non-knight to his Kingsguard. Renly is also courteous to his wife Margaery and Catelyn's embassy whereas Joffrey is abusive to his fiancée Sansa and his new councilor Tyrion.
*** To Margaery. Both believe that MachiavelliWasWrong is the best approach to ruling and mirror each other in their personas as TheGoodKing and TheHighQueen and their AFatherToHisMen and FriendToAllChildren behaviour, which earns them a HundredPercentAdorationRating. Their charm, wit, and ostentatious fashion-sense also makes them both well-suited for the DeadlyDecadentCourt. They are also unperturbed by each other's homosexuality and lack of virginity respectively and share a deep love for Loras Tyrell (in different ways, of course). However, Renly is a BlackSheep who receives no emotional support from his family while Margaery is her grandmother's favourite and part of a loving family.
** Tywin Lannister
*** Tywin Lannister to Tyrion Lannister. Both are intelligent and cunning strategists in both war and intrigue who serve very competently as Hand to a mentally-unstable king. [[spoiler: They also both have no problem hiring prostitutes, but where Tyrion is open about it, Tywin keeps it a very strict secret]]. Tyrion simply has far more morals and less interest in preserving the family name.
*** [[TechnicianVersusPerformer Tywin Lannister to Robb Stark]]. Tywin is a proud, aged grand strategist with decades of experience in war and administration who treats everyone (including his family) like chess pieces. Robb is a young, ModestRoyalty tactician with little experience who treats everyone (including his men) with honor and respect.
** Sandor Clegane
*** To [[KnightErrant Brienne of Tarth]]. Both are non-knight [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]] who come to serve on the traditionally knights-only Kingsguard. However, Brienne seeks to uphold the lofty notion of chivalry despite being denied knighthood because of her gender whereas Sandor is a BloodKnight who disdains knightly chivalry as an absurd construct and actively refuses knighthood. Brienne also remains [[UndyingLoyalty Undyingly Loyal]] to her king while Sandor deserts his king during battle, and Brienne is motivated to uphold her vow to protect the Stark girls whereas Sandor is motivated to keep Arya close so that he can sell her for money.
*** To Bronn. Bronn is an AffablyEvil sellsword who hides his brutal instincts behind jokes and smiles. Sandor cannot hide that he is a brutal BloodKnight and hates that knights and sellswords like Bronn can pretend to be what they're not.
** Margaery Tyrell
*** To Cersei Lannister. Margaery carefully projects an image of TheHighQueen to earn the [[HundredPercentAdorationRating adoration of the smallfolk]] while Cersei [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen doesn't give a damn about them]] and, not surprisingly, [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating the feeling is mutual]]. Margaery is comfortable with her femininity and doesn't see it as a hindrance in her pursuit of power. Cersei resents her gender because she believes it gives her an unfair disadvantage and envies the power that men wield. Margaery has Joffrey wrapped around her finger, whereas Cersei completely loses control of her son after he becomes king.
*** To Sansa Stark. Both girls entered in to betrothals to Joffrey Baratheon. The younger and more naive Sansa threw herself into the relationship, believing it would be a storybook love affair only to discover that Joffrey was a cruel psychopath. By contrast, the older, more cynical Margaery proceeded cautiously and pragmatically, scoping out her future husband, considering the best way to appeal to him, and carefully learning to manipulate him instead of becoming his victim.
** Loras Tyrell
*** To Jaime Lannister. Handsome, overconfident, and highly-skilled knights who have a queen for a sister, become Lord Commander of a Kingsguard, and conceal a socially unacceptable romance with royalty. However, Loras is a KnightInShiningArmor widely admired by the smallfolk while Jaime is a BloodKnight reviled as TheOathbreaker. Loras and Margaery make a BrotherSisterTeam whereas Jaime and Cersei engage in BrotherSisterIncest. Loras is recognized as a savior for breaking Stannis' siege of King's Landing while Jaime is despised for betraying his king to save the city from the Mad King's wildfire. As of Season 4, Loras is considered a young rising star whereas Jaime is considered an over-the-hill, middle-aged cripple.
*** To Brienne of Tarth. Both are KnightsInShiningArmor introduced winning a tourney with the aid of CombatPragmatism. They are both heirs to their Houses but love Renly enough to dedicate their lives to serving as his Kingsguard and become vengeful [[KnightInSourArmor Knights In Sour Armor]] after his death. Loras' PrettyBoy appearance and ostentatious wardrobe also mirrors Brienne's in-universe LadyLooksLikeADude looks and utilitarian attire, but Loras' prowess is generally respected by everyone despite his MusclesAreMeaningless appearance and he receives very little direct abuse for his homosexuality whereas Brienne's prowess generally goes unrecognized despite her size and she endures lots of abuse for her masculinity. Ironically, Loras becomes an increasingly powerless pawn after Season 2 while Brienne becomes essentially a KnightErrant who can lend her sword to any cause she deems worthy.
*** To Sansa Stark. An aspiring KnightInShiningArmour and Princess Classic with romantic ideals of living HappilyEverAfter with their PrinceCharming, both learn the hard way that life isn't a fairy tale when their dreams turn into nightmares. By Season 3, they are both reduced to miserable political pawns and end up betrothed to someone they don't want to marry but maintain something of a StepfordSmiler persona. The major distinction is that Loras still has the support of his powerful family, which Sansa, as a prisoner, completely lacks.
** Melisandre
*** To Davos Seaworth. Both are extremely loyal to Stannis and want him to become king, Melisandre out of religious fanaticism and Davos out of mundane gratitude. As his advisors they frequently play GoodAngelBadAngel and even dress the part with Melisandre in red and Davos in grey. Melisandre is a sorceress who believes there is [[BlackAndWhiteMorality only good and evil]] while Davos is a ordinary man who sees in [[GreyAndGreyMorality shades of grey]].
*** To Thoros of Myr. Both are foreign priests of the Lord of Light, but Thoros was never very devout whereas Melisandre's faith is unwavering. Both can perform magic, but Melisandre uses hers to bring death while Thoros uses his to restore life. Both claim to be serving the greater good in the name of the king by preventing an apocalypse or protecting the smallfolk, but are not averse to sacrificing a few innocents along the way.
** Olenna Tyrell
*** To Tywin Lannister. Both hold the opposite gender in some disregard, with Olenna dismissing her son as an oaf and her grandson as only good at knocking men off horses and Tywin dismissing his daughter as not as smart as she thinks. They also ride roughshod over their children, saying things like "Not now, Mace, Lord Tywin and I are speaking," and "You're my daughter; you will do as I command," and focus their attentions on their grandchildren, with Olenna taking a great interest in making Margaery a queen and Tywin discussing kingship with his grandsons. Both arrange political marriages between their dynasties without consulting the parties involved and resort to [[spoiler: violating sacred hospitality at a wedding]] for the good of their family and are perfectly willing to let others take the fall, whether they be co-conspirators or innocent bystanders.
*** To Walder Frey. Both are the ScrewPolitenessImASenior leader of a SocialClimber House who place a pedigree on reputation while simultaneously denigrating their own progeny. They even share some [[DirtyOldMan Dirty Old Senior]] attitudes and [[spoiler: violate sacred hospitality to betray and murder an "allied" king at a wedding]] to advance their family's interests, but Olenna does all these things with a grandmotherly smile while Walder does so with a contemptuous sneer.
** Grand Maester Pycelle
*** To Varys and Littlefinger. All three characters lie and scheme to survive in their positions in the DeadlyDecadentCourt, putting on false personas to deflect suspicion, but while Varys and Littlefinger have higher ambitions, Pycelle in content to fly under the radar and live out his life in the comfort afforded by his office.
*** To Qyburn. Both are healers trained as maesters who serve the Iron Throne, take their orders from Cersei, and are known for inappropriate behaviour. However, Pycelle is ''far'' less ambitious than Qyburn, making him both less dedicated to his craft and more ethical since he is not a MadScientist who [[PlayingWithSyringes plays with syringes]].
*** To Maester Aemon. Where Pycelle is corrupt, depraved, and despised by his masters, Aemon is thoroughly dedicated to his vows, offers genuine advice, and beloved and respected by the people he serves.
** Ramsay Snow
*** To Joffrey. Both are sadistic [[BastardBastard Bastard Bastards]] whose favourite pastime is ColdBloodedTorture. However, where Joffrey is a DirtyCoward, Ramsay shows impressive combat skills; where Joffrey believes he is legitimate and entitled to power, Ramsay's bastard background drives him to achieve; and where Joffrey is a StupidEvil SmugSnake, Ramsay at least shows a talent for short-term schemes (his siege of Winterfell and his torturous games) if not for long-term plots.
*** To Jon Snow. Both are highborn bastard sons of powerful northern lords who share the surname Snow, the last name given to illegitimate children with noble blood. However, Jon was raised in a loving household, loved by his father and siblings, while Ramsay is treated poorly by his father, who regards him with contempt. Jon loves his father and siblings while Ramsay [[spoiler:killed his father, father’s wife, and half-brother to become the only heir]]. [[HeroicBastard Jon is honorable, heroic and strives to do the right thing]] while [[BastardBastard Ramsay is pretty much the direct opposite of that.]]
** Oberyn Martell
*** To Tyrion Lannister. Both are highly-intelligent and profligate second sons with a wide reputation for wit and depravity who are unable to marry their lovers. However, whereas Tyrion is despised by his family and by society in general and forced into a political marriage against his will, Oberyn is accepted by his family and loved by the people of Dorne and enjoys an open relationship with his lifelong paramour, Ellaria Sand, with whom he has several children.
*** To Loras Tyrell. Both are formidable, non-heterosexual warriors who dress more flamboyantly than the norm and maintain a romance with someone they can never marry. They also share a deep love for their older sister who married into royalty and despise the Lannisters for the death of a loved one but are nevertheless allied to them through political marriage. However, Oberyn is more passionate and is quite open about his sexuality and TranquilFury whereas Loras is restrained and decorous which creates a lot of SuppressedRage.
*** To Ned Stark. Strong warriors and family men from a culturally and climatically isolated region who disapprove of mainstream Westeros, especially the Lannisters, who come to King's Landing to investigate the death of a loved one and accept an invitation to serve on the king's small council.
** Eddard Stark to Tyrion Lannister. As Hand of the King, Ned suffers the consequences of HonorBeforeReason and a refusal to compromise. His successor Tyrion is not corrupt by any means, but does accept the demands of {{Realpolitik}} far better and is able to curtail the excesses of his king and the machinations of Cersei better than Ned. Nevertheless, Tyrion eventually ends up [[spoiler: imprisoned and facing banishment to the Night's Watch as a scapegoat]] much like Ned.
** Sansa and Arya have TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry going on until courtly Sansa becomes involved in the DeadlyDecadentCourt of King's Landing while tomboyish Arya travels the war-torn riverlands amid the common people, resulting in similar BreakTheCutie arcs. Arya slowly becomes a cold and methodical ChildSoldier while Sansa maintains an innocent persona while becoming an accomplice to one of Westeros' foremost [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bastards]].
** [[OrderVersusChaos Varys and Littlefinger]]. Both are [[SelfMadeMan self-made]] [[TheChessmaster Chessmasters]] from humble foreign beginnings with a DarkAndTroubledPast who have worked their way up to the small council without the support of a faction. The key contrast is that Varys claims to fight for [[LawfulNeutral stability]] and TheNeedsOfTheMany whereas Littlefinger strives to create [[ChaoticEvil chaos]] to further his [[ItsAllAboutMe personal]] quest for power. An additional contrast is Littlefinger's occupation as a perverse provider of sex while Varys is an asexual eunuch.
** Theon Greyjoy to Jon Snow. As a bastard son and a hostage respectively, Jon wants to be a legal Stark and Theon just wants to ''be'' a Stark, both suffer from WellDoneSonGuy and are DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife. The difference appears when Jon finds a new conduit for his honor and ambition in the Night's Watch while Theon betrays his adopted family to seek the approval of blood relatives who distrust and mistreat him. Also, Jon’s father, Ned Stark, actually loves and protected Jon whereas Theon’s father, Baelon Greyjoy, doesn't really seem to have much, if any, affection for Theon.
** Stannis to Tyrion. Both are the outcast, maligned, and underestimated second son whose elder brother left them OvershadowedByAwesome and face interference and betrayal by an ambitious sibling who refuses to acknowledge their rights, accomplishments, and sacrifices.
** Lancel Lannister to Loras Tyrell. They're both PrettyBoy knights who once squired for a Baratheon and are in an illicit relationship with a monarch, but whereas Loras is the emotionally dominant partner to Renly, Lancel is almost a total doormat in his dalliance with Cersei. When it comes to battle, Loras co-leads the glorious winning charge to honor his lover's memory while Lancel is last seen having his grievous wound punched by his lover for suggesting escorting Joffrey back to the battle.
** Roose Bolton to Eddard Stark. Both are northern lords with bastard sons, but very different personalities. Ned is an honorable, honest, kind, and content man whereas Roose is treacherous, deceitful, cruel, and opportunistic. Roose tells Ramsay, "''My'' banners, not yours. You're not a Bolton; you're a Snow," whereas Ned tells Jon, "You are a Stark. You may not have my name, but you have my blood." Ned loves Jon as one of his sons, acknowledges him, and raises him alongside his true born siblings whereas Roose treats Ramsay poorly and only acknowledges Ramsay when he has no other choice. Ironically, in the end, Roose [[spoiler: legitimizes his bastard]], something Ned never did.
** Lady Lyanna Mormont to Joffrey and Tommen Baratheon. She is a wise, fearless, and judicious child ruler, whereas neither Baratheon brothers were half the leader she is, despite being nearly double her age.
** Joffrey and Tommen, possibly the most different siblings in the Series. Joffrey is cruel, vindictive, petty, idiotic, and hates his mother. Although Tommen didn't fare much better at ruling and was less proactive than Joffrey, he's much kinder and is a MamasBoy and is a Huge ActualPacifist. Joffrey while betrothed to Sansa once said "Let them have her" to Tyrion during the Riot and [[spoiler: when Tommens wife is killed He commits suicide]] Joffrey wouldn't have cared less
** Bran and Tommen, who are both sons of a MamaBear and far more gentle then their aggressive older brothers. However, Bran is determined, brave, proactive and [[spoiler:has magic powers]] Tommen cant be described as any of those. Also, [[spoiler: Bran survives a fall from a tower; Tommen doesn't]].
** Ros, to Sansa. Both are redhaired Northern girls who are eager to leave for King's Landing, believing it will accompany an increase in status (Sansa wishing to be a PrincessClassic, Ros a HighClassCallGirl). Both go through a process of BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor and BreakTheCutie, and become targets of Joffrey's sadism. Both also fall under the tutelage of Littlefinger. The difference is their different social status: Ros is a common prostitute, whereas Sansa is a highborn lady. Littlefinger in particular views Sansa as the reincarnation of Catelyn Tully, [[PeerlessLoveInterest the woman too highborn for him to ever be with]], and so he remains fixated on her and eventually [[spoiler:helps her escape Joffrey's cruelty]]. Ros, conversely, he views as completely disposable and when she fails him he thinks nothing of [[spoiler:selling her to Joffrey to be brutally murdered.]]