History Characters / ASongOfIceAndFireCerseiLannister

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: We discover the apple didn't fall far from the tree when it comes to Joffrey and Cersei. Aside from her early blooming {{Twincest}} tendency, Cersei's other wacky childhood antics include [[spoiler:commonly threatening servants and smallfolk with death, threatening to have an old woman whose home she broke into whipped for disobeying her before splashing a strange potion into her eyes, twisting her frail baby brother Tyrion's penis while he is in a crib right in front of her brother and two other children, and quite likely throwing her friend Melara Hetherspoon down a well]]. She looks back on several these times fondly, proud of how "bold" she was.

* UsedToBeASweetKid: According to Kevan, in her youth she was bright, cheerful, and optimistic, before her AwfulWeddedLife to Robert and [[DysfunctionJunction life as a Lannister]] embittered her. Tyrion, of course, remembers her as just as cruel in her childhood as she is now.

* AmbiguousDisorder: She shows a lot of signs of borderline, paranoid and narcissistic personality disorders, seeing people as either completely good and on her side or completely bad and against her, only really managing to care about people who she sees as extensions of herself, thinking that acts of either planned or spontaneous bullying, murder, and war are "bold" decisions and make for good politics, etc. This combo of behaviours makes her a ''terrible'' ruler.

* BeautyIsBad: She's drop-dead gorgeous and one of the most vile, despicable characters in the entire saga.

* BigBadWannabe: True to her ignorance, she thinks being Queen Regent makes her the most dangerous and cunning person in the realm, while the ''actual'' big plotters and schemers of the series regard her variably as a pawn or a distraction.

* BookDumb: Played with. She has had perhaps one of the best educations a lady of a Great House could get -- on paper. In practice, her mother died too soon to give her a more in-depth one into being an ''effective'' political animal as a woman. Besides which, Cersei wants to wield the power of ''a lord and king''. Which is altogether another role entirely. She doesn't seem to have tried to educate herself out of her gaps.

** Cersei initially thinks that Kevan is mad at her for throwing wine at his face back when she denied him the regency; he's actually mad because she slept with ''and misused'' his son Lancel. Oops!

* EpicFail: The ultimate result of her sole rule, culminating in [[spoiler: her arrest by the very Faith she had given power to in order to get rid of a perceived rival. Every plan she has made unravels and crashes down upon her at this point; the fail is so complete she managed to rack up not only regicide in the accusations against her, but also ''[[BeyondTheImpossible deicide]]''. ]]

* GenreBlind: Part of what makes her such an incompetent ruler. Her chain of thought regarding politics runs somewhat akin to: "anyone who is not my loyal, fawning servant = an enemy, even if they're a key ally we need to keep power." She also has an ''incredible'' talent for antagonizing people she needs, such as her uncle Kevan, the Tyrells and the Iron Bank of Braavos. [[spoiler:And by the end of ''A Feast For Crows'', even ''Jaime.'']] And when she tries to win the Faith of the Seven, she ends up unleashing another threat to the stability of the realm.

* GoodPrincessEvilQueen: She's a straight example of GodSaveUsFromTheQueen, and is contrasted with quite a few lovely younger ladies and princesses, including Sansa and Margaery.

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Can find no wrong in Joffrey, despite him clearly being a sadistic little monster. Finds Tommen disappointing, despite him being infinitely kinder and nobler than Joffrey. ''Really'' screws up when she chooses a new Master of Ships for the small council in ''A Feast For Crows'', selecting the young and handsome bastard Aurane Waters over a more experienced man, [[spoiler:only for him to betray her and steal the entire fleet of ships she'd commissioned (at kingdom-crippling cost) in order to set himself up as a pirate prince the moment she is taken prisoner by the Faith.]]

** After spending some time with Mace, [[OnlySaneMan Kevan]] starts understanding why Cersei despises the Tyrells so much. Of course, the "point" is noticing the other family's greediness for influence, not proceeding about it like a madwoman.

* MamaBear: Her love for her children is one of her few redeeming features. Alas, even ''that'' goes overboard. Cersei often recalls an incident when Robert struck his son over "some nonsense over a cat." The nonsense was that the cat was pregnant and Joffrey wanted to see the unborn kittens, so he ''slit the cat open'' to dig them out. She threatens to kill Robert, the '''king''', in his sleep if he ever touches Joffrey again. Her uncle Kevan even tells her point-blank that she made a complete hash of raising Joffrey.

* PoisonousFriend: With a "[[FalseFriend friend]]" like Cersei, who needs enemies? Even if she starts by genuinely liking you, she'll all too often find a reason to backstab you, let alone those around you, herself down the line. Or, will somehow mess your life up some other way either directly or indirectly thanks to other things she's done (or neglected to do). Even though, in her mind, she was trying to help or protect you... until ''you'' turned on ''her''. Obviously you did. She just can't do healthy relationships: see LadyMacbeth, MyBelovedSmother and ToxicFriendInfluence.

* ProphecyTwist: It's [[WildMassGuessing quite possible]] that she's misinterpreted the prophecy she was given: [[spoiler:both of her brothers are younger than her. At this point, either of them might find themselves in position to either kill her or abandon her to her fate--and in fact Jaime has already done so in ''Feast''. The "another, younger and more beautiful" may also be Daenerys Targaryen or Sansa Stark rather than Margaery Tyrell. Finally, the prophecy does not necessarily say her children will predecease her, though one clearly has (one possible interpretation could even be "they'll be golden-haired", rather than meaning an actual crown on their heads). Heck, the prophecy doesn't even say it'll be ''her'' younger ''brother''; the most usual translation of ''valonqar'' is given as "the younger brother", but with the general Valyrian cultural blindness towards gendered descriptions, could actually mean "younger sibling". Given the number of people she's already hurt, what are the odds that one of them has a significant younger brother or sister who might want revenge? (Hint: Daenerys, Sansa, Arya, Margaery, Loras, Bran, Nymeria and Tyene Sand, Euron Greyjoy and Aegon are all younger siblings with reason to want her dead.)]]

* RoyalBrat: We only get a few glimpses of Cersei as a child, from Prince Oberyn's recollections and her own, but they go a long way in confirming where [[TheCaligula Prince Joffrey]] got his ''charming'' way with people.

* SelectiveObliviousness: The main reason even her MamaBear tendencies don't do much to redeem her. She ''adores'' Joffrey beyond any reasonable measure, making excuses for even his most appalling atrocities and never admitting to him having any faults other than being "willful". She's also bizarrely disappointed with her far more admirable and gentle younger son Tommen, considering him "weak" and criticizing him for it but also punishing him for standing up to her.

* SmugSnake: The Cersei chapters of ''A Feast For Crows'' are so packed with her arrogance, smugness, paranoia, self-satisfaction, willfull blindness and most of all ''blatant stupidity'' that it's almost nauseating. She thinks she was born to rule, but while she's good at plotting, backstabbing and treachery, as a ruler she's ''incredibly'' incompetent. Even in the former three activities, she also eventually proves to be outmatched by individuals with a better grasp of long-term consequences.
* StepfordSnarker: Like all good little lions, Cersei can battle with words (to the point of being a downright shrew). But, in her case, they seem to come from her intense bitterness and dissatisfaction (not to mention her fear of the aforementioned prophecy) and comes across as both armor and as a weapon to get even with. It... has a tendency to bite her. Hard.
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Once she reaches unbridled power and authority, she keeps trying to backstab and play games of intrigue instead of governing; she thinks that this is what "governing" is and she ends up trying to gnaw ''way more'' than she can bite... this earns her a proverbial dislocation of the jaw.

* BeautyIsBad: She's drop-dead gorgeous and one of the most vicious characters in the books.

** She accuses Margaery of having affairs with men and even thinks that she might be sleeping with her brother. While Margaery may or may not be guilty of these things, Cersei ''definitely'' is.

* PoisonousFriend: If Cersei is on your side and rooting for your success ([[FalseFriend or just says she is]]), you ''really'' don't need an enemy on top of all your other problems. Even if she starts by genuinely liking you, she'll all too often find a reason to backstab you, let alone those around you, herself down the line. Or, will somehow mess your life up some other way either directly or indirectly thanks to other things she's done (or neglected to do). Even though, in her mind, she was trying to help or protect you... until ''you'' turned on ''her''. Obviously you did. She just can't do healthy relationships: see LadyMacbeth, MyBelovedSmother and ToxicFriendInfluence.

* NeverASelfMadeWoman: The fact that Cersei has no power that is truly her own is occasionally brought up during the series. Her wealth and authority as a Lannister comes from her father, her power as Queen Consort comes from her husband, and her power as Queen Regent comes from her sons and will be taken from her as soon as they reach adulthood. Littlefinger points this out:

* NeverASelfMadeWoman: The fact that Cersei has no power that is truly her own is occasionally brought up during the series. Her wealth and authority as a Lannister comes from her father, her power as Queen Consort comes from her husband, and her power as Queen Regent comes from her sons and will be taken from her as soon as they reach adulthood.

* HiddenDepths: It's subtle, but there a few implications that Cersei may not feel as secure and confident in herself as she seems to be on the surface and that she may have self worth problems.

** She can't understand why Robert wouldn't commit genocide against the Iron Born. is to kill her brother! And, this is after her open murders of Robert's bastards. (Optics and PR, what're they?)

** She also fails to see Jaime's growth towards a healthier attitude. (He's deliberately snubbing me because he's suddenly being too cowardly and stupid--[[spoiler: I blame the stump]]!)

** She can't understand why Robert wouldn't commit genocide against the Iron Born.
** She doesn't really grasp how or why a peasants' religious revolt built over decades of frustration (and, likely, careful management by several within the Faith) could be a direct threat to both the Iron Throne, the entire high nobility and, more importantly, herself. Until ''after'' she gets OutGambitted trying to use(!!!!) it for petty ends. And, even then, she ''still'' doesn't get just how many big underlying issues the existence of the movement points to: they're just religious fanatics!
** While she realises that Kevan is angry with her when he [[spoiler:visits her in the cells of the Faith]], she assumes it's because last time they met, she insulted him and threw wine in his face; and, say, not because ''she seduced, manipulated, made a murderer out of then callously discarded Kevan's son, Lancel, thereby leaving the young man a wreck of his former self'' -- all of which has recently come to light. To [[ItsAllAboutMe Cersei]], it's always the ''personal'' insult that matters the most (be either given or received), not the greater harm done to the social connections of the insulted.
** Not once does she pause to consider the possible fallout of placing a price on Tyrion's head without also placing strict quality control procedures and punishments in place to curb opportunistic murders of anybody short (or just young) enough to vaguely fit the description. After all, it's not like ''she's'' the one actively committing a crime wave that's murdering ''random kids'' as well as people with dwarfism! The important thing is to kill her brother! And, this is after her open murders of Robert's bastards. (Optics and PR, what're they?)

** Her paranoia against the Tyrells has been nicely ramped up... by her totally underestimating the feats that The Queen of Thorns is capable of. [[spoiler:Yes, Cersei... Olenna would be only capable of freeing your younger brother. And, not, for example, involved in ''much'' bigger and cleverer ones like ''the death of your son'', at all. Well done for getting suckered by Varys into jumping at shadows using only a few well-placed coins and by your not asking questions about such an ''obvious'' misdirect thanks to ''information he ultimately provided for her'', regardless of where else you think it came from.]]

* ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful: Deconstructed, like everything else about Cersei. She's always been a stunner, and she knows how to use it. Trouble is, it can only get her so far, and she never seems to realize how far it can actually get her. (Her best bet is always to fall back on [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney Lannister money]] and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections Daddy's, Jaime's or even Joffrey's names]].) It certainly doesn't work on everybody, those it does work on don't always prove the safest tools to use, and it crashes headlong into StayInTheKitchen, whatever she tries. [[spoiler: Worse, she's terrified she's losing even this tool as she ages...]]

** Compare and contrast this with how Tywin abused Tyrion using by using those around him as well as other means... Yeah, that went ever so well.

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: At a young age, Cersei received a prophecy: [[spoiler:her children would all be crowned and all die before she did, a younger woman would replace her, and "the valonqar"--a younger brother, in this case--would kill her. She has always deemed Tyrion to be this valonqar, and this is one of the main reasons she has always hated him. The thing is, this younger brother might be also Jaime, who is minutes younger than her. Also, the prophecy doesn't say that it has to be ''her'' younger brother, as for instance, Loras Tyrell is the youngest Tyrell brother often compared to a younger Jaime, making him another possibility maybe within striking distance. As is Tommen, for another, more closely-related option (granted, one rather less likely to use a sword, but she has begun physically and emotionally abusing the growing boy).]]

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: At a young age, Cersei received a prophecy: [[spoiler:her children would all be crowned and all die before she did, a younger woman would replace her, and "the valonqar"--a younger brother, in this case--would kill her. She has always deemed Tyrion to be this valonqar, and this is one of the main reasons she has always hated him. The thing is, this younger brother might be also Jaime, who is minutes younger than her. Also, the prophecy doesn't say that it has to be ''her'' younger brother, as for instance Loras Tyrell is the youngest Tyrell brother, making him another possibility]].

* AmbiguousDisorder: She shows a lot of signs of Borderline, Paranoid and Narcissistic Personality Disorder, seeing people as either completely good and on her side or completely bad and against her, only really caring about people who she sees as extensions of herself, thinking bullying, murder, and war are "bold" decisions and good politics, etc. This behavior makes her a terrible ruler.

** While she realises that Kevan is angry with her when he [[spoiler:visits her in the cells of the Faith]], she assumes it's because last time they met she threw wine in his face, and not because ''she seduced and manipulated Kevan's son Lancel.'' To [[ItsAllAboutMe Cersei]], it's always the ''personal'' insult that matters the most, not the greater harm done to family.

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: In Essos, she believed to be a brave, beautiful, good and gentle queen [[spoiler:who suffered tragically the loss of her father and eldest son]]. In Westeros, where her crimes are more widely known, [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating it's a different story.]]

* SelfServingMemory: As part of her NeverMyFault portfolio. In ''A Feast for Crows,'' she rants about how she made Sansa part of her own household, [[WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency fed and clothed her,]] and had her "kindness" thrown back in her face when Sansa supposedly helped poison Joffrey. She conveniently forgets that she allowed her son to have Sansa regularly beaten and humiliated. And that she doesn't have any concrete proof that Sansa did the poisoning.

!!Queen Regent Cersei Lannister, Light of the West, Protector of the Realm, [[spoiler: Lady of Casterly Rock]]

* YourCheatingHeart: Since she is both unhappy with her husband and knows her sex appeal is a powerful weapon in getting what she wants, her affairs are all over the place. And while her "union" with Jaime wouldn't be recognized by anyone but them, she cheats on him as well.