British historian Lord Acton famously noted that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” when discussing the British monarchy, and George R. R. Martin ratifies this idea throughout A Game of Thrones. Both characters who actively vie for the Iron Throne and characters who are less interested in holding power are destroyed by the corrupt machinations of politics, illustrating that the corruption of power extends beyond the individual. As Cersei Lannister tells Ned Stark, “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die” (485). The underlying suggestion is that power never satiates, and once someone has obtained some level of power, they seek to increase and maintain that power. The more powerful one gets, the more corrupt the methods of attaining more power become.

Martin contrasts ambition with selflessness, albeit dangerously: Though Ned Stark had a clear opportunity to claim the throne for himself at the end of Robert’s Rebellion, he chose instead to secure the throne for his friend. Ned has no interest in gaining the power of the throne—this trait eventually leads to his death as it cannot overcome the corruption of others. Robert, the king Ned fought to install, becomes a symbol of the corruption in King’s Landing as he transforms from a young, strong, honorable knight into a spendthrift king who spends his time drinking, eating, and bedding women while his small council takes care of the business of the kingdom.