Game of Thrones Extract Essay

Emilio De Hoyos

Period 5

The theme in this extract is about power, and standing within society, and how it affects us. Specifically the power of banks, and how they ultimately have the last say in our lives. Here, we see Stannis, (the first man we see on the boat) have his fate decided by the bank, even though he himself holds power. The theme serves to show how little control one truly has over one's life.

In the first scene, we see an aerial shot of a boat on the water, and then a man on said boat, this serves to demonstrate that the man, Stannis, holds power and is approaching something of importance. High-key lighting helps to reinforce the grandeur of the ship, and further highlight Stannis. The shot we get inside of the ship is of two men, the aforementioned Stannis, and his ally, Davos. We see a two-shot of the both of them, with Stannis in front, the camera slowly zooming in on him, this again serves to prove that he is the one in charge here, and the others (Davos) follow him. We cut away to aerial shot, this time, transitioning to an establishing shot of a coastal city. This is the first scene, and it helps to establish that Stannis is a man of power heading to a coastal city, perhaps in search of something.

We then cut to the second scene, it begins in a low-key lit bank. The bank is large, with stained glass windows and a desk with three chairs in the middle, clearly meant for someone of importance. Again we see the characters in a two shot, Stannis again being the center of focus. A cut occurs, and we now see the width and size of the bank with a wide shot, and within it, see how small Davos and Stannis look, taking away the power we thought Stannis to have. Three people enter the bank, and the camera tracks them all the way until they sit. Their presence already tells us they have power. This thought is confirmed as they begin to have a dialogue. Davos attempts to introduce Stannis as the king but is shot down by the bankers, further diminishing Stannis’ power within the scene, and they continually find reasons to refuse his requests.  Within the dialogue we see a lot of shot-reverse-shots, as well as fast paced editing, this serves mainly to demonstrate that the people from the bank already have an answer, and they only hold the conversation as long as they have to. The scene ends as we see yet another two-shot of Davos and Stannis, he is, once again in the forefront, but this time, he seems defeated, showing that he no longer holds power, and even bankers hold more sway over decisions than he does.

Through the extract we see Stannis, a man of power, however, we quickly learn that he is not as powerful as we think. Through the dialogue, and angles, we see he is a man near defeat, and is desperate for aid. The bank holds clear power over him, and refuses his request, demonstrating that they are of more importance over him. Dooming any hope of triumph, Stannis is left a powerless man.