The Big Picture
Although Cersei Lannister deserved to face consequences for her crimes, her walk of atonement in Game of Thrones was a cruel punishment. Cersei was both a victim and a villain, facing trauma and abuse but also perpetuating harm to others. The punishment Cersei endured was too harsh compared to other villains like Ramsay and Tywin, who had clean deaths.
Game of Thrones excelled at creating complex and despicable characters. It’s hard to beat the likes of Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) or Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon) in terms of pure terribleness, but neither of them was around for too long. Meanwhile, Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) lasted the entirety of the show. Though perhaps less effective than others, Cersei was just as irredeemable. If her incestuous affair isn’t bad enough, look at how she treated Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). Not to mention contriving the death of her husband and king, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), or her wildfire attack on the Great Sept of Baelor. While there may be some debate as to the order, Cersei ranks high among the show’s worst villains, and Game of Thrones is far from short in that regard.
Yet Cersei didn’t make it through the show unscathed. In fact, the character has reason to be mad long before the show even begins, but never is it worse than after she is forced on a shame walk through the streets of the capital in Season 5. Many people watching, both in Westeros and the show’s audience, cheered Cersei’s brutal punishment as it almost felt like justice after the horrors she caused, but did she deserve it? Cersei was constantly lying to, manipulating, and even killing people, but that does not justify the cruel punishment of her walk of atonement.
Game Of Thrones
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for a millennia.
Release Date April 17, 2011
Creator David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Seasons 8
Studio HBO
What Happens During Cersei’s Walk of Atonement?
After Cersei gives unchecked power to the Faith Militant and the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce), they become a threat. And in her longstanding battle with the Tyrell family, Cersei herself becomes a target. Lancel Lannister (Eugene Simon) joins the Faith Militant and accuses Cersei of adultery, incest, and regicide. As a participant in all those crimes, Lancel is speaking the truth. Cersei is taken into their custody as she waits for trial, where they withhold food and water, trying to force a confession, but Cersei remains defiant. Yet the punishment doesn’t end there. She ultimately confesses to adultery but denies a relationship with her brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and the murder of Robert.
Related Every ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff Series in Development or Cancelled Although ‘Game of Thrones’ is over, the future looks bright for Westeros.
As atonement for her adultery, Cersei is forced on a walk of atonement through the streets of King’s Landing. Her head is shaved for her naked walk across the city, accompanied by Septa Unella (Hannah Waddingham) following her with a bell and chanting “shame.” Cersei endures the jeering and insults from the crowd of citizens lined up to see her. They throw things at her naked body along with their insults as she walks until she finally reaches the Red Keep. While Cersei is guilty of everything she was accused of and more, this is still before her trial. She only confessed to adultery, which is the reason for this punishment. This is a crime that almost every character in the show is guilty of. Robert had several known bastard children, and no one seemed to mind. Yet Cersei’s adultery results in this cruel punishment. The Faith Militant isn’t even accusing her of putting bastard children on the throne, as they can only prove her affair with Lancel which happened after her children’s birth. Though Cersei is guilty of the crime, was that truly deserving of her brutal walk of “atonement”?
Cersei Was Both a Victim and a Villain on ‘Game of Thrones’
Cersei had no shortage of crimes, but there is more to her character. From a young age, she faced the trauma of losing her mother. And her father, Tywin (Charles Dance), was not particularly kind to any of his children. As a woman in Westeros, Cersei was powerless in every sense of the word. As she watched Jaime grow up and get respect, she was married off to get more power for her family. Her marriage to Robert was loveless, as he still desired the deceased Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi). Furthermore, Robert was a drunk and often abusive husband. Within the show, Cersei faces things getting progressively worse for her as her son Joffrey is killed, and her daughter is sent away to an arranged marriage in Dorne, where they hate the Lannisters. Basically, nothing good happens to Cersei, making her more sympathetic than other villains who have every advantage.
Yet that’s not to say her actions are excused. Cersei does many terrible things that leave the audience wanting her to face consequences. From the very beginning, she watches, without remorse, as Jamie tries to kill Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) for catching them, inciting the entire story. Ultimately, Cersei is to blame for Joffrey, as she never taught him to behave better. She arranges Robert’s death, wipes out the Tyrell line (and hundreds of civilians) in destroying the Great Sept of Baelor, and leaves destruction in her wake. Cersei believes herself above the law and unashamedly destroys those in her way. She’s not a kind or noble person, yet her actions are not inexplicable either. Cersei is motivated by power and is willing to do anything to protect her children. She’s not a good person, but she’s not the worst Game of Thrones has to offer.
Cersei’s Punishment Was Too Harsh
Unlike Cersei, villains such as Ramsay and Tywin got clean deaths without enduring public ridicule, and both of those characters were as bad, if not worse, than Cersei. Even with Cersei’s faults, which she has no shortage of, this event was not something to cheer about. It was another example of the world’s brutality and misogyny. The crimes Cersei is punished for are for her “acts of falsehood and fornication,” not her various murders. While Robert had bastards throughout the kingdom and no one seemed to mind, Cersei is shamed for having an affair, admittedly, with her cousin. Certainly, it’s not a good look, but the punishment is harsh. After being imprisoned, starved, and tortured, Cersei is marched through the streets, naked and bleeding, while people jeer. It shouldn’t be surprising that she became more ruthless after that trauma. While Cersei was due some kind of consequence, the walk of shame was too harsh. Yet afterward, she holds her head high, reclaiming power for herself, despite all the obstacles.
Cersei does terrible things throughout the show, making her undeniably a villain in a series that lacks a black-and-white stance on morality. Without her interference, the war would never have begun. Among the show’s main villains, Cersei lasts the longest, as she is second in episode number only to Tyrion. She is manipulative, selfish, and cruel, but she’s also a victim, before and especially after the walk of shame. After everything she did, Cersei needed a downfall, and a harsh one, at that. But the Faith Militant crossed a line with such a humiliating and demoralizing punishment, even for someone as problematic as Cersei Lannister.
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