Hegel’s Master-Slave Dialectic in HBO’s “Game of Thrones”

In Hegel’s “Phenomenology of Spirit”, in immediate self-consciousness, the “I” is the absolute object. It is “absolute mediation” and has self-sufficiency “as its essential moment”. It is through the “dissolution of that simple unity” that brings forth the experience by which we arrive at the two constructing shapes of consciousness. In this clip from HBO’s series “Game of Thrones”, we witness King Joffrey speak of his desire to server his future wife, Sansa, her father’s head at a wedding feast. When met with criticism, Joffrey validates his authority and makes threats. This is met by defense of the King by others who fear the reprisals if they were not to condemn any statements made against Joffrey’s desires. This clip does a great job at conveying Hegel’s dialectic.

To begin, King Joffrey embodies the master, whose consciousness existing “for-itself”. He mediates this by being completely dependent on another consciousness, in order to present himself as the “immediate relation of being-for-itself”. We see this when Joffrey stating “everyone is mine to torment”. Furthermore making threats to his uncle when faced with retaliation. As Hegel had explained, when it comes to the consciousness of the master, it is one of “mediation”, meaning that the consciousness is through itself only through its complete reliance on another whose self-sufficiency is conveyed by “thing hood”. The servile consciousness is subordinate to that of the master, in a manner that is negative and “sublates the thing”. The master takes advantage of this and uses the servant in order to consume it, rather than work for it.
In the case of the servant, the anxiety brought about its entire essence is what allows for “self-sufficient consciousness existing for itself” but only as though servitude. We can see this in the clip by the manner in which the “Grand Maester” (The old bearded man) reacts to the uncle’s statement. He goes on to condemn his actions and quickly sides with King Joffrey. This speaking out occurred AFTER the king made threats. This clearly brought about fear to the Grand Maester, leading him to express his thoughts in defense. It is through work (submission/submitting to the desires of the master) by which the servant comes to “an intuition of self-sufficient being as its own self”. Through the activity of the servant and the negative meaning of fear, he becomes an existent being who possesses pure being-for-itself.

I felt as though this clip was great in conveying the clear contrast in the consciousness of the master and servant. King Joffrey’s exhibiting of the traits in which he relies on his subordinates, embodies Hegel’s notion by which the master mediates through another consciousness; thinghood. We further see the fear playing a role in the Grand Maester’s submission to, and working to, fulfill the desires of King Joffrey and it is by this means he attains self-sufficient consciousness.