Cities and Thrones

Watching the season finale of Game of Thrones gave me an idea to compare one of Westeros' cities with one of Calvino's in Invisible Cities. Both Game of Thrones and Invisible Cities have many places to choose from each having its own unique characteristics. I will be comparing Qarth, the gateway of commerce and culture between the east and west, and the north and south of Westeros with Despina, a city in which merchants by land and sea come to trade. Though they might be physically alike, the meaning behind the cities might be a lot different.

Qarth is in the centre of Westeros, granting trade to all the territories surrounded by desert and sea. It's very well known for its wealth and the powerful guilds that attempt to play a role in the governance of the city. It is significant to the story of Game of Thrones as it is the location where Daenerys is kept with her dragons and then the ruler of the city. When Daenerys arrived with her people, the city resembled hope of her achievement in returning to the iron throne. Later it was revealed that the warlocks of the city used her to gain power from her dragons. Deception. At the end when she finally surpassed all obstacles, the city represented power as she had complete control of it.

Despina is also a merchant city that is surrounded by both desert and sea. Its people come by camel and by ships to visit the city of Despina and its women. This city is under the Cities and Desires section describing the desires that lay in Despina. Though, the desires that lay in despina, as mentioned in another blog post, are visiting it by land, when coming by sea, and vise versa. It shows us the jealousy that the city evokes to the visitor.

Both cities are physically same and have desires that attract the visitor. The salvation of Daenerys that Qarth brought to her and her people. The desire of visiting and arriving by land and by sea attracts the visitors coming to Despina. These desires change over time and finally are what make these two cities what they are.