It is a universal fact that all of us who have seen Game of Thrones started the very first episode with hating the character of Jaime Lannister which is obvious because no person with a sane mind can tolerate a man who on the very beginning of the show had tried to murder a child.
Also known by the infamous name called Kingslayer, he has already earned a reputation of disgust in the eyes of “moral” and “honorable” people of Westeros kingdom for betraying his king 17 years ago by stabbing him in the back. Serving as a knight ever since his first kill at the age of 16, Jaime Lannister have been a bodyguard for two major kings who fought a war against each other and that fact established a belief in the minds of us that not only is he untrustworthy but also an opportunist who will not think twice before betraying anyone.
Game of Thrones began with showing one of the most beloved characters named Ned Stark who not only is honorable but also a just ruler who makes sure that irrespective of status or class if someone is guilty in the eyes of the law they will be held accountable. So when Ned Stark’s son stumbled upon the incest between Jaime and his sister named Cercesi Lannister while climbing the wall of a tower and gets pushed down by the Kingslayer, it is the starting of merely one of his brazen deeds.
The antagonism which the audience holds against him grows further as the show progresses dropping one bombshell after another. His state of mind, behavior creates resentment among us who wanted him to die immediately. However, a sigh of relief is felt when he gets captured by the beloved Robb Stark and is held hostage for months.
Notwithstanding Jaime continued his horrific crimes such as murdering his own cousin and strangling to death the guard assigned to watch over him. And the hope of him facing the repercussions of his unimaginable actions diminishes when he is released by none other than Catelyn Stark despite her son being crippled by the same man.
Now in season 3 of the show none have thought or imagined seeing an unprecedented side of the character of Kingslayer. The turning point is Jaime losing his right hand and that moment abruptly made us all forget about his crimes for a while. A sense of sympathy is felt when after getting brutally beaten up by the men who chopped off his hand he refuses to take anesthesia during the treatment.
The urge not to receive the medicine to ease pain during surgery creates respect among us for him who is making an effort to endure the excruciating pain in order to repent for his past crimes. Finally, the biggest bombshell in the character development of Jaime Lannister is the iconic scene of him confessing to Brienne about why he drove his sword into the back of his king whom he swore to protect. The very act which led to him being labeled a “man without honour” ironically saved countless innocent lives and hence we audience in a moment forgot about everything.
From then onward, we the audience get inclined to adore his character more and more as he never ceases to astonish us with his bravery, honour and selflessness. Realizing that Tyrion is not responsible for the death of Joffery, Jaime decides to sacrifice his desire of being a knight as soon as he learns his father will spare Tyrion’s life. The audience is once again impressed by the selflessness of the character they used to resent. The fear that we have toward Jaime Lannister gradually diminishes when he displays mercy on his enemies when he lets Olenna Tyrell die in peace despite his sister’s personal grudge against her.