Tommen Baratheon

Tommen Baratheon is the younger son of Queen Cersei Lannister and King Robert Baratheon, a plump, sweet-natured boy of seven whose gentle disposition contrasts sharply with his brother Joffrey's cruelty and whose true parentage—as the product of Cersei's incest with Jaime Lannister—makes him, along with his siblings, a central piece in the revelation that destroys Ned Stark and destabilizes the realm.

Identity and Introduction

Prince Tommen is first mentioned as a child of seven, the same age as Bran Stark, when Catelyn Stark warns her husband to guard his tongue about the Lannisters. He is described as a plump little boy with white-blond hair, longer than Arya's, and a gentle, timid nature. When Arya is paired with him at the welcoming feast in Winterfell, she finds him plump and unremarkable, while Sansa dismisses him as "the little fat one." His appearance is marked by a prancing stag sewn in pearls across the front of his doublet and a miniature sword at his belt, signaling his royal status even in childhood.

Life and Plot Trajectory

Tommen's trajectory is defined by his position as the younger, overlooked prince. During the journey south from Winterfell, he is seen drilling with padded wooden swords under Ser Rodrik Cassel's watchful eye, huffing and puffing alongside Bran, both boys heavily padded. When Joffrey mocks Robb Stark and refuses to spar with live steel, Tommen is dismissed by his brother with a curt "Come, Tommen. The hour of play is done." At the Hand's tourney, Tommen is present but largely a passive observer, his role confined to being part of the royal family's public display. After the coup that installs Joffrey as king, Tommen and his sister Myrcella are kept close by their mother, their safety a key concern in the power struggle.

Relationships and Conflict

Tommen's relationships are shaped by his family's dynamics. He is notably kind-hearted, expressing worry about Bran's condition after the fall, asking his uncle Tyrion, "Do you have news of Bran, Uncle?" and saying, "I don't want Brandon to die." This empathy stands in stark contrast to Joffrey's cruelty. His relationship with his mother is protective; Cersei keeps him and Myrcella close after the coup. His bond with his sister Myrcella is affectionate, as seen when they encounter Arya in the Red Keep, with Myrcella speaking sternly while Tommen echoes her. His true parentage—as the son of Jaime Lannister, not Robert Baratheon—is the secret that drives the central conflict, making him, along with Joffrey and Myrcella, a living piece of evidence that Ned Stark uncovers.

Change and Ending

Tommen undergoes no dramatic personal transformation within the scope of the narrative. He remains a sweet, timid child throughout, his character defined by his innocence and his position as a pawn in the larger game of thrones. His ending is not his own; rather, his fate is tied to the revelation of his illegitimacy. Ned Stark's discovery that Tommen, like Joffrey and Myrcella, is a product of incest leads directly to Ned's confrontation with Cersei and his eventual downfall. Tommen's future is left uncertain, his life hanging on the outcome of the war between the Starks and the Lannisters.

Thematic Significance

Tommen embodies the theme of innocence corrupted by power and the cost of secrets. His gentle nature serves as a foil to Joffrey's sadism, highlighting the arbitrary cruelty of the system that places a tyrant on the throne. His true parentage is the linchpin of the novel's central mystery, the secret that Jon Arryn died for and that Ned Stark uncovers too late. Tommen's existence, along with his siblings', demonstrates how the sins of the parents—Cersei and Jaime's incest—are visited upon the children, making them both victims and symbols of the realm's corruption. His character underscores the tragedy of a world where children are born into roles they did not choose and are destroyed by the lies of those who came before them.