Margaery Tyrell

Margaery Tyrell is the only daughter of Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the South, and his wife Lady Alerie of House Hightower. She is a maid of fourteen years, described as lovely as a dawn, with doe's eyes and a cascade of soft brown hair. Her brother, Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, is a celebrated tourney champion and a member of the Kingsguard. Margaery is introduced into the political landscape of the Seven Kingdoms through her family's ambitious schemes, which aim to place her on the throne.

Marriage to Renly Baratheon and Claim to the Throne

Following the death of King Robert Baratheon, Margaery's family orchestrates a strategic marriage to secure power. She weds Renly Baratheon, Robert's younger brother, at Highgarden. This marriage is a direct challenge to the succession of Joffrey Baratheon, whom the Lannisters have placed on the Iron Throne. Renly, with the backing of House Tyrell and the Stormlands, claims the crown for himself, making Margaery a queen in a rival court. The marriage is a calculated move by Lord Mace Tyrell and his mother, the formidable Lady Olenna Redwyne, to elevate their house to the highest position in the realm.

Political Significance and the Game of Thrones

Margaery's role is primarily that of a political pawn and a symbol of her house's ambition. Her beauty and perceived tractability are her chief assets in the game of thrones. Lord Renly and Ser Loras Tyrell intend that Robert should bed her, wed her, and make a new queen, a plan that underscores her value as a tool to displace Cersei Lannister. The whispers of her potential marriage to King Robert, had he lived, reveal the Tyrells' long-term strategy to infiltrate and control the royal court. Her marriage to Renly creates a powerful bloc that threatens both the Lannister regime and the claim of Stannis Baratheon, forcing the other great houses to choose sides in the ensuing civil war.

Narrative Role and Evaluation

Margaery Tyrell is a character defined by her potential and her symbolic value rather than by direct action in the narrative's first volume. She is a catalyst for conflict, her marriage to Renly being the event that solidifies a major rebellion against the Iron Throne. She is also a figure of desire and political calculation, a young woman whose future is bartered by the men in her family. Her introduction serves to expand the scope of the war, introducing the Tyrells as a major power whose allegiance is crucial. She represents the southron court's elegance and intrigue, a stark contrast to the harsh realities of the north and the war-torn riverlands. Her ultimate fate, whether she will become queen or a victim of the chaos, remains a central question as the realm descends into war.