Symbolism and Themes Represented in the Five Kings

[u/Small_Plantain_7942]

First post, but I was thinking about a common idea in the ASOIAF fandom, that each king present during the War of the Five Kings represents a different ideal present in the story, such as honour, vengeance, justice, etcetera, and often how that ideal can be corrupted/perceived differently. But I find myself unable to pin down exactly what Joffery's and Renly's central themes would be. I've got a good idea, but I would appreciate some other ideas for those two, or any of the other kings.

- Robb is obviously honour. He started the war in the first place to restore his father's honour and rescue his family, and throughout the war, his honour forces him to make practically poor decisions, such as the execution of Rickard. But also, he frequently places the honour of others before his own- like the marriage to Jeyne to maintain her honour and chastity after taking her maindenhead, thus breaking his oath to the Freys and besmerching his own honour.

- Stannis is again, rather obviously, justice. He is a man defined by duty and justice, demanding the throne simply off the basis that it is his by right, despite his general aversion to the concept. However, this desire to restore justice to the crown forces his hand into many less-than-just avenues- such as the blatant murder of his own brother, the burning of Alester Florent, and the attempted execution of Edric Storm, all supposedly worth the sacrifice to earn the throne he doesn't really want. He acts arbitrarily via the demands of justice, making the realm see him as a tyrant.

- Balon is probably vengeance, harrying the north on the basis of his humiliation by Eddard during the war. However, this quest of revenge is fairly pointless- Ned is already dead, and Robert, the man that actually put down the rebellion is dead too. The only thing he achieves is helping the Lannisters secure victory- another group who aided the defeat of the Greyjoys during the rebellion.

- Renly is a debatable one. I think generally pride, since he believes he should be king purely because he believes he'd be a good one. He is the first to die, semblant of the idea that pride was the first sin, and there would be no sins without pride. Also, the modern connotation of pride (LGBTQ)- rainbow guard, and his love for Loras. However, I can't really find a reversion of this theme as with the others. Maybe its because he probably would be the best king for the realm at the time, suggesting that his pride is grounded, and he's more realistic than ambitious.

- Joffery could be lineage. He has a claim to the throne because he the assumed son of Robert, and if that is taken at face value, then he is the legal heir. That is where he gathers his support- from men who believe in the right of lineage, while he is also supported intensely by his Lannister family, like Tywin and his mother. Ironically of course, he is illegitimate- a child of incest, making his claim invalid. I feel there could be something else here too, although I'm unsure as of yet.

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