Shae was thought to have loved Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones until she betrayed him for his manipulative father, Tywin. Played by Sibel Kekilli, Shae appeared in the first four seasons of the HBO series based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Initially introduced as a prostitute, Shae quickly became Tyrion’s mistress after the two began a secret romantic relationship. In time, Shae served as Sansa Stark’s handmaiden while living in King’s Landing, but her connection to Sansa only added to her paranoia when it came to trusting Tyrion.
At the start of Game of Thrones season 2, Tyrion snuck Shae into the Tower of the Hand so they could continue their relationship. To cover their tracks, Shae agreed to be Sansa’s handmaiden, and the two women grew closer. Tywin caught wind of Tyrion and Shae’s relationship, complicating matters by forcing his youngest son into a marriage with Sansa. Tyrion had no choice but to follow through with the arrangement, despite having no romantic feelings toward Sansa. When Shae’s life became increasingly threatened in Game of Thrones season 4, Tyrion decided it was best to send the love of his life away. To successfully encourage her to leave, he labeled her a “whore” before ensuring that she boarded a ship to leave.
Shortly after Shae’s departure, Tyrion was put on trial for the murder of his nephew, Joffrey Baratheon. To his surprise, Shae appeared as the final witness for the crown, claiming that Tyrion kidnapped her and forced her to become his mistress. Shae then falsely accused Tyrion and Sansa of secretly plotting Joffrey’s murder. While it was clear that Tywin and the rest of the Lannisters made a deal with Shae, she didn’t expect Tyrion to order a trial by combat. By the end of season 4, Tyrion broke free from captivity with the intent of confronting his father. Upon his arrival to Tywin’s chambers, Tyrion found his love in the man’s bed. The two had a scuffle before Tyrion strangled Shae. While Game of Thrones made it clear regarding Shae’s servitude as a prostitute, her betrayal went deeper when it came to the two Lannister men.
Shae’s Trust Issues Brought Upon Her Downfall In Game Of Thrones
Tyrion fully loved Shae, but he was aware that it would take a lot for her to agree to leave King’s Landing. To keep her safe, he cut deep, calling her a “whore” because he knew it would upset her. In reality, he fractured the relationship in the hope that she would leave. The plan worked, but unfortunately, Shae never fully understood Tyrion’s intent. Her hurt feelings eventually transformed into anger, which made it easy for the Lannisters to bargain for her return to serve as a fake witness. Rather than confront Tyrion directly, she retaliated by joining Tywin’s side, knowing that it would greatly affect Tyrion’s mindset.
There was also Shae’s enormous amount of jealousy when it came to Tyrion Lannister and Winterfell’s Sansa. Though Tyrion made it clear that his relationship with Sansa was strictly platonic, Shae struggled with the notion of their marriage. There was no doubt that Tyrion and Sansa had a unique bond, but Shae couldn’t overcome the arrangement. With the increasing trust issues and obvious insecurities, Shae knew that by aligning with the rest of the family, she would crush Tyrion. Having an affair with Tywin was just the cherry on top of the horror that Tyrion faced. Shae’s betrayal, of course, ended up setting off a chain of events that ultimately led to Tywin’s death in Game of Thrones and Tyrion’s separation from House Lannister.
Shae Really Did Love Tyrion
Shae really did love Tyrion despite his belief to the contrary in the end. If she didn’t have any romantic feelings toward Tyrion, Shae wouldn’t have become jealous of his relationship with Sansa or have been so hurt after he called her a whore and tried to send her away from King’s Landing. In many ways, Shae was trapped between a rock and a hard place, but there was no doubt of the passion, love, and adoration she felt for Tyrion before everything went south. Shae’s love for Tyrion, and vice versa, is why Game of Thrones’ season 4 finale is so difficult to watch.
Why Shae Was Working For Tywin
Shae wanted to hurt Tyrion after what he did. If Tyrion told her the truth about why he wanted her to leave King’s Landing, it’s possible the accusations against him and his trial could have been avoided. Like Tyrion, Shae was looking out for herself at the end of the day; if that meant betraying Tyrion for putting her in a situation she didn’t want to be in and for forcing her out of King’s Landing when she didn’t want to go, things might have been different for both characters. What’s more, Tywin had his hands in all things and Shae knew how much Tyrion hated his father. What better way to get back at her former lover than to strike a deal with Tywin? Shae was put in a situation that made it hard for her future; she also didn’t want to give up the meager privileges she had amassed during her time in King’s Landing. Allying with Tywin was perhaps the only way forward for her in Game of Thrones, especially if she could no longer be with Tyrion due to his arrangement with Sansa.
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