A Storm of Swords question

Was it social injustice that forced her to bribe Shae to publicly humiliate Tyrion at his trial?

Yes, Conor - you are the only one.

I don't know that I like her - as in hang out and have a glass of wine like her. However, she is a GREAT character and some of my favorite parts of the book are the sections about her. She often wonders how things would have been different if she was a man. I wonder how differently we would perceive her if that were true.

I don't see Lady Olenna Tyrell whining about being a woman......she just does what she wants to do. Of course, she is far wiser and much more politically adept than Cersei.

I don't hate Cersei, but I do see her as a miserable failure as a queen.

She's hateful and unforgivably cruel. Look at the way she acts toward Sansa. Petty and not as bright as she thinks.

Not at all.

Cersi is my favorite female character in the series. I don't love her because she's a good person because she *isn't*. I love her because she's a complex one whose fears, flaws and motivations strike a chord in me personally. I can relate. That doesn't make me proud, but I understand her and I can appreciate where her actions are coming from even if I know the outcome will likely be both tragic and totally deserved.

I find a lot of sympathy towards Cersei to be misguided. It becomes more and more apparent that she only cares about her children as extensions of herself and her tickets to power, and assumes anyone who isn't a sycophant to her is her enemy. And "tried" to kill her husband? It's rather subtle, but she succeeded, giving a skin of strongwine to Lancel before Robert went hunting and telling him it was the King's favorite vintage, so Robert would be too intoxicated to fend for himself against a dangerous animal like a boar. And while misogyny is extremely rampant in Westeros, I don't think that is an excuse Cersei uses to justify her behavior. Catelyn was rather well adjusted (view spoiler)[before being murdered, stripped naked, dumped in the Trident, and brought back to life as a vengeful maniac (hide spoiler)] and didn't show the narcissism and paranoia of Cersei. If Cersei was a man, we'd dimiss her as a petty, vindictive, and incompetent buffoon. I perfectly understand people enjoying her character because of the depth and psychological exploration, but those who claim she is victimized beyond the actual bad things that happen to her bother me a bit.

I'm not a fan, but she's a great fully-fleshed out character.

She is so cool. :) I hate Lannisters but she is so compelling she is an exception. Very well written character on Martin's part.

I don't think she's a terrible mother. Joffrey was a sociopath and there was no helping him. But Tommen and Myrcella are lovely little children.