Previous
Tywin Lannister
Varys is the master-of-whisperers in King’s Landing, which means he is in charge of gathering information from informants throughout the realm. He serves on Robert’s small council (a group of advisors to the king) and, after Robert dies, on Joffrey’s small council. Varys was also a member of Aerys II Targaryen’s small council. Varys tells Ned that Jon Arryn was poisoned and that the Lannisters are trying to kill Robert. After Ned is arrested, Varys visits him in disguise and tells Ned that he should confess to treason for Sansa’s sake and so Cersei allows him to serve as a member of the Night’s Watch. Ned seems to follow Varys’s advice, but that results in Ned’s execution. Varys also receives information from Jorah about Daenerys’s pregnancy, which leads to Robert’s attempts to have Daenerys and her unborn child killed.
Varys Quotes in A Game of Thrones
The A Game of Thrones quotes below are all either spoken by Varys or refer to Varys. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 49: Eddard Quotes
Ned produced Robert’s letter. “Lord Varys, be so kind as to show this to my lady of Lannister.”
The eunuch carried the letter to Cersei. The queen glanced at the words. “Protector of the Realm,” she read. “Is this meant to be your shield, my lord? A piece of paper?” She ripped the letter in half, ripped the halves in quarters, and let the pieces flutter to the floor.
“Those were the king’s words,” Ser Barristan said, shocked.
“We have a new king now,” Cersei Lannister replied.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 58: Eddard Quotes
He damned them all: Littlefinger, Janos Slynt and his gold cloaks, the queen, the Kingslayer, Pycelle and Varys and Ser Barristan, even Lord Renly, Robert’s own blood, who had run when he was needed most. Yet in the end he blamed himself. “Fool,” he cried to the darkness, “thrice-damned blind fool.”
Cersei Lannister’s face seemed to float before him in the darkness. Her hair was full of sunlight, but there was mockery in her smile. “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die,” she whispered. Ned had played and lost, and his men had paid the price of his folly with their life’s blood.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire A Game of Thrones LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Varys Character Timeline in A Game of Thrones
The timeline below shows where the character Varys appears in A Game of Thrones. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 12: Eddard
...that he received a message in the middle of the night. It came from Lord Varys, the king’s master of whisperers. The message says that Daenerys Targaryen has married Khal Drogo,...
(full context)
Chapter 18: Catelyn
When Catelyn reaches Littlefinger’s room, he tells her that Lord Varys, the master of whisperers, told him that Catelyn was in King’s Landing. Lord Varys then...
(full context)
Chapter 20: Eddard
...When Ned reaches the council in the Red Keep, he finds Littlefinger, Renly Baratheon, Lord Varys, and Grand Maester Pycelle already there. Ned asks if they should wait for King Robert...
(full context)
Chapter 25: Eddard
...says that no man would poison another man before bringing up the fact that Lord Varys is a eunuch.
(full context)
Chapter 30: Eddard
...man into his room, and it takes him a few moments to realize that it’s Varys, who is in disguise so that Cersei’s men won’t recognize him. Varys tells Ned that...
(full context)
Chapter 47: Eddard
...can to call off the planned murder of Daenerys. Ned passes that message along to Varys, who says it may be too late to stop the plan, but he will do...
(full context)
Chapter 51: Sansa
...small council. She hopes that she might find Joffrey there. Instead, she finds Cersei with Varys, Littlefinger, and Maester Pycelle.
(full context)
...is a traitor. Sansa can’t believe it. She says her father would never commit treason. Varys, Littlefinger, and Maester Pycelle all attest to Cersei’s version of events. They say that they...
(full context)
Chapter 58: Eddard
...a guard brings him water. One day, the guard isn’t the usual person. Instead, it’s Varys, disguised as a prison guard. He brings Ned wine and food.
(full context)
Varys tells Ned what has happened since he’s been imprisoned. He says that Cersei is more...
(full context)
Chapter 69: Tyrion
Varys has been sending messages to Tywin about Renly. According to Varys, Renly has married Margaery...
(full context)
