The character of Jaime Lannister has seen several ups and downs throughout the entire show. He served in the Kingsguard of Aerys II and infamously betrayed and killed him. Since then he has been called the Kingslayer and Oathbreaker. Over the six seasons, the character of Jaime Lannister has gone several transformations. From losing his hand to losing his children, Joffrey, and Myrcella (and now Tommen), Jaime has faced a lot. He was never good at reading or writing, but after Berristan Selmy, he is the best Knight in Westeros (before losing his hand). Here are the five different shades of Jaime Lannister we saw in the six seasons:
The Good Jaime
He broke his oath of Kingsguard and killed the Mad King. The reason he killed the Mad King was because he would have wasted entire King’s Landing using Wildfire. Jaime caught in a mix of his duty and moral responsibility, decided to go for the latter, even though it bought him dishonor.
Another instance, when Jaime did some good was when he jumped into the fighting pit to save Brienne from the bear and made a pact with Locke (Steelshanks) to let them go free, even though they cut his hand.
The Bad Jaime
Jaime Lannister is the son of Tywin Lannister and brother/lover of Cersei, so certainly he isn’t pure gold (no pun intended). He has shown his dark side so many times.
Don’t look further, the first episode, last few minutes, when he throws Bran Stark of the tower. That was brutal and somehow set the pace for Game of Thrones.
He killed his cousin Alton Lannister brutally just to escape Robb Stark’s prison.
The Diplomatic Jaime
Jaime Lannister and a diplomat! Well, this shade was revealed in Season 5 when he goes to Dorne to bring Myrcella and Prince Trystane to King’s Landing.
He even sends this letter to Prince Doran showing his diplomatic side. He didn’t want a war.
The Honorable Jaime
The best swordsman in the whole of Westeros after Berristan Selmy is as honorable as his teacher. In season 1, he let Ned Stark live only because the victory wasn’t clean.
He is good to Brienne and gives her the Oathkeeper to find and protect Arya and Sansa Stark, to complete her obligation to Catelyn Stark.
The Lover Jaime
Jaime loves Tyrion and this is evident when he allows Tyrion to escape after losing the trial by combat following Oberyn Martell’s death.
The love Jaime has for Cersei is unquestionable. He has killed, lost and played Game of Thrones for her. Their love for each other, although illicit, is the only redeeming thing for them.
A theory suggests and it is most likely he will kill Cersei to protect her from her evil self and become Queen-Slayer.
