I may have arrived late to Westeros, but I have journeyed through Game of Thrones—HBO’s epic tale inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.
This project dives into the scripts of the show, seeking to uncover the shifting voices of its characters and the rise and fall of its great houses not through prophecy but through the lens of data and visualization.Using episode appearances, dialogue counts, and house affiliations, I explore:
- Who dominates the story by screen presence.
- Which characters take center stage each season.
- How the great houses gain or lose influence over the course of the series. Through interactive charts and visualizations, this project highlights hidden patterns in dialogue and character prominence, offering a fresh perspective on the Seven Kingdoms.
Let's begin!
- Tyrion Lannister dominates both episode appearances and dialogue across most seasons.
- Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen rise in prominence over time, reflecting their story arcs.
- House Lannister controls early seasons, Starks regain influence later, and Targaryens steadily rise.
- Secondary houses like Bolton and Greyjoy experience temporary spikes in importance.
- Dialogue and screen presence reveal how the story balances central characters with ensemble dynamics.
This project is based on two datasets, First One Character Dataset. This file constitute information about the main characters in the show, including:
- Character name
- Actor/actress portraying them
- Number of episodes they appeared in
- Year of first appearance
- Year of last appearance
This dataset helps analyze character presence across the series and compare how long different roles lasted.
Dataset Source: Game of Thrones Character Dataset on Kaggle
Second One Script Dataset. This file contains dialogue transcripts from every episode, with metadata about where and when each line was spoken. The main columns include:
- Release date
- Season and episode number
- Episode title
- Character name
- Dialogue line (sentence spoken)
This dataset allows for dialogue frequency analysis, tracking who spoke the most, and observing character presence across seasons.
Dataset Source: Game of Thrones Script – All Seasons on Kaggle
Together, these datasets reveal patterns such as Tyrion Lannister’s dominance in dialogue, Jon Snow’s gradual rise, and the shifting balance of power between Starks, Lannisters, Targaryens, and beyond.
Ever wondered who truly dominates the story of Game of Thrones? Is it Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, or someone else? This analysis examines the top characters by episodes appeared in Game of Thrones, providing insight into who dominated the screen time across Westeros and Essos. One simple way to measure this is by screen presence—the number of episodes a character appears in.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 characters by episodes appeared.
Key Findings
- Tyrion Lannister – Frequently appearing across many episodes, his wit and schemes make him a central figure in the story.
- Cersei Lannister – A major player in the political games of Westeros, her influence grows as her appearances accumulate over the seasons.
- Jon Snow – Steadfast and consistently present, his journey from the Wall to the heart of political intrigue makes him a narrative anchor.
- Daenerys Targaryen – From Essos to Westeros, her dramatic rise is pivotal, though slightly less frequent than the Lannisters or Jon.
- Other Supporting Characters – While appearing less often, they contribute meaningfully to key plot developments and interactions.
By analyzing episode appearances, we see how screen presence is distributed among the characters. Tyrion and the Lannisters (Cersei included) dominate the spotlight, Jon Snow provides a steady narrative backbone, and Daenerys’ appearances highlight her rising influence. Together, the mix of central and supporting characters shapes the rich tapestry of Westeros and Essos.
In the sprawling saga of Game of Thrones, screen time and dialogue frequency ebb and flow across seasons, reflecting the rise, fall, and shifting focus of characters. This analysis tracks the top 11 characters in terms of dialogue count, across all eight seasons, revealing how narrative attention shifts over time.
Think of it as a timeline of influence: who dominated early seasons, who grew into prominence, and whose presence waned as the story progressed.
Season-wise Top 11 Characters
Key Findings
- Tyrion Lannister – Consistently present across nearly all seasons, his dialogues highlight his central role in both political maneuvering and personal arcs.
- Jon Snow – Dialogue peaks in later seasons mirror his journey from the Wall to the heart of Westeros’ conflicts, marking him as a steady narrative anchor.
- Cersei Lannister – Her prominence spikes in specific seasons where political intrigue dominates, reflecting her role as a cunning and ambitious player.
- Daenerys Targaryen – Gradually rises through the middle seasons, corresponding with her storyline in Essos and eventual move toward Westeros.
- Other Top Characters – Characters like Sansa Stark, Jaime Lannister, and Arya Stark show dynamic season-wise variation, illustrating how different story arcs take center stage at different times.
This seasonal analysis reveals that Game of Thrones balances its focus between central figures and emerging characters, allowing the story to shift naturally between arcs in Westeros and Essos. By tracking dialogue counts season by season, we gain insight into how narrative power ebbs and flows, which characters dominate specific seasons, and how ensemble dynamics enrich the saga.
The power and prominence of noble houses shift constantly, influenced by battles, alliances, and betrayals. To understand these dynamics, we analyze dialogue trends for key houses across all seasons. Dialogue count serves as a proxy for narrative focus: houses with more lines are more central to the unfolding story in that season.
This analysis covers the major houses: Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon, Bolton, and Greyjoy, revealing which houses dominated the narrative in each season and how their influence changed over time.
House Dialogue Trends Across Seasons
Key Findings
- House Lannister – Dominates in early and mid-seasons, reflecting their control over King’s Landing and central role in political conflicts. Peaks in seasons 1–4 show Cersei, Tyrion, and Jaime’s prominence.
- House Stark – Strong presence in the early seasons, particularly season 1–2, with peaks reflecting pivotal Northern storylines. Dialogue spikes in later seasons highlight the return of Jon Snow, Sansa, and Arya to central arcs.
- House Targaryen – Gradually rises from mid-seasons onward, with Daenerys’ growing influence in Essos and eventual move toward Westeros driving the dialogue counts.
- House Baratheon – Noticeable early, with Robert and Stannis shaping the narrative in seasons 1–2. Declines as the main Baratheon characters are removed from the storyline.
- House Bolton – Peaks in mid-seasons, especially season 5–6, representing the “Bolton takeover” and its influence in the North.
- House Greyjoy – Moderate presence across seasons, reflecting Theon, Yara, and Euron’s arcs without dominating the narrative.
Dialogue trends reveal that Game of Thrones is not just about individuals, but the power dynamics of entire houses. Lannisters dominate early seasons, reflecting their control over King’s Landing and central role in political intrigue. Starks gradually regain prominence, with peaks in early and later seasons highlighting Northern storylines and their return to power. Targaryens rise steadily across mid-to-late seasons, mirroring Daenerys’ journey from Essos to Westeros. Baratheons are prominent early on but decline as key characters die. Bolton and Greyjoy experience seasonal spikes, showing that specific events can temporarily elevate secondary houses. Overall, this analysis illustrates the ebb and flow of house influence, with the story’s narrative shaped as much by collective family power as by individual heroics. The dialogue trends make it clear which houses hold the narrative spotlight in each season and how the balance of power shifts across Westeros and Essos.
In the end, this project shows that Game of Thrones is more than a fantasy tale—it is a narrative that can be measured, quantified, and visualized through data. By examining episode appearances, dialogue distribution, and house dynamics, I uncovered how individual characters rose and fell, how families gained and lost influence, and how the narrative spotlight shifted across the Seven Kingdoms. The analysis makes clear that the saga’s richness lies in its ensemble—where no single character or house dominated forever, but instead contributed to an evolving balance of power. Just like the realm it depicts, the story thrives on change, and the data confirms that in the game of thrones, nothing is permanent.
Dracarys… 🔥