Lord Baelish Trickster

Petyr Baelish, Lord Baelish, Little Finger, The Master of Coin; he goes by many names, which in a way adds to his ambiguity. Not only is he ambiguous, but he embodies all of Joseph Campbell’s characteristics of a trickster. Petyr Baelish is a good ally to have because he is so sly, but one must remember he always has a trick up his sleeve and could turn into a foe at any second, if that is what is in his best interest.
Petyr Baelish is almost always playing a trick on someone. One of his tricks was turning on Nedd Stark and helping the Lanister’s gain control of King’s Landing. Here Lord baelish also shows signs of being a situation inventor by turning a bad situation good, and then bad again. because Nedd was in a bad spot, then was under the impression Little Finger was going to help him, when he finally turns on him and things get worse. Another one of Lord Baelish’s tricks was when he was able to get Sansa to have a part in delivering the poison to murder her King Joffery Lanister, without her knowledge; which also shows how Little Finger acts as a messenger. One can see how he is also being ambiguous by helping to conspire with the murder of

King Joffery to gain a better alliance with the Tyrells even though the Lanister’s provided him with riches and made him Lord of Harrenhal. Here Petyr is being parallel to the court jester by mocking official decisions made such as conspiring to murder the King that he helped to get the throne by betraying Nedd Stark. Lord Baelish was very deceitful by taking advantage of Lysa Arryn’s feelings for him and tricking her into murdering her husband with the tears of Lys; once again being a messenger. He was also being a messenger by having Lysa write a letter to the Starks claiming that the Lanisters were responsible for John Arryns death which caused a lot of disorder between the families. Little Finger then was the cause of disruption by bringing Sansa to the Vale. Aunt Lysa becomes jealous of his feelings towards Sansa and results in Petyr throwing her through the moon door and to her death. He claims it was to save Sansa, but it did not have to be done and he really did it in hopes that he would be able to gain control of the Vale. Once again being a situation inventor by saving Sansa from the Lanister’s, bringing her to where she would be safe, but then murdering her aunt and selling her to the Boltons. Lord Baelish was also being very deceitful when he attempted to turn Sansa and Aria against each other. One can see that he is the prime cause for disruptions, disorder, and misfortune by turning sisters against sisters, families against families, and by the murders he has played roles in.
Little Finger is ambiguous as well as being a deceiver by working with multiple sides and by causing disorder.

One thing that shows how much of a trick-player he is, is when he says, “A man with no motivates is a man that no one suspects. Always keep your foes confused” (1:38-1:43). When Sansa questions Petyr further on the matter, he tells her that, he would risk everything to get what he wants. Lord Baelish then goes onto tell her that what he really wants is everything. This shows his need to fill his belly, which obviously his desires will never be completely fulfilled. Little Finger states how his relationship with the Lanisters was productive, but he had to kill King Joffrey because he was not a reliable ally which shows how it takes a trickster to know one. He even says that he would not wants friends like

himself.
Petyrs ability to move from friend to foe so easily is one way that he embodies a shape-shifter. Lord Baelish does everything he can to avoid punishment by skirting the letter of the law. One example of this is when one of the first things Little Finger had to say to Sansa when he saw her again after selling her to the Boltons was that he was so glad to see her unharmed and claimed that he was coming to her aid, when in fact he was not really concerned about her safety at all. He states that he will do whatever she asks and that he wishes he could undo what had been done to her which just shows how deceiving he can really be. Once again he acts as the court jester by telling Sansa that her uncle has taken River Run and that she should try to find him. He then tries to install doubt into her head by questioning her when she says her army and he asks her if she meant her half brothers army, once again showing how he is ambiguous and likes to try to deceive people. Once more Little Finger shows this characteristic of a shape-shifter when he says he was trying to protect Sansa, and that he loved her and her mother but he only made those claims because his life was at risk. He is a messenger by bringing the Starks the dagger made of Valyrain steel which back fired on him and made the Starks aware of his involvement in the attempt to assassinate Bran Stark.
Another characteristics Petyr portrays is being a lewd bricoleur by being the owner of a brothel. This also relates to him being parallel with the court jester because he is being a profaner of beliefs by challenging peoples social beliefs. Obviously he is also parallel to the court jester by always being really close to the royal families, them having a great deal of trust in him and how they use him as their information source which he sometimes he would skew the information.
One can clearly see how Petyr takes on all of Campbell’s traits of a trickster and is a force to be reckoned with. Lord Baelish was a great ally to have as long as one stayed on his good side, which was never permanent because no one could ever fill his belly. Little Finger was a trickster, trying to talk his way out of the inevitable til his very last dying breath. Petyr had played one to many tricks and his game was finally brought to an end.