discovers this during his escape from King's Landing and strangles Shae before confronting Tywin on the privy. When Tyrion admits that he loved Shae, Tywin repeatedly dismisses her as a whore, prompting Tyrion to shoot him with a crossbow, killing him. Season 5 Tywin's body lies in state in the Great Sept of Baelor before his burial, with Jaime and Cersei the first to pay their respects. Tywin's death upsets the balance of power in King's Landing, namely by allowing the rise to power of the High Sparrow and the Faith Militant. Reception Charles Dance, who played Tywin Lannister in the first fours seasons of the television adaptation, received positive reviews and acclaim for his role. Clive James described his portrayal as "not only the best role of its kind that Dance has ever had; it is the best role of its kind that anyone has ever had". References A Song of Ice and Fire characters Fictional advisors Fictional murdered people Literary characters introduced in 1996 Fictional child abusers Fictional generals Fictional lords and ladies Fictional mass murderers Fictional regents Fictional war veterans Fictional war criminals Fictional military strategists Male characters in literature Male characters in television Male literary villains Patricide in fiction