A special guest blog-post by Pevara
Everything in a piece of media has a purpose: to give the audience as much information as they can to tell the story that they're trying to tell. Choices are made regarding actors, dialogue, costumes, lighting, and even the sets. Although words and actions are typically the main focus, even a still image of a single room full of chairs contributes to what the creators want us to know.
An example of this is the layout of the Hall of the Tower as depicted in The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime. It is a visual representation of the status of the White Tower as a whole and the Amyrlin Seat specifically. Where each Ajah chooses to sit in relation to the Seat tells us about their status within the Hall, and in turn the location of the Amyrlin Seat within the Hall shows us the priorities and insecurities of the woman herself. The movement of the seats for the Amyrlin and all the Sitters between seasons shows us the shifting political climate and spells out the doom of the current Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche.
In the books, we learn a few things about how the Ajahs arrange themselves: the eldest two Sitters may choose to claim the spots nearest the Amyrlin for their Ajahs, indicating that being closest to the Amyrlin is the place of greatest value and therefore the most sought after. [CoT:19] There is no indication that this is always the case however, and we also learn an Ajah can gain more status or influence if they bring in a larger number of or stronger channelers to be Novices. [TGH:4] It is possible that this allows some Ajahs to gain enough influence in this manner (and let's be real, it's the Aes Sedai, there are probably another hundred small things they choose to place significance on that will gain or lose them status) that they could supercede a Sitter's age and claim these coveted spots for themselves.
On numerous occasions we learn how important alliances are to making things happen in the Tower. Some Ajahs are aligned with others for a single issue, and some for centuries, as is the case for the Blue and the Green. The Red Ajah and the Blue Ajah have been at odds with each other as far back as the White Tower histories record. The White Ajah dislikes both the Blue and Red nearly equally, but will generally side with the Blue Ajah. The Gray and Yellow Ajahs most often support the Red Ajah.
Season 1
In Season 1 the Amyrlin Seat is placed between the platforms of two of the Ajahs, equidistant between the only two points of entry to the Hall. For our purposes, I will call these two the public entrance, as it's the door through which all Sitters, guards, guests, prisoners, witnesses, etc enter, and the Amyrlin's entrance, as it leads to her private study. The public entrance is to the Amyrlin's left, and the door to her study is on her right.
The Sitters themselves are arranged by Ajah - each dais has three marble chairs for the Sitters of that Ajah. There are two flanking the Amyrlin Seat itself, and then five others arrayed across from the Seat around the outer edge of the room separated from the others by the two points of entry. To the Amyrlin's left is the Red Ajah and to her right is the Green. The other five, going clockwise from the Green Ajah, are Brown, White, Blue, Yellow, and Gray.
What does this tell us? The layout of the Hall in Season 1 is one of collaboration. When someone is admitted to the Hall, they enter from the Amyrlin's left, come to the center and turn to face before the Seat. When the Amyrlin enters, she enters from the right, and turns to her Seat before entering. This evokes a feeling of equality. She is not above others, she simply has a different door to walk through. She walks the same distance as them to reach the center of the Hall. This placement also allows the Amyrlin to see almost all of the other Ajahs easily as she is more centered among them, as if first among equals here, rather than a ruler.
The show appears to possibly be using a mix of the customs from the books. In Season 1, we see the Gray and Yellow Ajahs on the same side as the Reds, at least physically, and the Brown and White Ajahs between the Blues and Greens with whom they often sided in the books. As we begin Season 3 we see that the dais directly to the Amyrlin's left is empty because the Red Ajah has been excluded from the Hall, but their place is still preserved. This tells us that at least some places are set, if not all.
The Red and Green next to the Amyrlin being the two most active, prominent Ajahs, indicates that they are currently the most important, in status within the Hall and the narrative. The separation of these two from the other five Ajahs also sets them above the others, as if they're an extension of the Amyrlin Seat themselves.
When the Amyrlin enters the Hall, the first Ajah she sees is the Gray, as they are directly across from her study door. The Gray Ajah, being the Ajah of laws and mediation, reminds her to find balance, to make decisions based on fairness. It reminds her of the laws of the White Tower, and the traditions she represents.
Someone entering from the other door, however, first sees the Brown Ajah. The Brown is the Ajah of history and knowledge. This should serve as a visual reminder to those entering of the longevity of the Aes Sedai and their accumulated wisdom.
The location on of the Blue Ajah, directly across from the Amyrlin, who is formerly of the Blue herself (*gasp*) puts them as far from her as possible, representing that she has severed ties with them, being of all Ajahs and none. It does more than that, though. With their place directly across from her, those Sitters face her head on every time she takes the Seat. They are in opposition to her, and are also holding her accountable from this position. We're shown this in Season 1 when Maigan and the other Blues so visibly respond to what's happening in the center of the room, seen from Siuan's point of view, even though the Blues aren't the main focus.
Season 3
Season 3 starts with a new arrangement. The Seat has been moved clockwise so that it is now to the right of the Amyrlin's entrance, and directly across from the Public entrance. This puts it first in line on the side with five daises, so there are four Ajahs to the Amyrlin's right: Green, Brown, Gray, and Blue. On the opposite side are the White, Yellow, and Red, who are now to the left of the Amyrlin's entrance.
This positions the Seat more like a throne. There is a long, wide hallway that leads to the Public entrance, so though the distance from the door to the center is the same, now any visitors who come to the Hall are facing down the Seat for much longer before reaching the center of the room. The Amyrlin, however, coming in with the Seat directly to her right, no longer has to traverse the distance to the center and then turn to her Seat. She can instead take her place much more quickly. No longer is there equality between the Amyrlin and her supplicants. This placement also allows her as easy an exit as an entrance, and the vacant Red dais in the opening scene of the season removes any obstacle to this.
There is also no longer a place of pride to both the Amyrlin's left and right, but now only to her right, where the Green Ajah sits. With only the Battle Ajah next to the Amyrlin, this suggests a more militant Tower. The Red Ajah is still the next seat to her left, but there is now a gap created by the Amyrlin's entrance. There is distance, both literal and metaphorical, between the Amyrlin and the Reds.
The Blue Ajah is still in the position furthest from the Amyrlin however, now they are no longer directly across, as that place is taken by the Public door. They are instead just to the right. They are not opposing her, and not holding her accountable. They are just another Ajah in the room.
The Gray, Yellow, and White Ajahs have all moved positions relative to the Seat. Gray is now next to Brown, and one spot further away. This could mean they're losing influence in the Hall, or that they're more aligned with the Brown Sitters. The White Ajah is the same distance away, but on the opposite side and the Yellow Ajah has moved up one. In the same way as the Gray and Brown Ajahs, this could indicate the Yellow Ajah is gaining status, possibly in part because of Nynaeve's interest in Healing, and that the Yellow and White Ajahs are more closely aligned.
Between Seasons 1 and 3 we see a drastic shift in the Hall, moving from a respectful, collaborative environment, to a broken and fearful one. The movement of Ajahs shows shifting alliances and changes in status. The Amyrlin is making herself appear more powerful out of her insecurity by moving herself to be the first thing seen upon entry. She is also more vulnerable because this position means she does not have anyone holding her accountable, and she's trusting fewer Sitters as she distances herself from them and backs herself into a corner. All together, this tells a tale of someone desperate to remain in control because she is losing her hold on her authority.
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