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Zuotengdazuo Posted 8 years ago
Grammar

Type 3 conditional?

Until the day their lord father’s heart had burst in his chest as he was ascending a steep flight of steps to her bed, that is. All the self-seekers who had named themselves her friends and cultivated her favor had abandoned her quickly enough when Tywin had her stripped naked and paraded through Lannisport to the docks, like a common whore. Though no man laid a hand on her, that walk spelled the end of her power. Surely Tywin would never have dreamed that same fate awaited his own golden daughter. (Game of Thrones)

Context: Tywin Lannister is Ser Kevan Lannister's older brother. And this quote is part of Ser Kevan's memory of their lord father and the father's mistress. This mistress is lowborn, compared to the highborn Lannisters. But the father is weak and submissive to her so she wield immense power over their house and their subjects. The son Tywin thinks this dishonors the Lannisters so when their father dies he has managed to punished this mistress. Now Tywin is old and he is dead too and his daughter has suffered the same punishment.

Hi. Dear teachers. Sorry for writing too much and bringing up this topic again. But I'd like to know how to understand the bold part. My own thinking is it implies a condition so the whole sentence is a type 3 conditional "Even if Tywin had dreamt his wildest dream when he was alive, he would never have dreamed that same fate awaited his own golden daughter". Is this thinking right?

Thank you for reading my thread and your teaching in advance!
PS: previous discussion:

http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/surely-tywin-would-never-have-dreamed.3422725/#post-17362494

Despite the thread, I still need your professional help. I know you have better ideas!

  
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