When I first read ‘A Game of Thrones’ (GoT), around 7-8 years ago, there were two things that stood out from other fantasy novels.
Firstly, the almost-total lack of magic in the world of Westeros. In comparison to most other works where the emphasis is on a grand-scale plot where wizards, gods, demons, and other creatures represent the forces of good and evil, GoT was more focused on its characters and staying clear of clearly defined boundaries of right and wrong.
Secondly, before the first novel in the series has even finished, the main character is killed off. Throughout GoT, Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark is cast as the moral heart of the story in an otherwise corrupt world so it seemingly defied all logic to try and continue the series without him.
It was because of this that I, possibly along with other readers, was interested to see the fallout to the TV adaption’s ninth episode, where Ned Stark, played by Sean Bean, is beheaded on the orders of King Joffrey at the Great Sept of Baelor. After the episode aired in the United States on Sunday 12th June, the reaction of a number of non-readers of the novel was somewhat negative, some people even starting campaigns to boycott the show. Various websites and YouTube videos have stressed their outrage at the death of the central character, not to mention arguably the biggest actor name on the show and are refusing to watch the season’s final episode on Sunday 19th June.
If this plot twist has served to do anything, it has clearly split the show’s fan base in two, between those who had previously read the novel and those new to the series when watching the TV version. The readers knew this was coming, so have perhaps been in a better position to appreciate the show as a whole, instead of focusing on Ned Stark. Whilst I can understand the surprise and disappointment of many in seeing Stark’s demise, I believe it has been excessive.
Westeros is a world where the corrupt clearly prosper and those with the most money or more political clout are more likely to be in power, whereas those with honour find themselves in the minority. The TV show follows the novel closely in depicting the Stark family as almost the exception to the rule in terms of what to expect from people across the Seven Kingdoms and it is there that hints Ned was never going to survive long in King’s Landing. Ever since arriving from Winterfell in Episode 3, Ned was out of his depth, constantly being manipulated and outsmarted by the likes of Cersei, Varys, and Littlefinger, all for their own gains. It becomes evident a character as honour-bound as Ned would likely suffer when the King, Robert Baratheon, dies. It is Ned’s investigations, leading to realise Robert is not the father of Joffrey, Rickon, and Myrcella that then put the wheels into motion, resulting in his downfall. Before Ned can take this information to the King, Robert conveniently dies whilst hunting and, when Ned declare Robert’s brother, Stannis, as rightful heir, he falls prey to the conspiring of the Lannisters. Despite both Littlefinger and Renly Baratheon suggesting alternative ways forward upon Robert’s death, Ned stays loyal to whom he sees as the rightful heir and this leads to his death.
This leads to my main point that the Stark family do not have any place within the series from a long term perspective and were used primarily by the author, George R R Martin, for exposition purposes. Whilst GoT makes no mistake in outlining its dark content and relatively bleak outcome for many of its characters, the novel still required a central, good, character as an entry point to guide the reader through the initial events and introduce newcomers to the world of Westeros. If the series had started, for example, where the second novel, A Clash of Kings, begins, it probably would not have had the same level of success as GoT as there is no no-one to initially empathise with, as all characters are pursuing their own goals, with no real adherence to a particular code of conduct. If all characters in GoT were portrayed as evil then there would be no barometer to judge whose actions are good or bad so, by having the Stark family as the central point of the novel, it is easier to define the actions of the other characters.
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| Ned Stark about to meet his unexpected end. |
When comparing GoT to other major sci-fi & fantasy series, there are certain similarities with how they introduce their ‘world’ to the audience. In Lord of the Rings, Gandalf was used to explain the backstory of the ring and act as guide to the fellowship. When the plot needed to move on from this and develop, Gandalf disappears for a large section until The Twin Towers. A similar role was taken by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy and also by Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace. For both characters, when they had effectively served their purpose in terms of exposition and aiding the ‘heroes’ early in their quest, there was then no place for them as the only way for the main characters could fully reach their potential is to break out on their own as the plot comes to a climax e.g., Luke Skywalker coming out of the shadow of Obi-Wan and fighting Darth Vader alone in Return of the Jedi. If Obi-Wan was still alive, fighting alongside Luke, it would not have had the same impact and the film would certainly have suffered as a result.
Another example of this type of role being employed is with Morpheus in The Matrix trilogy. Whilst Laurence Fishburne’s character does not meet the same unfortunate end as those mentioned previously, his role does diminish considerably after the first film where he is responsible for bringing Neo out of the Matrix and into the real world. The character is reduced to that of co-pilot in the third film, Matrix Revolutions, where it probably would have aided the character and overall trilogy if he did indeed perish perhaps at the end of the first film or maybe in the sequel, Matrix Reloaded, to then avoid the series’ now somewhat flawed status.
In the TV version of GoT, with Ned Star only being limited to nine episodes , the last two of those limited to a handful of scenes, a lot of credit must go to Sean Bean for how well he plays the role. Throughout the show, there is an underlying theme to his performance of that of a doomed man, seemingly always realising that he would never return to his homeland of Winterfell after being called upon to aid Robert in King’s Landing. This can be seen at the end of the third episode where Ned oversees his daughter Arya’s sword training. He initially smiles as he sees her enjoying the sparring with her tutor but then he expressions turns much more sombre as he then imagines what would happen to his family should the training become a reality. Another example, in the same episode, occurs where Ned’s wife Catelyn, comes to King’s Landing in secret to warn him of the apparent plot against their family. After they embrace as Catelyn leaves to return to Winterfell, Ned’s appearance is one of a man who realise that he may never see his wife again. Throughout the series, Bean displays a constant level of discomfort in the role, ideal for Ned Stark as he finds himself further isolated as time goes by.
With just one more episode left to air, it would be a major over-reaction for people to now turn away from the show, based purely on Ned’s death. Whilst it was certainly a shock, most people complaining seem to have overlooked the direction that show has taken in the last two episodes. His appearances have been minimal since being taken prisoner at the end of Episode 7. Since then, this has brought other characters to the fore and helped other plot areas develop. Indeed, these last two episodes have resulted in the highest rating figures so far for the show in the United States. Whilst it can be argued that Tyrion Lannister features more prominently in these two episodes, I believe it has given the slightly lesser characters more time to shine. An example would be Varys and Littlefinger. For a non-reader of the novels, it would be quite easy to see both characters in the same light, as underhanded, scheming men, looking to serve their own goals, hidden as they may be. This created the difficulty in viewing each character as individuals, however the last few episodes have done well to avoid this. With Ned imprisoned, Varys is now seen as, whilst not necessarily concerned with who is in power, more focused on the stability of the realm as a whole, therefore wishing to avoid the impending war between North and South. In Episode 9, Varys visits Ned in his cell, imploring him to give in to the Lannister’s demands, in the hope conflict can be avoided. In comparison, Littlefinger appears to thrive on the chaos surrounding him, his actions more led by personal gain as he seeks to keep his position of power as Master of Coin and seek revenge on those he believes have wronged him in the past. With the show now lacking a main character, it gives others to show more depth and further show the complexity of Westeros where no-one can be defined as good or bad, all instead covered in shades of grey.
Whilst many may suggest killing a main character at an early stage was used purely for shock purposes, it can’t be viewed in such a naïve manner. It has clearly been used for plot purposes, with the majority of the remainder of the series being, to date, a consequence of this, as several parties look to seek power due to the instability throughout the Seven Kingdoms. In the following novels, new parts of Westeros and new families are explored, branching out beyond the events of the Starks and Lannisters, all made possible by Ned’s death.
Besides, if anyone is to be blamed for recent events within GoT, I recommend all point the finger at Ned’s wife, Catelyn Stark. If she didn’t kidnap Tyrion Lannister, then none of this would ever have happened!
