Eddard Stark and His Lethal Oopsies

Eddard Stark’s decapitation was no doubt one hell of a tragedy. Despite his efforts to defend the honor of his friend and king Robert Baratheon, he ultimately fucked up the moment he decided to take the dynasty’s fate in his own hands. This way of playing the game of thrones disagrees with most of the society within the seven kingdoms. Because of his inability to think through cause and effect, he fails to succeed in court. To put it bluntly, Ned Stark is a fool rather than an honorable hand of the king.

Despite proving in more ways than one that he’s both politically stupid and misogynistic, television audiences and readers fail to see how the “likable” Ned screwed up. They’re lost in mourning his inevitable death when really the concern should be on the people he has now fucked over. Really, y’all should’ve seen it coming. Lord Eddard Stark was not long for this world.

                   

Eddard Stark is lost in the fantasy where King’s Landing plays the game as Winterfell does. You could say the capital was the heart of his downfall, considering his inconsideration started with spotting the fault in the Baratheon dynasty. In Adam Dublin’s article, he describes Ned as someone who, “comes across as very rule-bound, and seeing the world in a very black and white sort of way”. Because of Eddard’s Stark strict views of society around him, he takes it upon himself to take care of the disruption of the family line when it comes to Joffrey’s unrightful place.

Ned’s first lethal oopsie came right after the discovery of Cersei’s result of incest with Jamie. King Robert is moaning on his death bed and his brother Renley points out Eddard’s current responsibility and suggests Joffrey be taken to leave Cersei desperate. Renly’s ‘what the fuck’ moment comes after Eddard declines the offer, saying it’ll frighten the children while blood is spilling onto the corridor floors. What the Lord of Winterfell is failing to anticipate is that King Robert is minutes away from death, meaning the queen already has her ducks in a row to win the game of thrones rather than Ned’s plan to disrupt the Baratheon dynasty.

Renly is thinking strategically and foreseeing the different outcomes after Robert’s passing. This is where our fellow Ned Stark falls short; he sees things as strictly black and white with no grey to compensate the values in between. He expects the laws followed and honor respected, but according to Cersei and the rest of the kingdom, that’s just not how to finesse game of thrones.

Unlike Eddard, Little Finger knows how to play politics with stealth and plotting. He warns Ned that the plan is faulty and should instead defend the kingdom as Joffrey’s hand. Petyr specifically points out the importance of making peace with your enemies. Realistically, this way of strategizing beats Eddard’s by a long run. The differences are there and weighed out, but Ned still stands by his defense of honor.

           

Eddard Stark sure has a lot of arrogance for someone who supposedly cares about the kingdom’s safety. Scott Meslow points out in his blog post that the combination of his mercy and arrogance will bring major consequences to both him and his family. Ned’s confrontation with Cersei is often viewed as sympathy, considering that he suggested she take Joffrey and get the hell out of King’s Landing. Elaina, author of themanyfacedblog, points out something interesting regarding the reason behind Eddard’s warning. She says, “His past experiences with Robert have shown that when slighted, Robert is willing to harm and kill innocent children”. The king’s lord knows what he is capable of, meaning he is willing to have mercy on the queen and her son before he exposes the truth.

Viewers and readers alike miss the blatant misogyny in Ned’s warning, though. He is foolish to expect that he has the power to make a woman cower and clutch her pearls. In actuality, Cersei is the one who doesn’t bend at the knee to honor of the Baratheons: her son is will become the next king and there’s nothing that will keep her from obtaining power.

Because Eddard’s arrogance fails to defeat Cersei unlike he expected, his decapitated head ended up dripping blood in front of the society he fell short of defending. The domino of mistakes and flawed decision-making left the kingdom in a crappier state than it would’ve been if he listened to what Little Finger, Cersei, and Varys had to say.

Varys is the last soul to try and make Ned reconsider. After the Lord of the North barks at the castrated man for not defending him, he bluntly told Eddard that there is no point in defending either side. In fact, Varys calls out his (Ned’s) bluff. Though it’s understandable for Ned to want justice for his late king, son, and his men, he is given the chance to make peace with the Lannisters. Just as Little Finger, Varys stresses that this is what the kingdom needs after Robert Baratheon’s death.

It’s in this conversation with Varys that we find out Ned isn’t fit to be keeper of the realm. Instead, he stresses too much on upholding honor and justice to the point he forgets the safety of the kingdom’s people. This is a sure-fire way to screw up the future of seven kingdoms, as a shitstorm is already brewing off in the distance thanks to his threat towards Cersei and her son.

For someone stubborn to lie about the rightful heir of the throne, he has no problem bending the words of King Robert when he’s heaving his last breaths in front of them. Going back to when his friend was first attacked by the boar, Ned was exposed as someone who is not-so-truthful himself. The changing of Robert Baratheon’s last wish shows just how hypocritical the Lord of the North is rather than practicing what he preaches. The man is too determined to interrupt the dynasty that he goes against his own morals to reassure that the throne doesn’t go to Joffery.

Going back to his decapitated head, viewers and readers everywhere will testify that the death of Eddard Stark is a tragedy that has everyone still beating their fists on countertops and asking “why”. Well, the proof is in the pudding: there’s no excuse to not have anticipated this coming.

Ned was (emphasis on was) a fool for thinking him and his one-man army could overthrow the Lannisters and claim back the throne in King Robert’s honor. In a different article, Meslow describes Ned’s decisions as his honor, “always been misapplied—first to an unfit king, and then to a moral code that would have killed him out stubbornness, not courage”. It’s not surprising that audiences and readers would mistake his foolery as bravery. Afterall, one of his most likable traits is that he’s a family man.

Everyone can see the fatherly role Eddard kept throughout his time in the first book and season one of the HBO series. It’s not shocking to have a soft spot for the Lord of the North, since his concerns laid heavily on that of his family and friends. However, this doesn’t mean society around him should be jeopardized.

        

Don’t be shocked by Eddard Stark’s Greek tragedy. His way with politics and teamwork sucks that put not only himself but others in danger. It’s easy to fall for a man who is claiming to do things in order to follow the law, but that’s not how the game of thrones work. Ned found that out the hard way, leaving his death to be a symbol of consequence rather than nobility.