Game of Thrones/Characters/House Baratheon

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House Baratheon

King Robert I Baratheon (Mark Addy)

"You think honor keeps them in line? You think it's honor that's keeping the peace? It's fear--fear and blood!"

The late ruler of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

Tropes:

Renly: When was that exactly? The once where one half of Westeros fought the other half and millions died? Or before that, when the Mad King slaughtered women and babies because the voices that lived in his head told him they deserved it? Or way before that, when dragons burned whole cities to the ground?!

  • Not So Different: Ned calls him out on his plans to have Daenerys killed as being no better than "The Mad King."
  • Pyrrhic Victory: His rebellion resulted in him becoming king, but the woman whose abduction was his entire impetus for rebelling died, and he was left married to someone he despises.
  • Rant-Inducing Slight: When Ned resigns as Hand of the King, Robert completely loses his temper.
  • Really Gets Around: Has a lot of bastard children to a lot of different women.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: In "The Kingsroad," he stops drinking for long enough to point out that children fighting is normal and not something that requires royal intervention. The rest of the time? Not so much.
  • Revenge: His intense hatred for the Targaryens stems from Rhaegar Targaryen's kidnapping of his late betrothed Lyanna Stark.
    • Revenge Before Reason: Even the mention of the Targaryens can drive him into a frothing rage. While there are pragmatic reasons to send assassins after Daenerys, he does not care about them and just wants to see her family exterminated.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: He was. These days, he does as little as humanly possible now that doesn't involving food or women.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: See Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: He acts before he thinks, longs for the good old days of killing things, and cheats on his wife with numerous whores, many of whom have produced bastards. Contrast with Renly and Stannis.
  • Unwanted Spouse: He has never loved Cersei, and has no problem saying it to her face.
  • Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Via Arranged Marriage. This wasn't true when Cersei and he first wed, but he let himself get fat and lazy.
  • The Usurper: He's called this in-universe

Lord/King Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane)

"I've always served thieves according to their desserts, as you well know Ser Davos. Joffrey, Renly, Robb Stark, they're all thieves. They will bend the knee or I will destroy them."

Middle brother between Robert and Renly. Lord of Dragonstone. Third in line for the throne.

Tropes:

  • 0% Approval Rating: Stannis isn't a very nice guy and hasn't been able to attract many noble houses to his cause through diplomacy. Several characters insist that his rigid and unpopular personality would make him a terrible ruler, though most of these people are rivals for the throne. His closest allies, on the other hand, respect his honesty and serve him with total devotion.
  • Arranged Marriage
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: After his navy is destroyed, he leads the charge into Kings Landing himself, killing several Lannister soldiers with ease. His men actually have to drag him kicking and screaming off the battlefield once it becomes clear that they have lost the battle.
  • Badass: During "Blackwater" he leads his mean from the front directing the landing party personally and once on the battlements has little problem cutting down multiple opponents attacking from all sides.
  • Big No: In "Blackwater" his yelling at his retreating soldiers to stand and fight quickly devolves into this.
  • Brutal Honesty: He doesn't hide his dislike for Robert and calls Jaime the "Kingslayer", but he also insists that Jaime be called "Ser" since he's still a knight.
  • The Comically Serious
  • The Chosen One: According to Melisandre, he is the means to convert the Seven Kingdoms to the faith of the Lord of Light.
  • Combat Pragmatist: He might join a war where he has the smallest army because Law says so, but he's not above using witchcraft to kill his enemies behind the lines rather than suicidally charging against them.

Stannis: "Cleaner ways don't win wars."

  • Freudian Trio: He's the Superego of the Baratheon siblings.
  • Grammar Nazi: Injustice will be punished, usurping would-be kings must be made to kneel... and it's "fewer fingers", not "less fingers".
  • Heroic BSOD: has a barely notable one when he sees Davos' ship burn down in wildfire, and a much more obvious one when he sees what appears to be his dead brother Renly riding to the rescue of King's Landing in "Blackwater."
  • Heroes Love Dogs: Stannis mentions his affection for dogs - "loyal creatures" in his eyes. It's somewhat subverted in that during the Siege of Storm's End, he and his men were forced to eat all the castle hounds in order to survive.
  • Hidden Depths: Keeping Davos Seaworth at his side is a strong indicator that Stannis isn't all bad. He respects loyalty and honesty even when it comes from a commoner and when his poweful allies criticize him for it.
  • Honor Before Reason: Davos suggested to Stannis that he ally with Renly or Robb Stark, and the armies they provide, against the overwhelming Lannister force that opposes them. Stannis rejects the offer, stating that he'll not treat with either rival claimants or thieves. Note that at this point in time Stannis has by far the smallest force out of all the contenders in the War, and yet he's willing to take on all of the opposition (including Renly's massive Reach-Stormlands army and Robb's Northern-Riverlands army), alone if need be.
  • In Harm's Way: He accompanies his troups to King's Landing and personally leads them to storm the battlements.
  • The Messiah: According to Melisandre.
  • Modest Royalty: Especially compared to his brothers, as unlike Renly he forgoes wearing a crown and has very few royal affectations in his dress in general.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: He slowly comes to regret killing Renly.
  • No Sense of Humor
  • No Social Skills
  • Not So Stoic: He loses it once he realizes his men are retreating.
  • One-Man Army: Personally cuts through a score of Lannister soldiers during the Battle of the Blackwater.
  • Prince Charmless: Completely dry and uncharismatic, according to most. Proves to be right by the time Season 2 starts.
    • In Blackwater, he manages to use this to his advantage. His men look to him for Rousing Speech, and instead he delivers a single sentence. It works.

Stannis: Come with me AND TAKE THIS CITY!

  • Principles Zealot: Even though his biggest enemies are Joffrey and the Targaryens, he won't make peace with Renly, who calls himself King despite being younger than Stannis, nor Robb, who has declared the North and the Riverlands a separate kingdom. All three are thieves to his eyes, and he likely figures that as long as all three are working against each other they're actually doing him a favor.
  • Secret Keeper: Averted when the first thing he does with the information about Joffrey's true parentage is to tell it to as many people as possible so no one can claim ignorance, and says that Ned only telling him was a mistake on Ned's part. [1]
  • Sibling Rivalry: With both of his brothers, though it gets especially bad with Renly after they both declare themselves king, and he promises to smash Renly's army when he refuses to surrender. Despite this, he's shown to be genuinely upset after Renly's sudden death in private.
  • The Strategist
  • The Unseen: He never appears in the first season, and is only occasionally talked about by other characters. Stephen Dillane portrays him in Season 2.
  • Unwanted Spouse: As he returns to his keep after burning the idols of the Seven, Stannis nearly forgets his wife Selyse, and then ends up walking off without her anyway.
  • Warrior Prince: Like Robb Stark he started as nobility rather than royalty but is now this.
  • With Us or Against Us
  • Your Cheating Heart : Sleeps with Melisandre once because of the promise of a son. He tried his best to resist her, even bringing up that he has a wife, but his desire for a healthy child overwhelmed him.

Lord/King Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony)

"Do you still believe good soldiers make good kings?"

Robert's youngest brother, Lord of Storm's End, and Master of Laws on Robert's Small Council. Fourth in line for the throne.

Tropes:

  • Afraid of Blood: It's established that he is a bit squeamish due to his lack of combat experience. Seems to be fairly reasonable, as the squeamishness referenced was towards a boy getting his eye knocked out of the socket.
  • Bury Your Gays: Only gay contender to the throne, first to be killed.
  • The Charmer: According to Loras, people just like him. Proves to get along with everyone in his entourage, down to common soldiers, in "What Is Dead May Never Die."
  • Disc One Final Boss: He and his army of one hundred thousand don't last long.
  • Divided We Fall: In "You Win or You Die," Robert's death and Joffrey's ascent to the throne causes him, who's more or less on Ned's side, to become exasperated with Ned's support of Stannis and leave King's Landing.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Shows signs of this when he treats with his brother.

Renly: Who's banner is that?
Stannis: My own.
Renly: I suppose if we used the same the battle would be terribly confusing.

    • From the same scene:

Renly: "Born from salt and smoke"... Is he a ham?

  • Freudian Trio: He's the Ego of the Baratheon brothers.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Of the two Baratheon siblings at King's Landing, one has never failed to attend to important matters and takes part in shaping the future of the realm... and the other is Robert.
  • Killed Off for Real: Despite being set up as a major player in the game of thrones, he gets unceremoniously killed off by Melisandre's shadow son.
  • Nice Guy: Even moreso when contrasted to the other Baratheon claimants to the throne, Joffrey and Stannis. It's easy to see why he is the most popular candidate despite his claim being the weakest of all.
  • Perfectly Arranged Marriage: To Margaery Tyrell, sister to his lover, Ser Loras.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Is this towards Ned, and generally has a much better grasp on the situation in the country than does his brother who is ruling it.
  • The Resenter: He believes that he would make a far better king than either of his brothers or Robert's sons, but he's fourth in line for the throne and the line is unlikely to shorten. All signs point to him being right, not that that's saying much.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Leaves in "You Win or You Die" when Ned refuses to support Renly's bid for the throne.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: He's the smart, politically savvy brother who doesn't particularly like fighting, while Robert is a notable warrior.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: He thinks before he acts, prefers council meetings to hunting, and seems to be faithful to one man that he trusts and listens to. See Robert's entry to contrast.
    • Also in play versus Stannis. Renly is a cheeky, likeable guy who makes jokes, cares about his men, has lots of friends, is happy with his long-time couple and has no problem ignoring the laws of succession if he believes it's better for the realm (or, you know, if it makes him king). Stannis is a gray and dour man with no sense of humor, does not care about what other people feel or think, has no friends besides Davos, and always follows the law to the letter (even if it means being unfaithful to his wife).
  • Invisible to Gaydar: Much more masculine than his lover, at least, though oddly not nearly as combative.
  • Transparent Closet: His and Loras' relationship seems to be an open secret. To put this into perspective, his betrothed, Margaery Tyrell knows about it, and simple Lannister bannermen joke about Loras "stabbing Renly Baratheon for years, and Renly ain't dead!"

Queen Selyse Baratheon (nee Florent)

Stannis Baratheon's wife.

Tropes:

  • Acceptable Feminine Goals: She hasn't been able to give Stannis' any male heirs, only "stillborns and death". [2]
  • Arranged Marriage
  • Demoted to Extra: While never a major character, she's more prominent in the books, where she eagerly joins the faith of the Lord of Light after Melisandre arrives on Dragonstone.
    • Currently being cast for a much larger role in Season 3, along with Stannis' daughter Shireen.

Stannis' household

Lady Melisandre (Carice van Houten)

"The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors."

A mysterious red-headed eastern priestess that worships 'The Lord of Light'. She's convinced that Stannis is The Messiah of her religion.

Tropes:

Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham)

"You want me to have a god? Fine. King Stannis is my god. He raised me up and blessed me with his trust, he gave you a future I could never have imagined. You know how to read, you’ll be a knight someday, you think a fire god commanded all that? It was Stannis, only Stannis."

A former smuggler who gained his knighthood by smuggling onions to the besieged Storm's End, garrisoned by Stannis and his men, during Robert's Rebellion. For the onions he was granted knighthood and lands, for the smuggling Stannis cut out three fingers of his right hand.

Tropes:

Stannis is our King. We follow where he leads, even if we don’t like the path.

  • Never Learned to Read: Due to his humble origins.
  • Nouveau Riche: A rare honorable and heroic example.
  • Oh Crap: When he sees that the single Lannister ship in the mouth of the Blackwater Rush is empty and its pouring wildfire on the water.
  • Only Sane Man
  • Pragmatic Adaptation: In the books, his left hand is maimed, which was changed to his right as Liam Cunningham is left-handed.
  • Raised in the Faith of the Seven: Davos is either agnostic or atheistic, but still instinctively invokes the Seven when seeing something as shocking as Melisandre getting heavily pregnant within days and giving birth to a shadow monster.
  • Undying Loyalty: Despite his misgivings about waging war against enemies that outnumber them, he remains loyal to Stannis and will follow wherever he leads.

Maester Cressen (Oliver Ford Davies)

"All of you were named in the light of the Seven! Is that how you treat the gods of our fathers?"

An old Maester serving Stannis Baratheon at Dragonstone.

Tropes:

  • Blood From the Mouth
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Arguable. Cressen attempts to take out Melisandre by toasting to the Lord of Light as the only true god, then drinking from a poisoned chalice and offering it to Melisandre so the two will die and everyone else in the room will take this as a sign to abandon the Lord of Light and return to the Faith of the Seven. However, Melisandre sees past Cressen's plans and drinks from the chalice knowing that her powers make her immune to the poison. The "heretic" Cressen dies, she "miraculously" survives, and everyone else will end seeing this as evidence of her god's power.
  • Killed Off for Real
  • Old Retainer
  • Only Sane Man: Either this or Commander Contrarian
  • Parental Substitute[3]
  • Perfect Poison: Uses it against Melisandre. It doesn't work.
  • Sacrificial Lamb: Killed in his first episode to show Melisandre's power
  • Taking You with Me: His plan to poison Melisandre is to drink first from a cup of poisoned wine and then offer some to her. It doesn't work. Melisandre is immune to poisons thanks to her magical powers.

Salladhor Saan (Lucian Msamati)

"The one true god is what’s between a woman’s legs".

A powerful Lysene pirate and mercenary. Also old friend of Davos.

Tropes:

  • Hollywood Atheist: Type VII - he rubs his atheism on deeply religious Matthos for the lulz.
  • Insistent Terminology: He's not going to rape Cersei, he's going to fuck her. There's a difference.
  • Pirate
  • Pride: "I'm a pirate. I'm an excellent pirate."
  • Race Lift: While never described in detail in the books, Salladhor Saan is Lyseni and Lyseni are described as fair-skinned, blond and blue-eyed. His background is changed for the series.
  • Token Minority
  • Where Da White Women At?: He demands Cersei as prize for helping attack King's Landing - not to rape her, he says, but to seduce her. Specifically citing her blondeness.

Matthos Seaworth (Kerr Logan)

"Every night when you were at sea, I light a candle, and I prayed, for you."

Davos' son and scribe to King Stannis.

Tropes:

  • Composite Character: In the books, Davos has six sons, several of whom go with him into battle, but only Matthos is ever seen in the series. He fulfills the job of scribe rather than Maester Pylos and follows the Lord of Light like Devan Seaworth.
  • The Fundamentalist: He's a true believer of the Lord of Light and is frequently trying to convert his father.
  • Killed Off for Real
  • Mauve Shirt
  • Nice Guy: He's visibly disgusted when Salladhor expresses his intent to claim Cersei as his concubine.


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  1. ↑ This is a notable change from the books, where he WAS the one who brought his suspicions to Jon Arryn in the first place and helped him investigate, but then left court out of fear for his life and resentment Robert didn't make him Hand. It was only Ned Stark and his older brother's death that pushed him into action, and made him take a more decisive stance.
  2. ↑ Stannis does in fact have a sickly daughter named Shireen who will be appearing in Season 3.
  3. ↑ He see's himself as this to Stannis because he pretty much raised Stannis and Renly after their parents drowned and while Robert and Renly were charming, Stannis was not and, in Cressen's eyes, he needed him the most.
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