Ned's Themes

Even Rulers Who Would Be Impartial Are Biased

An individual's gut feelings vs. advise of many councillors.

2 AGOT Bran I: Ned judges, sentences and executes Gared for deserting the Night's Watch. Though perfunctory, his judgment is compared with the idea of giving mercy to the direwolf pups. Ned considers the views of his stableman and captain at arms as well as his children, showing him to be flexible in his judgment and swayable.

3 AGOT Catelyn I: Ned worries he'll have to call the banners against Mance Rayder. Too many men are deserting and rangers are disappearing. Though the problem is the return of the Others, not Mance Rayder, Ned can't help but jump to the conclusion the wildling king is the problem. Without all the information necessary, who can know what to think? No one can know whether or not they have all the necessary information.

7 AGOT Catelyn II: Choices made by rulers often involve weighing a gut feelings against council. Catelyn convinces Ned he must go, against his deeper certainty, to save his friend and king. By prioritizing the capitol over the north, Catelyn's thinking reminds that councillors may have a wide variety of motives, even ones about which they are themselves unclear.

13 AGOT Eddard II: Robert is bossier than he indicated. Worse, Cersei rules through him, having Jaime named warden of the east. How can Ned sway his king against killing children without entering into a tug of war against those also aiming to influence him? Like Varys, who sent the news of Dany's wedding as urgent.

17 AGOT Eddard III: Cersei as a ruler revealed to be petty, entitled and murderous.

21 AGOT Eddard IV: Ned decides to work with a man he despises (Littlefinger) proving that being intelligent and diplomatic can be less reliable than gut feeling.

Defense is offense. Preparation to be attacked escalates.

23 AGOT Arya II: Finding Arya armed, Ned requires her to make peace with Sansa, but also starts her sword training.

26 AGOT Eddard V: Littlefinger recommends paranoia in form of advising Ned not to be seen to do his own intel gathering.

28 AGOT Eddard VI: Ned overrules council to add from his own guard to the City Watch. Ned feels his isolation in council and weakens his own guard to do what he knows the city needs.

31 AGOT Eddard VII: Varys tells Ned Cersei is trying to kill Robert. He's planing on fighting in the melee.

34 AGOT Eddard VIII: Ned resigns and prepares to return to Winterfell because he can't sway Robert against having children killed.

36 AGOT Eddard IX: But Littlefinger delays Ned and sets him up for confrontation by Jaime

40 AGOT Eddard X: Robert comes to Ned's sickbed and insists he make peace with Jaime and have Catelyn return Tyrion.

44 AGOT Eddard XI: Though Ned means to be impartial, his judgment against the Mountain is rooted in his awareness that Tywin has gone to war against the Tullys. He makes a personal call instead of consulting Robert, as many suggest he do. His willingess to overstep shows both that Ned believes rulers to be interchangeable and that they aren't.

46 AGOT Eddard XII: Expecting Robert to kill Cersei and her children, Ned warns her he means to tell Robert.

48 AGOT Eddard XIII: Robert has a change of heart about Daenerys on his death bed and tells Ned he was wrong to send assassins for her.

50 AGOT Eddard XIV: The reveal that Littlefinger always meant to betray Ned.

59 AGOT Eddard XV: Varys convinces Ned to make false confession to save Sansa.

66 AGOT Arya V: Joffey decides to show he's king and has Ned beheaded as a demonstration.

The Merciful Executioner Construction: Eddard Stark's Fatal Flaw

Beheads Gared, Spares Direwolf Pups, Executes Lady, Is Beheaded. It's called mercy.

Mercy

2 AGOT Bran I: Ned's judgment of Gared will be compared with the idea of giving mercy to the direwolf pups when Joffrey executes him and calls it mercy. The first chapter shows Ned perform the office of King's Justice, careful to educate his sons and ward. He tells Bran he must learn to cut a man's head off with a single blow because "One day justice may fall to you."

"Do you understand why I did it?"16

3 AGOT Catelyn I: Ned tries to console himself over Jon Arryn's death by calling it "some small mercy" that Pycelle administered a fatal dose of milk of the poppy.

13 AGOT Eddard II: To Targaryens, not to Lannisters.

17 AGOT Eddard III: Ned gives Lady the gift of mercy, but his true motive is to deny a trophy to Cersei.

34 AGOT Eddard VIII: Ned resigns and prepares to return to Winterfell because he can't sway Robert against having children killed.

36 AGOT Eddard IX: But not to Jaime

40 AGOT Eddard X: to Kingsguard at Tower of Joy, but not to Jaime

44 AGOT Eddard XI: Execution oder for Mountain

46 AGOT Eddard XII: Tells Cersei he's going to tell Robert, so she might flee with her children.

59 AGOT Eddard XV: Promised mercy by Varys if he makes false confession

66 AGOT Arya V: Ned's confession allows Joffrey to deny the promised mercy and behead him.

Slow to Act

5 AGOT Eddard I: Offered rule of the seven Kingdoms through Robert, Ned declines, is pressed, asked for time to consider.

Burial

5 AGOT Eddard I: Speaks to Robert in the crypts

13 AGOT Eddard II: Argues with Robert by the barrows

17 AGOT Eddard III: Sends Jory back with Lady's bones

40 AGOT Eddard X: Sends Jory north to be buried and remembers burying Jory's father at the Tower of Joy

48 AGOT Eddard XIII:

67 AGOT Bran VII: Bran and Rickon dream Ned in the crypts

Against the political assassination of children

This construction certainly sets up Ned's motivation for telling Cersei his intention to tell Robert. If R+L=J is true, this construction may come to explain that Ned hid Jon for fear he'd be killed by Robert.

13 AGOT Eddard II: Argues with Robert about the threat posed by Dany and Viserys and remembers the bodies of Rhaegar's children.

The Faces of Eddard Stark

Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, Warden of the North. AGOT Chapters 1-7

• Teaches his sons and ward to be dutiful and execute from a clean conscience.

• Belongs in the north

• Wields the Valyrian sword Ice

• King of the North in all but name

• Grieves his sister, Lyanna, to whom it seems he broke a promise or must desperately keep one.

• Did much to put Robert on the throne

• Judges and dislikes the Lannisters, especially for their treachery and the murder of Elia and her children

Ned, the king's best friend and new Hand. AGOT Chapters 13-34

• Worries Robert isn't the man he knew

• Opposed enmasse by council

• Really only there to investigate Jon Arryn's murder

• Doesn't know what to teach his daughters

• Exhausted, flustered, angry and appalled

• Comes to doubt whether he was right to seat Robert on the throne over Rhaegar

The man who dreams of the Tower of Joy. Wounded, his men killed, at war with the Lannisters. AGOT Chapters 36-66

• Catelyn has indicted Tyrion and Ned has to claim responsibility

• Sure that good and right can and will prevail

• Impatient, angry, feverish, often drugged

• Motivated to move his daughters to safety and speak to Stannis

• Knows there will be blood when he figures out that Cersei has cuckolded Robert