Happy birthday, Sean Bean: Revisiting what made Ned Stark phenomenal
What's the story
Game of Thrones has no dearth of merciless, ruthless deaths, and several heroes were dispatched to the death's door far too soon, eventually ripping apart the audience's hearts. The earliest such death was that of Ned Stark, portrayed to perfection by Sean Bean, who is celebrating his 64th birthday on Monday. On his special day, we revisit his beloved GOT character.
Relationship with Robert
Stark—always a man of his word
One of the first things we notice about Stark is that he is best friends with Robert Baratheon. The duo could not be more dissimilar in the way they treated their subjects and ruled their kingdom, but that never got in the way of their friendship. Stark, after all, was a man of his word and agreed to visit King's Landing on Baratheon's insistence.
Relationship with his daughters
His relationship with Arya, Sansa was quite heartwarming
During the first season, Stark looks out for his daughters constantly because he is well aware of the dangers that lurk openly and fathoms that there is more than what meets the eye in the Lannisters' clan. He endures to have enriching conversations with Arya and Sansa, and who can forget the smile on Arya's face when he hires Syrio Forel to train her?
Behavior toward enemies
Stark stood upright, no matter who enemy was
Stark is a man who has seen many moons, one who isn't afraid to call a spade a spade, and doesn't bog down in the wake of challenges, even when someone threatens his life. This becomes more evident in his interactions with Littlefinger and Cersei Lannister. They threaten to kill him, but Stark, being the warrior he is, holds his head high.
Love story with Catelyn
His love for Catelyn revealed his softer side
Stark might be an unforgiving lord, but we saw a much softer side of him when he was in his private chambers with Catelyn. Even though the hidden truth about Jon Snow's lineage caused friction, the two were always ready to die for each other. One of the sweetest moments in season one occurs when Cateln visits King's Landing to ensure her husband's safety.