*Warning: This article contains spoilers for seasons 1-5*
As a devout fan of the hit HBO drama and saga written by George R. R. Martin, "Game of Thrones" (GoT) I have shed my fair share of tears over the deaths of some of the series’ most beloved characters. Any other faithful GoT watcher can attest to the fact that the show sucks you in and doesn’t let you go until you’re a puddle on your TV room floor mourning the unexpected loss of some other character. Although GoT is only a few weeks into its sixth season, I can’t help but wait with bated breath for my heart to shatter over a character that I’ve become far too attached to. However, for me, there have been some particularly rough deaths throughout the five previous seasons of GoT. The top five, in my opinion, are as follows.
5. Ygritte
Ygritte, the fiery redhead with the badass attitude (and badass archery skills) that wooed Jon Snow, met her end just as I expected she would - in Snow’s arms. Ygritte was a citizen of the Free Folk, aka the Wildlings, and was originally introduced into the story as Snow’s hostage before they ended up falling in love and having sex in a cave. Ygritte, portrayed by British actress Rose Leslie, parted ways with Snow after she ended up shooting three arrows into him at the end of a quarrel. Talk about an overreaction. Anyway, Ygritte bit the bullet — or the arrowhead, I should say — when the Wildlings attempted to capture Castle Black, where the Night’s Watch resides and where Snow was. She bled to death in Snow's arms, her last words were her tagline of, “You know nothing Jon Snow,” which was spoken approximately 1500 times throughout her time on the show. Tears were shed over Ygritte’s death, but speaking from a writer’s perspective, it was a necessary sacrifice that propelled Snow’s story further.
4. Oberyn Martell
Oberyn Martell, the foreign tan heartthrob prince from Dorne, was a character that I couldn’t wait to be introduced into the GoT TV series. Also known as “The Red Viper,” Oberyn Martell is a master of poisons, as many Dornish are. Long story short he ended up in the capital, King’s Landing, for Joffrey Baratheon (who is also dead, but he deserved to suffer a terrible death) and Margaery Tyrell’s wedding. Joffrey Baratheon, the sadistic little s**t that he was ended up getting poisoned and dying on his wedding day. His uncle, Tyrion Lannister, another GoT fave of mine, was accused of the crime. Fast forward a few episodes, and Martell volunteers to be Lannister's champion for a “trial by combat” that would come to determine Lannister's fate. Martell would be facing Sir Gregor Clegane, aka “The Mountain.” Coincidentally, "The Mountain" is quite literally the most deadly individual in all of Westeros; he is portrayed as being well over 7-feet tall, and his sheer power is enough to destroy any man. He also happens to be the dude who raped and brutally murdered Oberyn Martell's sister, Elia Martell. So naturally, Oberyn Martell was a little more invested in this than the average soldier.
What was so devastating about Oberyn Martell's death was that he literally had "The Mountain" on the ground, virtually defeated. But to his demise, he attempted to make "The Mountain" admit to his crimes against Elia Martell. Seeing an opportunity, "The Mountain" grabbed Oberyn Martell, inserted his massive thumbs into his eye sockets, and quite literally popped Oberyn Martell's head like a freaking pimple. Not only was this death horrifically brutal, it also condemned Lannister to death (which didn’t happen) and would eventually ignite a fire of hatred in the Dornish people, who go on to return the favor.
3. Robb Stark
Other than my unhealthy obsession for Richard Madden, the actor who plays Robb Stark, no amount of emotional preparation could have prepared me for his death. The eldest son of the Stark family was a natural leader, a vengeful son and brother and a cutie pie. He was called the “Young Wolf” after Joffrey Baratheon unjustly had his father, Ned Stark, beheaded, and he began to assemble an army against the Lannisters. Robb Stark married Talisa, a medic from Volantis and together they conceived a child — who also didn’t make out so well. Robb Stark was murdered by Roose Bolton, the head of another noble family that was 110 percent in the pocket of the Lannisters. Robb Stark met his end in the iconic “The Red Wedding.” Although the event slightly differs from the book, HBO’s version of "The Red Wedding" entailed the death of Robb Stark at the hand of Bolton, his mother, Catelyn Stark, having her throat slit and his wife and baby Stark also being murdered.
"The Red Wedding" was the end of three major characters with a primary storyline in a one scene, 4-minute interval. It was also wildly unexpected - unless you knew to expect it. Robb Stark's death was a particularly devastating one for fans that were routing for him to avenge poor Ned Stark, a series favorite who also met a sharp end, as well as bring his sisters Sansa Stark and Arya Stark to safety. Secondly, the desolation of Robb Stark's corpse was another unnecessary measure that left fans crying. Robb Stark's body was drawn-and-quartered and hung in the hall where he was murdered. Robb Stark's direwolf, Grey Wind, was also slaughtered, and the wolf’s head was sewn onto Robb Stark's headless corpse and paraded around Westeros as an example to anybody who dared even consider rebelling against the crown. It’s been three seasons, and I’m still not over this death.
2. Ned Stark
The protagonist of season one of GoT was Eddard Stark, or Ned. Ned Stark is portrayed by Sean Bean, so we should’ve known that Stark was a goner from the very start since Bean is on the "Top 10 Most Frequently Killed Actors" list. The Warden of the North lived in Winterfell with his family. A childhood friend of then King Robert Baratheon, Ned Stark was invited to go to King’s Landing to become Hand of the King when trouble began to brew. Ned Stark finds out that the king’s three children aren’t actually his children but products of incest from the queen, Cersei Lannister, and her twin brother. After Robert Baratheon dies from being gored by a boar (i.e. poisoned by Cersei Lannister) Joffrey Baratheon, the oldest child who happens to be a completely sadistic little sociopath, is made king. Long story short, Ned Stark attempts to expose the incest that has taken place in the royal bedroom as well as the truth about the murder of the previous hand of the king. Joffrey Baratheon publicly beheads Ned Stark after saying that he would grant him a pardon. Ned Stark was killed in the square, with his youngest daughter, Arya Stark, in the crowd.
Aside from the unexpected murder of show’s protagonist, the worst part about Ned Stark's death is that because Joffrey Baratheon promised to pardon him, Ned Stark didn’t even get a chance to expose the Baratheons for being little beasts produced by incest, as well as how the former hand of the king met his end. So basically, the only honest character in the entire show was decapitated after surrendering to the creepy little adolescent king. That hit my morality right in the freaking heart man. Ned Stark's death was the very event that set the entire storyline of the rest of the show in motion. It is now season six and Ned Stark's death is still an event that is often referenced, especially since his children are scattered all over the world and doing their own things. The GoT series began with the Starks, and I have a strong inkling that it will end with them.
1. Shireen Baratheon
I really don’t even know where to start with this atrocity. Shireen is the youngest and only daughter of Stannis Baratheon, Robert Baratheon’s (the former king) brother. Shireen Baratheon suffers from Gray Scale, a disease that spreads like Leprosy and eventually drives the host into insanity. However, when Shireen Baratheon was an infant, they managed to find a healer who could fix her, but her face remained scarred and scaled from the illness. Stannis Baratheon, seeking the Iron Throne on which his brother once sat, put his faith in Melisandre, or “The Red Woman.” Melisandre is a priestess of the Lord of Light.
Feeling disheartened about his repeated failed rebellion and conquering of King’s Landing, Stannis Baratheon turned to Melisandre once again, desperate. Feeling bold, Melisandre suggests that they offer a sacrifice to the Lord of Light in order to fuel the rebellion. She feels that this sacrifice should be Shireen Baratheon, who is led to a pyre and burned at the stake in front of her parents as well as Stannis Baratheon’s entire army.
This death was a rough one for obvious reasons. It’s super not cool to burn a little girl at the stake for the sake of winning a war, but what got me was the fact that nobody made any attempt to save her, challenge Melisandre or Stannis Baratheon. Even Shireen Baratheon's own parents stood by and watched their small daughter get burned alive. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t totally necessary for Shireen Baratheon to get barbecued (although Martin has hinted that Shireen Baratheon will meet a similar demise eventually in the book series,) because her parents’ deaths came shortly after. Realizing what had been done, Shireen Baratheon’s mother hung herself in the woods, and Stannis Baratheon met his end by Brienne of Tarth’s massive sword. The worst part of all is that Melisandre abandoned Stannis Baratheon’s cause once she realized that he was going to lose the war. So in complete honesty, that little girl died for no reason at all.
As my brother says, “Take solace in the fact that it’s all fake.” But I can’t help but develop an emotional attachment to characters such as the ones in GoT. With the ending of the series rapidly coming to a close right beneath the noses of the fans, the anticipation is bubbling within me about who is next to meet their end on GoT. So shall I ask, who do you think has their head on the chopping block (other than Ned Stark)?