In the first episode of our “Battle of Ideologies” series, we discuss the life philosophies Ned Stark, Jon Snow and Sansa Stark represent in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Support ScreenPrism on Patreon:

The most prominent philosophical value in Westeros is honor. But we’ve seen that many characters think being honorable is stupid in this cruel world that requires characters to be cunning and adapt. Ned’s honor is answered decisively through his fate. Yet over time Jon and Sansa prove that it’s possible to practice versions of Intelligent Honor, and that in the long run certain honorable behaviors can be truly smart.

Sign up for exclusive updates:

If you like this video, subscribe to our YouTube channel for more.

Like ScreenPrism on Facebook:

Follow ScreenPrism on Twitter:

Visit ScreenPrism.com:

source

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

39 COMMENTS

  4. I think Sansa has definitely learned how to play the game of thrones, but (well, we know what Ned said about that word) she's still inexperienced with taking responsibility for it. Littlefinger is her first real step into the game. Up until then, her advice to Jon was basically: "Don't do what they want you to do." Jon: "Brilliant. How (if you're so smart)?" Sansa: "I don't know." And so Jon, having being an actual piece on the board for a while, has to make a calculated guess. I do hope that Sansa's hard-earned understanding, combined with Arya's learned dispassion will serve the North well — Jon is so focused on surviving (someone has to be) that leading is nothing more than a tool for him, not a goal.

  7. The way Sansa handled the Little Finger situation was prime example of her ability to lead. She also learned from those who tried to hurt her by thinking as they would think and flipping it on them. Example is her calling the knights of the vale.

  9. Great video, but I thought that your argument about Sansa/Arya needed more elaboration. There is a legitimate (though a little hostile) conversation happening in the comments about Sansa's perception of honor, and actions of hers that are less than honorable. I think it is worth discussing how the desire to behave honorably does not always result in honorable behavior because of a character's limited frame of reference. Example: Consider Sansa's decision to tell Cersei that Ned is trying to get them all out of King's Landing. From her frame of reference, in which kings/princes are noble and queens are gracious and lovely, which comes from poems and songs, it isn't unreasonable to assume that she considered Ned's decision to sneak them out of the city as less-than-honorable. So an action she thought was honorable – revealing a sneaky plot – was actually dishonorable because she didn't have the information she needed to assess the situation holistically. Her decision to marry Ramsey is arguably similar; she is trying to make honorable and smart decisions, but has a hard time doing so because she is put into situations without the information she needs. So, again, cool video, but could maybe use a sequel where there is more time to talk about Sansa/Arya in more detail.

  10. Thoroughly enjoyed the video. There's just one thing I disagree with. It seems to me that Arya embodies Justice rather than Honor. Sure, she's certainly got the Stark sense of family loyalty, but that doesn't equate to honor. I'm not saying she's dishonorable, just that she's not truly concerned with honor one way or the other. I know some would say she embodies vengeance rather than justice, but that ignores the context and tries to force our modern sense of justice onto a society that sees things much differently. Every name on Arya's list is there for a very good reason, so killing them is very entirely in keeping with the Northern view of justice.

  13. I really liked this video and I LOVED the concept. I'd love to see it for other characters and even apply to other houses. I don't know if there is as much material to work with in that regard or if doing this is kind of pointless since you touch on each houses philosophies/ ideologies in the symbolism videos but still; I'd love to see more video like this dealing with this topic. It was great!

  19. Thanks for giving Sansa the credit she deserves.

    People give a lot of shit to her character but, let's be real for a second, if we are all in Game of Thrones universe, most of us would probably end up like Sansa. The fact that she survived all this time shows that she is versatile and capable of adapting to changing situations even in a position of little power. She has the patience and discipline of waiting for the right time to strike back, which serves as a foil to Arya who prefers to act in the moment. (Recall that Arya wants to control Northern Lords with fear but Sansa refuses to give into impulse because that is what Ramsay would do.)

    Of all the characters, her change is one of the most striking because she has the least resources to work with from the start. She doesn't have Arya's warrior spirit, she's not a man, she can't fight, she doesn't have dragons, but she persevered with wit and an accurate understanding of Northern politics. And let's not forget, after all she had been through, she did not become cruel like Ramsay or power-hungry like Cersei, she is her own woman with unquestionable Stark value.

    She has turned from porcelain, to ivory, to steel.

  23. You undoubtedly do some of the best and deepest GoT analysis on YT! Ned was indeed too rigid, but he was wise, and he's the most esteemed and remembered character by other characters…except villains. He's the standard we never can and probably never will emulate. Jon is IMO the right mix, a little too forgiving and conciliatory, but he forms consensus and gets things done, focusing on One Big Thing. I think of him as a non-partisan Barack Obama. Sansa is not smart, makes bad decisions time and again, but she does learn a pretense of cooperation to survive some of the villains she's been tangled with and deliberately learns from Littlefinger. But she doesn't see that the serial-murderer is actually her own family's nemesis. I don't see her as a leader, but she's a decent administrator. Arya's not political, but she is such a PRAGMATIST! "Every hurt is a lesson. every lesson makes you better". She adapts her identity, gender, behavior, associations etc. not just to survive but to learn. Even before Braavos she saw through people like glass. I suspect she wanted to shed her pain but never her identity , which Jaqen apparently wanted and expected too. The way she stealthily outwitted the Waif and Littlefinger took our breath away, even if most viewers didn't understand her ruses. She's like Odysseus, tricky and dangerous but focused on her cause.
    Thank your for perceptively comparing them and also including the non-politician.

  27. I can't wait to see how Jon will find out about his true self!! Anyone want to give ideas? Basically Sam is the one who knows, so will he find Jon and be like, "you're not a Snow…."?

  31. There's no difference between Jon and Ned, Jon is just luckier or better protected by plot armor, he's done a lot of stupid things and gotten away with all of them, I mean the dude died and learned nothing from his death, how much dumber can a person be??

  33. Look, I like your channel, but its a little bit early to be making this video, seeing as how much can change in one season of this show. If you had made this video at the end of season 2 you might have been talking about how Rob's honour, because it was so similar to Ned's was what was important or the best. I think maybe wait to see what the philosophy they are actually trying to tell us is, let the story finish, before making an analysis of a story.

  34. ……..anyway i love sansa and relate to her a lot! i saw a lot of myself as a young teenager in her, she feels realistic. and now she's' a woman scorned by trauma and horror and has changed so much and MAN i'm soOoOo excited to see what she does next. great video!!

  35. Ahh😩😭💙my House, my🐺pack 🙌🏽 gets me the feels💯everytime. I Love this soo soo much! Seeing how the honorable Ned Stark, tho gone, shaped this children beliefs, ideologies and philosophies to the person or people that they became: is truly amazing, watching the pack come together and rally, preparing for the Long winter, just awesome. Can’t wait to see more breakdown like this, the best player against to best opponent. Fantastic job as always screenprism !! Keep up the great work!!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here