Stannis Baratheon is the middle son of Steffon Baratheon, Lord of Dragonstone. His older brother was the once brave warrior Robert Baratheon, who later became the king of the Seven Kingdoms, and the younger was Renly, who became Stannis's main opponent in the battle for the throne after Robert's death.

Stannis is married to Selyse Florent and has a daughter, Shiren. Unfortunately, the girl had been ill with greyscale, which greatly affected her appearance. The head of the family practically does not communicate with his daughter and wife.

Personality of Stannis

After the death of Robert, Stannis Baratheon was supposed to become the direct heir to the throne, since Robert's son Joffrey, like the rest of the children from Cersei, turned out to be bastards. Rumors of this began to spread with astonishing speed.

However, the king's brother did not have the support of the people, who preferred the charismatic Renly.

This led to a conflict situation between the brothers, and attempts to reach an agreement were unsuccessful.

Most people did not support Stannis' claim to the throne, despite their legitimacy. Perhaps he was considered too gloomy and non-public person. Nevertheless, it is impossible not to notice that he is an excellent warrior and a talented commander.

He was completely devoted to his older brother and acted at his side during the rebellion against Aerys Targaryen. This despite the fact that he and his people had to spend a long time in a besieged castle in Storm's End, which almost cost them all their lives. And Davos Seaworth, nicknamed the Onion Knight, saved them from starvation. He was the first to sail to the castle in a ship full of bows.

Stannis is a brave and fair person, in his actions he is primarily guided by logic. To his close adviser, Davos Seaworth, a former smuggler, and part-time his savior during the siege, he cut off the phalanxes of his fingers, but then appointed him with his right hand and promised the post of the right hand of the king.

Negative aspects of Stannis Baratheon

But the hero also has weaknesses, such as, for example, easy suggestibility.

So, sweet speeches and promises of the throne from the red priestess - Melisandre - made Stannis Baratheon a fanatic, burning his people and even relatives in order to achieve his goal.

With the help of black magic and a priestess, he dealt with his younger brother. And this did not add to his popularity among the people.

Stannis' actions

Inspired by the victory over Renly, Stannis Baratheon moved with an army to the capital, but was defeated in the Battle of the Blackwater and was smashed to smithereens by the Lannisters. Baratheon returns to Dragonstone, where he spends all his time with Melisandre and finally trusts her.

Davos reads a letter from the Night's Watch to Stannis asking for his help in the fight against the wildlings. As a result, Stannis decides to move to the North and help the Night's Watch, as well as free Winterfell from the Boltons.

The first he succeeds easily, since the tribe of the wildlings did not differ in technical progress and discipline, but Stannis did not succeed with the campaign against the Boltons.

Hunger and cold began to overcome the entire army. Stannis went to extreme lengths and burned his own daughter. Not appreciating this act, half of the army refused to move on, and Selisa committed suicide.

Ramsey Bolton's army easily dealt with the meager remnants of Stannis's army, and he himself was executed by Brienne of Tarth, Renly Baratheon's personal guard.

This is how Stannis Baratheon died in the series.

The actor who played this character is the honored theater and film artist Stephen J. Dillane. He starred in many films and TV shows, but "Game of Thrones" brought him even greater popularity and fame. Stephen Dillane was born in England in 1957. He has worked both in film and theater.

Stephen Dillane is a Tony and BAFTA winner.

Book and film: differences

I must say that the fate of Stannis in the book is still not known. And in it he is not so cruel. There are some differences between the actions of a book character and a serial character.

In the first case, Stannis went on a campaign to the North without his wife and daughter, which means that he could not burn the latter. Davos was also sent on an important mission in the other direction.

Stannis Baratheon is still alive in the book. "Game of Thrones" is ahead of the events of the books and in some cases misrepresents them. Nevertheless, the overall plot is moving in the right direction, and the outcome, as the creators of the series predict, will be the same.

Stannis Baratheon

There is no creature on earth more terrible than a truly just person.

Lord Varys on Stannis

Stannis Baratheon He is the middle of the three Baratheon brothers. Lord of Dragonstone, Master of Ships in the Small Council of his brother, King Robert. Stannis is married to Selyse Florent and they have a daughter, Shireen Baratheon.

During Robert Baratheon's Rebellion, Stannis became famous for defending Storm's End, which was surrounded by Lord Tyrell's army. The siege lasted almost a year, but despite the difficult conditions (at the end of the siege, the garrison was forced to eat rats and roots, and Stannis no longer ruled out the possibility of switching to human flesh), he did not give up. After lifting the siege, on behalf of his older brother, Robert Baratheon, he gathered a fleet and captured Dragonstone. After that, he was appointed Lord of Dragonstone, and his younger brother Renly became Lord of Storm's End. Stannis believed that Storm's End should have gone to him, and he never forgave this insult. During the Greyjoy rebellion, Stannis led the Royal Navy and won a major naval victory against Victarion Greyjoy's Iron Fleet.

The Baratheons are one of the great houses of Westeros. They rule the Stormlands from the castle of Storm's End. Their coat of arms bears a black crowned stag on a golden field. Their motto is "We are furious"

For fifteen years, Stannis served on the Small Council as master of ships, assisting Jon Arryn in the administration of the kingdom. He suspected incest between Queen Cersei and her brother Ser Jaime, and began an investigation with Jon Arryn to confirm these suspicions. After a mysterious and sudden death, Arryna fled to Dragonstone.

When Robert Baratheon died, Stannis proclaimed himself the rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms, challenging both Joffrey Baratheon and his own brother Renly. He had few supporters, because Stannis did not have the charisma of his brothers. He said: “Robert could urinate in a bowl and people would call it wine. I offer them spring water, and they wince suspiciously and whisper to each other that it has a strange taste.

Despite this, Stannis was supported by the red priestess Melisandre (Carys van Houten), who declared him the messiah of her religion - Azor Ahai, the Warrior of Light.

Stephen Dillane, a British actor who played Stannis, was born on November 30, 1956 in Kensington (London, UK) to an English mother and an Australian. His father was a surgeon. The future actor studied history and political science. Then he graduated from the school of dramatic art, but for three years after graduation he worked as a reporter for the Croydon Advertiser and only then returned to the acting profession. He made his film debut in 1982, playing in the popular television series Remington Steele. At first, Dillane preferred to work in the theater, where, by the way, he played quite successfully. The first significant film role was Horatio in a production of Shakespeare's play. A few years later, Dillane played in Hamlet and on the stage of the theater.

The most striking performances with the participation of Dillane: "Graceful Cunning" (1989), "Angels in America" ​​(1993), "Endgame" (1996), "Uncle Vanya" (1998), "Reflections, or True" based on the play of the same name by Tom Stoppard (Tony Award, 2000), Macbeth (2005), Four Quartets, The Tempest and As You Like It (2010).

Stephen Dillane is married to Naomi Winter and they have two sons, Frank and Seamus.

Since 1982, the actor has played in more than 65 films.

"Stannis turned to face Jon. The eyes of the king under a heavy forehead looked like bottomless blue wells. Sunken cheeks and a strong jaw were covered with a blue-black short beard, almost not hiding the haggardness of his face, his teeth were tightly clenched. The same tension was felt in the neck, shoulders and right hand. Jon remembered what Donal Noye had once said about the Baratheon brothers: Robert is steel, and Stannis is cast iron, black, heavy and hard, but brittle."

J. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire

Stannis Baratheon, brother of King Robert, after his death, the rebellious lord of Dragonstone, who declared himself King Stannis I.

Lord Stannis - I'm sorry, King Stannis the First ... I'll try to tell about him impartially - and our hero is good or bad - to judge the readers.
First, let's get to know Stannis in person - here's what he looks like:

“The only chair in the room stood exactly where Dragonstone had occupied off the coast of Westeros, and was slightly raised for a better view of the map. On it sat a man in a tightly laced leather tunic and breeches of coarse brown wool. When the maester entered, he raised his head.
- I knew that you would come, old man, even uninvited. - There was no warmth in his voice - not now, yes, indeed, almost never.
Stannis Baratheon, Lord of Dragonstone and rightful Heir to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms by the grace of the gods, was a broad-shouldered and wiry man. His face and body were covered with skin tanned in the sun and made hard as steel. People thought he was tough, and he really was. He was not yet thirty-five, but he was already very bald, and the remnants of black hair fringed his head behind his ears like the shadow of a crown. His brother, the late King Robert, grew a beard in his later years. Maester Cressen did not see him with a beard, but they said that it was a luxuriant undergrowth, thick and shaggy. Stannis, in defiance of his brother, cut his sideburns short, and they ran in blue-black spots along his sunken cheeks to a rectangular jaw. The eyes, under heavy brows, were open wounds, deep blue like the night sea. His mouth would have brought the most amusing of jesters to despair: with his pale, tightly compressed lips, he was created for harsh words and harsh commands - this mouth forgot about the smile, and did not know laughter at all.

To cheer up the always stern and reserved Stannis, a jester was brought many years ago. But jesters and other comedians are completely uninteresting to Stannis.

“We have found a magnificent jester,” Lord Cressen wrote two weeks before returning from his unsuccessful trip. “He is still very young, but agile as a monkey and sharp as a dozen courtiers. He juggles, riddles, performs magic tricks and sings wonderfully in four languages. We bought him free and hope to bring him home. Robert will be delighted with him - maybe he will even teach Stannis to laugh. "
Cressen recalled this letter with sadness. No one ever taught Stannis to laugh, much less young Motley."

Throughout the story, we see Lord Stannis through the eyes of his Maester Cressen (something like a family doctor and advisor) and Davos Seaworth, a former smuggler who became Stannis' most loyal ally.
What Stannis is like can be understood already from the history of Davos. During the rebellion of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark against the Targaryens, "Lord Stannis with a small garrison held the castle for about a year, fighting against the large army of the lords of Tyrell and Redwyn. The defenders were even cut off from the sea - Redwyn's galleys guarded it day and night under the wine-red flags of Bor All the horses, dogs and cats in Storm's End have long been eaten - it's the turn of rats and roots. But one night on the night of the new moon, black clouds covered the sky, and Davos the smuggler, under their cover, made his way past the cordons of Redwyn and the rocks of the Bay of Ruinous Ramparts. The hold of his black the little craft, with black sails and black oars, was crammed full of onions and salted fish, and small as the cargo was, it kept the garrison alive until Eddard Stark broke the siege at Storm's End.
Lord Stannis granted Davos rich lands at Cape Wrath, a small castle and a knighthood... but ordered that the knuckles on the fingers of his left hand be cut off in retribution for many years of debauchery. Davos complied, but on the condition that Stannis do it himself, refusing to suffer such punishment from a man of lower rank. The lord used the butcher's cleaver to carry out his task more faithfully and purely. Davos chose the name Seaworth for his newly established house, and the emblem of a black ship on a pale gray field, with an onion in its sails. The former smuggler liked to say that Lord Stannis had done him a favor - now he has four nails less to clean and cut."

(Stannis - isn't it - reminiscent of Stalin, with one caveat - Stannis is fair. Almost always).
Our hero does not cause such sympathy as his brothers - Robert and Renly. He is not a cheerful womanizer and drunkard, like Robert, and not a fashionable, handsome, everyone's favorite, like Renly. This is a person with a solid and tough character, open and direct.

"Stannis never learned to soften his words, to pretend or to flatter: he said what he thought, and he did not care whether others liked it or not."

Old man Cressen, who raised three brothers, understands Stannis best of all, loves him and pities him - like no one else. After all, our hero was an unloved child who needed warmth and parental attention, which was given to Robert and Renly in full measure. And nothing to him...

"Stannis's face flashed before his mind's eye, not the face of a man, but the face of the boy he had once been, a child huddled in the shadows while all the sun went to his brother."

"Stannis, my lord, my sad sullen boy, don't do this. Don't you know how I cared for you, lived for you, loved you no matter what? Yes, I did, more than Robert or Renly, for You were an unloved child and you needed me most of all."

One of the heroes of the Saga, the blacksmith Donal Noye, characterizes the three Baratheon brothers very interestingly:

"Robert is pure steel. Stannis is cast iron, black and strong but brittle. It breaks but does not bend. And Renly is copper. It is shiny and pleasing to the eye, but ultimately worth little."

Stannis is strict not only with himself, but also with others. The most common verb is "to prevent". Stannis does not allow anything that - in his mind - is beyond the bounds of decency and order.

"At the tables, knights, archers and mercenary captains tore apart carpets of black bread, dipping it into fish stew. There was no loud laughter or obscene exclamations common at feasts - Lord Stannis would not allow this."

"Their harbor had never been so crowded in Davos' memory. Provisions were loaded on every wharf, and all the inns were filled with soldiers who drank, gambled, or looked out for whores. A vain hope - such women Stannis did not allow on his island."

The days of peaceful life end with the death of Stannis' older brother, King Robert. The Iron Throne is occupied by Joffrey, who is in fact neither the son nor the legitimate heir of Robert, but the fruit of the incestuous relationship between Queen Cersei and her twin brother Jaime. Eddard Stark, as the Hand of the late King and Lord Protector of the Kingdom, manages to send a letter to Dragonstone - the residence of Stannis - and report this, thereby giving Stannis reason to claim the throne as the eldest in the Baratheon family. In fairness - Stannis and Eddard are right, Robert's rightful heir is only Stannis.
But it was not there. Power is too sweet a temptation and too great a temptation to just give it up. They declare themselves kings: the younger brother - Renly (no, to unite and overthrow the Lannisters! Huge stupidity on the part of the Baratheons! So they would have won one-two-three, and there would be no ... The Song of Ice and Fire would not have happened then .. .), Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy. And of course, the Lannister clan, led by the most dangerous enemy - Lord Tywin (father of the queen) will never give up the Iron Throne either.

The battle of kings begins. Stannis has his own trump card... This is the Red Priestess, whom he summoned from somewhere across the sea - Melisandre.
Melisandre worships the God of Fire and Light - R'hllor, converts Stannis and his entourage to her faith. Instead of the Baratheon family crest - a black crowned stag on a gold background - Stannis placed on his banners the fiery heart of the Lord of Light.
Melisandre owns the art of black magic. She sends the shadow of Stannis to kill Renly's own brother - after Renly refused to submit and swear allegiance to his brother as his king.
Here is the last conversation of the brothers on the eve of Renly's terrible death from the black sorcery of the Red Priestess.

"Perhaps you have more rights, Stannis, but I have a larger army." Renly put his hand into his bosom. Stannis, seeing this, grabbed his sword, but before he could draw his blade, his brother pulled out ... a peach "Would you like it, brother? It's from Highgarden. You've never tasted anything so sweet, I assure you."
"I'm not here to eat peaches," Stannis barked.
- Milords! Catelyn intervened. “We should work out the terms of our alliance, not tease each other.
- Refusing a peach is what not to do. Renly threw out the bone. “You might never get another chance.” Life is short, Stannis. As the Starks say, winter is coming. He wiped his mouth with his hand.
I don't want to hear threats either.
"That's not a threat," Renly snapped. - If I will undertake to threaten, you will understand it at once. In truth, I never loved you, Stannis, but you are still my blood and I don't feel like killing you. So if you need Storm's End, take it... as a gift from your brother. Robert once gave it to me, and I give it to you.
- He is not yours to dispose of. He is mine by right."

The brothers part on this - forever, as it turned out later. That same night, Renly was killed in his own tent.

“- He was just laughing, and suddenly this blood ... milady, I don’t understand anything. You saw it, didn’t you?
- I saw a shadow. At first I thought it was Renly's shadow, but it was his brother's.
- Lord Stannis?
- I felt it was him. I know it sounds pointless, but...
But for Brienne, it made sense."

Stannis realizes who Melisandre is and believes in her magical power. However, pangs of conscience are not alien to our harsh hero. Stannis tries to convince himself and others of his innocence, but he fails miserably. Stannis is not a politician. Stannis is a warrior.

"Sometimes I dream about it. Renly's death. Green tent, candles, a woman's scream. And blood." Stannis lowered his eyes. "I was still in bed when he died. Ask your Dewan - he tried to wake me. and my lords were worried. I should have been on my armored horse by now. I knew Renly would attack at first light of day. Devan says I screamed and rushed about, but so what? I had a dream. I was in my tent when Renly died, and when I awoke my hands were clean.
Ser Davos Seaworth felt an itch in his severed fingers. “Something is dirty here,” the former smuggler thought, but nodded and said:
- Certainly.
Renly offered me a peach. At the talks. He laughed at me, egged me on, threatened me - and offered me a peach. I thought he wanted to draw his blade, and grabbed his. Maybe he was trying to get me to show fear? Or was it one of his pointless jokes? Maybe there was some hidden meaning in his words about the sweetness of this peach? The king shook his head the way a dog shakes a rabbit to break its neck. “Only Renly could irritate me like that with a harmless fruit. He brought trouble on himself by committing treason, but I still loved him, Davos. Now I understand it. I swear I'll go to my grave thinking of my brother's peach."

Stannis is not as rich as the rest of the contenders for the crown, and he has few supporters. We have to hire Lyssen pirates to attack King's Landing from the sea. But there is not enough money in the treasury of Stannis the First, he owes a fortune to the leader of the pirates, Sallador Saan. But there is no need to doubt the honesty of our hero. He is not only cold and strict, he is principled and honest. In your own way, of course.

You will have your gold when we take the treasury at King's Landing. There is no man more honest in the Seven Kingdoms than Stannis Baratheon. He will keep his word. What a world, thought Davos, where low-class smugglers have to vouch for the honor of kings?

Sometimes Stannis - a living person after all - still has bouts of frankness. He speaks frankly only with his faithful Onion Knight - Davos Seaworth. It should be noted that Stannis is well versed in people. Davos is an unusually worthy person. If in life you meet such a Davos, you need to urgently take him as friends, relatives, etc., appreciate and cherish. Which is basically what Stannis does. Again, in your own way.

Stannis jerked to his feet.
- R'hllor. What's so difficult about it? Will not love, you say? Have I ever been loved? Is it possible to lose what you never had? Stannis walked to the south window, looking out over the moonlit sea. “I stopped believing in gods the very day the Pride sank in our bay. I vowed never again to worship the gods that could so cruelly send my father and mother to the bottom. In King's Landing, the high septon kept saying goodness and justice came from the Seven, but what little I saw of both always came from the people."

Stannis makes Davos - for sincerity and incorruptibility - a lord and his Hand (something like a prime minister). Davos, a simple smuggler without a clan-tribe, Stannis - and this does him credit - raises to the rank of a major lord.
And it looks nice and dignified.

"The king turned away from the table. -

Lord of Dragonstone Stannis Baratheon causes conflicting feelings in all viewers. This hero has declared himself king of the Seven Kingdoms and wishes to take the rightful throne after Robert's death. But other heirs do not want to give the throne.

Such a strange king

Very remotely, this person looks like the rightful heir to the great throne. Surrounding consider him a warrior, and he repeatedly proves his skills in every battle. Stannis Baratheon is known for justice and mercilessness. The photo of the hero indicates that this person has clear features of a strong man. A gloomy face and a look from under his brows do not arouse the love of the people, but he is a good commander. And perhaps these qualities allow him to claim the Iron Throne so fiercely and irresistibly.

Close to him are Davos Seaworth and Lady Melisandre. The first person is the king's right hand and advisor. But most of all, Stannis Baratheon listens to a woman with red hair. Melisandre claims that she communicates with otherworldly forces that prophesy the glory and respect of the whole world to the king.

War

Eddard Stark offers Stannis to take the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, only for such proposals the first lost his head. A smart warrior knows the secret about all the children of the former King Robert, they were born illegally. The wife had a connection with her own brother, therefore, there are no legitimate heirs to the throne. But no one wants to listen to this truth, a war breaks out. Stannis Baratheon is looking for allies, but they die at the hands of his familiar witch - Melisandre. The woman inspires the king for a new fight, even after the destruction of the fleet.

Stannis' plans are disrupted by those moving towards the wall. He is forced to go to the North in order to find allies in the face of the Wildlings to start new military operations.

King's sacrifices

Warriors and those around him believe that Stannis Baratheon is a real madman. He listens to the predictions of a strange woman and does not see the suffering of his own wife. But most of all, the sacrifice of the king was outraged. The great warrior decided to sacrifice the most precious thing in order to gain victory - his daughter. She is burned at the stake, like the last witch, Melisandre rejoices. But the joys of the sorceress do not end there, Stannis's wife kills herself from grief.

Many viewers are interested in the question of whether Stannis Baratheon is alive. He is killed by Brienne, a knight who avenges King Renly.

Who played Stannis?

He was approved for the role of the mad king. He made a great Stannis Baratheon. The actor was born in London and at first wanted to become a political scientist, but fate decreed that he graduated from drama school. This man has two children who are also trying to take their place in the vastness of cinema.

At the very beginning of his career, he played in theaters. He liked live scenes and a crowd of spectators who came to watch the game of talented actors. At 26, he made his debut in a television project, it was a series. Most of all, Stephen was attracted to historical paintings, so he played with pleasure in the film "King Arthur".

On the role in the series "Game of Thrones" he was approved in 2011, July 19. The auditions were tedious, but very interesting. Glory and colossal success were predicted for this project. Filmed for five seasons, and the viewer does not get tired of gathering at the screens. For the series, this is a real breakthrough, the shooting was carried out in interesting places. Perhaps that is why the work was easy. Stephen Dillane is pleased with his hero. Of course, at some points he condemns the mad king. For example, the episode where you had to burn your own daughter is a true betrayal and obsession with victory. But the king didn’t get what he wanted, he just fell and turned into another story.

The creators of the series promise the audience a lot of interesting stories. It is impossible to predict what will happen in the next series. This is what took the series to the next level. This is not just a soap opera for girls and unfortunate women. Game of Thrones is a massive movie with amazing effects and acting. Everything about this movie is thought out to the smallest detail. And thanks to actors such as Stephen Dillane, the series turned out to be exciting and bright. This character is not good and bad, he is just a warrior who dreamed of becoming a king.

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Shock: Turns out Stannis Baratheon was pretty upset about killing a group of his relatives on Game of Thrones and was sure he'd go to hell for it. Good, because sacrificing a child to the God of Fire is terrible.

There are some interesting points from the original script for the episode "A Mother's Mercy". The script, first revealed about two years ago, included some unused dialogue between King Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) and Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie). This is the moment Brienne finds Stannis after his humiliating defeat at the hands of Ramsay Bolton. As he slowly bleeds out, Brienne prepares to fulfill her oath to avenge the death of René Baratheon.

In the TV version, when Brienne asks if Stannis has any final words, he simply replies, "Go on, do your duty." It's a powerful moment that, thanks in large part to the actor, conveys final regrets as he comes to terms with his fate. However, in the first draft of the script, he was much more remorseful, apologetic, and resigned to his shitty afterlife. Here is the original dialogue:

BRIENNE: I was in Renly Barathion's Royal Guard. I was there when he was killed by a shadow with your face.

[Stannis didn't expect this confrontation today, but heck, why not.]

BRIENNE: You killed him? With blood magic?

[Stannis nods.]

STANDIS: I.

BRIENNE: In the name of Renly of House Baratheon, rightful King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Realms and protector of the realm, I, Brienne of Tarth, sentence you to death.

[Stannis nods. He's ready.]

BRIENNE: Do you have any final words?

TENNIS: Do you believe in the life to come?

[Brienne nods]

STENANIS: I don't know. But if I'm wrong and you're right... tell Renly I'm sorry when you get there. I don't think I'll see him where I'm going. And my daughter. Tell her... tell her...

['Sorry' doesn't show how he feels about Shiren. The thought of this brings tears to his eyes and he will die crying in front of a woman he does not know. Stannis looks at her.]

STAMNIS: Go on, do your duty.

[Brienne raises her sword and strikes with force.]

This is interesting because there has never really been a clear portrait of heaven or hell in Game of Thrones, especially for R'hllor, which is the Red Faith worshiped by Stannis Baratheon and Melisandre. There are a bit more explanations for the afterlife in the books. For example, the Faith of Seven preaches the existence of seven heavens and seven hells, and the Drowned God faith has a realm similar to Valhalla where its fighters can drink and reminisce about the good old days of plunder.

R'hllor is currently the only A Song of Ice and Fire religion that does not clearly describe the afterlife. Written by George R.R. Martin previously said that the "Red Faith" is a dualistic faith, like Zoroastrianism, centered around the eternal battle between the Lord of Light and the Great Other who can pull people into eternal night. Is this R'hllor's allegory for Hell? Possibly, but it's still pretty unclear. Either way, Stannis makes it clear that he doesn't believe in any of them.