Do you like Robert?

[The King in the South]

I like Robert. I think it's highly unfair that he's considered a "child abuser" for hitting Joff after he gutted a cat for fun. What should he have done?

Also, if you were married to Cerseei, you'd probably drink too.

Surely Cersei was so awful he needed to rape her right? And it was probably Cersei that made him try to get a child murdered?

[Ororo727 Jon Snow Fangirl]

Robert didn't go to war because he was jealous over Lyanna. Robert went to war because King Aerys called for he and Ned's heads after Brandon called out The Crowned Prince to come out and die and Jon Arryn refused to turn them over. Brandon was defending Lyanna. Robert just uses the he would have been better with Lyanna whine now as an excuse for his personal failings. He would be a fun dude to drink with, but was a terrible king, husband and father.

[Valkyrist]

I like Robert, though I can't disagree with most of the bad things people have said about him. As Martin says, he's a man better suited to winning the crown that wearing it. He hit Cersei and Joffrey once or twice, but man, if anyone deserved it more than them I can't think of who (not defending abuse, but c'mon, he cut a cat open). People say he was a bad father, but Tommen and Myrcella turned out great. Joffrey was the only bad egg, and he was his mother's son. He drank and whored around, but he was hardly the only lord to do that. His miss-management of the city finances was pretty bad, but isn't Littlefinger the one who should be held responsible for that?

The one thing I don't blame him for, is taking up arms against the Targaryen's. Robert wasn't a great ruler, but he was nowhere near as bad as Aerys. And as far as he knew, Raegar did kidnap his fiance. What man wouldn't try to get her back? What I'm surprised about is that Robert was crowned king, and not Jon Arryn. He was clearly better suited for governance, and he comes from the oldest line of Andal nobility.

[Catastrophe]

I don't particularly like him, but I do think people tend to greatly exaggerate his wrongdoings, particularly his abusiveness. It was wrong of him to hit Cersei at all, ever, but slapping her twice in 14 years hardly constitutes an abusive relationship to me. Similarly, I don't consider him an abusive parent just because he hit Joffrey once, under the most extreme circumstances possible. (To be honest, I have no idea what I'd have done in his shoes... It's just too horrifying to consider.) As for his drinking and whoring, who cares? There are plenty of other characters who are just as hedonistic, yet they never get the same flak Robert does for it.

As for the OP's comment on Robert "going on a rampage and executing many noble families," that's just blatantly untrue. Yes, he was fanatically obsessed with wiping out the entire Targaryen line, but that was the only noble family he targeted. He pardoned all of the lords who'd fought on the Targaryen side during the war, and allowed most of them to retain their positions. Toward everyone who wasn't a Targaryen, he was an extremely forgiving person, to the point that many people (including Ned!) considered it one of his faults.

Don't get me wrong, Robert was an extremely flawed person, but in my opinion it's more for the things he didn't do than for the things he did. He was a so-so friend, a bad father, a worse husband, and an absolutely awful king, but at heart I think he was still a good person. (Plus, like so many other people already said, he seemed like he would've been a really fun guy to go out drinking with.)

[The_Salt_Wife]

He got violently jealous with his best friends sister, which crippled the whole relm. He then went on a rampage executing many noble families. He beat his wife, drank profusely, spent all of Kings Landing's money and then some, did not raise his "kids" properly, slept with many whores, bedchambers and common girls, and he was an incrediable dick to his brothers for no real reason. Yet almost all love him, why?

He's the man who spared Barristan Selmy's life and restored his former status and rank when several of his commanders demanded him to be put to death.

What was it he said? "I will not kill a man for having fought well."

He's the man - as Stannis tells - who managed to win the loyalty of some of his former foes to the point that they died for him.

Stannis admits he would have put them to death instead.

He is the man who risked everything for the woman he loved.

Robert Baratheon is not a saint, but he is far from the evil man you make him out to be either. He has flaws, as does everyone else in GRRM's universe.

[Hear Us Roar]

You just described much of the nobility minus the rebelling part

[David Selig]

He is the man who risked everything for the woman he loved.

No, actually he started the war to save his butt.

[RobertOfTheHouseBaratheon]

I like him, he was like a jolly Henry VIII. I won't judge his traits by modern standards. For a medieval monarch he wasn't too bad.

[The Marquis de Leech]

I feel sorry for Robert to some degree, but that's about as far as I'll go.

Robert wasn't a great ruler, but he was nowhere near as bad as Aerys.

Aerys didn't bankrupt the realm, and on a day-to-day basis*, comparing Aerys' 20 year reign with Robert's 15, Aerys doesn't come out too bad.

*i.e. not the excesses at the end.

[liondragonwolf]

I think he spent his later years drowning his sorrows for his lost love. The whores and overconsumption was perhaps just to fill a void that was left by Lyanna. I like him because I believe his character is tragic in some ways and a fairly realistic. Not everyone can be the paragon of dignity and morality, people suffer and then change. Not to say his behaviour is forgivable, especially towards Cersei, who also reflects the attitude of her husband once she loses her son and father and spends her time drinking, overconsuming and becomes somewhat more promiscuous. People deal with grief in different and often ugly ways.

[Ojji]

No, actually he started the war to save his butt.

Do tell..

[1234567]

I like him, he was like a jolly Henry VIII. I won't judge his traits by modern standards. For a medieval monarch he wasn't too bad.

Henry VIII is a great comparison in many ways. When the rebellion first started Robert was a handsome, fit, bold and brave young man fighting against a mad King and the Prince who had "abducted" his betrothed. Similarly when Henry VIII became King everyone thought his reign would be wonderful as he was well a great sportsman etc (although unlike Robert he was also exceptionally well educated and cultured).

Of course Robert starts his reign by stepping over the bodies of dead children and doing nothing about either the Kinslayer or his family. Instead of punishing Tywin (or at least Gregor and Amory), he marries Tywin's daughter. This seems very similar to all the Freys now marrying Lannisters. He then proceeds to publically be unfaithful, treat his wife horrifically, neglect and abuse his children (Stannis says he hit Joff so hard that he thought he'd killed him), plunge the realm into dept, was a drunk, be an incredibly irresponsible parent to his other bastard children, then completely side with his wife against his the Hand (Ned), ignore Ned completely and also order the murder of a 13 year old girl.

EDIT: Tge above is a bit like Henry VIII who ended his life with the realm in debt and a catalogue of private and public abuses and abused wives and children.

So all in all, I do not like him, because he is not a good person. Saying that if I knew him on a social level, it would be great. He would always get the rounds at the pub. But in any other circumstance.......no.

[ServantOnIce]

Good point, as there are many historical tributes in GRRM's song, the one about Robert being like Herny the 8th is on point. The "Tudors" TV show wanted to show the other side of Henry 8th. The young side who rose to power and who morphed into the bloated tyrant we all love to hate.

My greatest image of Robert is of him before he slayed Rhaegar on the Trident in all his fury and power smashing Rhaegar so hard that the rubies went flying all over the river . . .

Robert was a great warrior, a mountain of a man six foot six with a war hammer than other warriors could barely left. He took on dragons and slayed them all for love . . . he just wasn't a King.

[King Bread]

And it was probably Cersei that made him try to get a child murdered?

Well, at least that's one of a few points that Robert and Cersei had common.

Didn't like him much, but you could read from Ned that he wasn't that bad of a person. Just no king material and in a viper's nest like King's Landing isolated from your real friends and all the other stuff. He still was a dick to his brothers for no reason, I don't get it.

While I read it here, why was Robert's head demanded back then by Aerys btw?

[Lions-and-Roses]

I think he spent his later years drowning his sorrows for his lost love. The whores and overconsumption was perhaps just to fill a void that was left by Lyanna. I like him because I believe his character is tragic in some ways and a fairly realistic. Not everyone can be the paragon of dignity and morality, people suffer and then change. Not to say his behaviour is forgivable, especially towards Cersei, who also reflects the attitude of her husband once she loses her son and father and spends her time drinking, overconsuming and becomes somewhat more promiscuous. People deal with grief in different and often ugly ways.

I disagree. I think Robert was Robert, and eventually he would have started to treat Lyanna like shit. I think his character is one of those people who loses something and then uses that as an excuse to act like a cunt for the rest of their lives. "Oh, you hit Cersei?" Because she isn't Lyanna! "Oh, you whored?" Because I don't have Lyanna! "Oh, you killed someone?" Because I miss Lyanna! I really do not think Lyanna would have been happy with Robert, and Robert would have always been the same. And if that had happened, I don't think Eddard would have liked Robert very much at all. I think it was clear he kind of looked down on Roberts whoring anyway. And plus, I think Robert should have had respect for Cersei. Her father was probably one of the most powerful men in the realm. He should have learnt to love her, or he should have sent her to Storms End to live.

[The King in the South]

Well, at least that's one of a few points that Robert and Cersei had common.

Didn't like him much, but you could read from Ned that he wasn't that bad of a person. Just no king material and in a viper's nest like King's Landing isolated from your real friends and all the other stuff. He still was a dick to his brothers for no reason, I don't get it.

While I read it here, why was Robert's head demanded back then by Aerys btw?

Actually reading from Ned's view I don't understand how he and Robert were ever friends at all. Robert was a polar opposite to Ned, as well as disregarding his opinion and treating him like crap

[Gingerly Grumkin]

I thought of him as Henry Viii also, scheming wife/council but then he died before...( I do like Henry VIII, started religious persecution, in turn created puritians, in turn made America!) And I thought of him as a great soldier, killed Rhegar! But then after reading Griff's chapter, dude hid in a brothel for like a week!

[David Selig]

I think he spent his later years drowning his sorrows for his lost love. The whores and overconsumption was perhaps just to fill a void that was left by Lyanna. I like him because I believe his character is tragic in some ways and a fairly realistic. Not everyone can be the paragon of dignity and morality, people suffer and then change. Not to say his behaviour is forgivable, especially towards Cersei, who also reflects the attitude of her husband once she loses her son and father and spends her time drinking, overconsuming and becomes somewhat more promiscuous. People deal with grief in different and often ugly ways.

Robert had always been a guy who had a huge appetite for sex, drinking and food, and was never able to control it, Ned reflected on this a few times. Nothing to do with Lyanna.

[sweet_cersei]

I liked him. He was in a marriage he had no business being in and ruler of a kingdom he had no business ruling. Obviously he did some bad stuff, but it wasn't terrible. This was medieval times and hitting your kid once and a while was probably the standard, as was hitting his wife. He wasn't a good king, or not even that great of a guy, but still was pretty badass in his youth. I think his death scene shows a lot about him and how he wanted to be honourable and to be a good king. And Ned liked him, so he's got that going for him.

[ByYourGrace]

no. he seems like a total bro to me.