OnionAhaiReborn Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 “Trippers and askers surround me,People I meet, the effect upon me of my early life or the ward and city I live in, or the nation,The latest dates, discoveries, inventions, societies, authors old and new,My dinner, dress, associates, looks, compliments, dues,The real or fancied indifference of some man or woman I love,The sickness of one of my folks or of myself, or ill-doing or loss or lack of money, or depressions or exaltations,Battles, the horrors of fratricidal war, the fever of doubtful news, the fitful events;These come to me days and nights and go from me again,But they are not the Me myself.Apart from the pulling and hauling stands what I am”-Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself” “Why then did Abraham do it? For God’s sake, and (in complete identity with this) for his own sake. He did it for God’s sake because God required this proof of his faith; for his own sake he did it in order that he might furnish the proof. The unity of these two points of view is perfectly expressed by the word which has always been used to characterize this situation: it is a trial, a temptation. A temptation -- but what does that mean? What ordinarily tempts a man is that which would keep him from doing his duty, but in this case the temptation is itself the ethical.. .which would keep him from doing God’s will.” -Søren Kierkegaard, “Fear and Trembling” "I know the cost! Last night, gazing into that hearth, I saw things in the flames as well. I saw a king, a crown of fire on his brows, burning . . . burning, Davos. His own crown consumed his flesh and turned him into ash. Do you think I need Melisandre to tell me what that means? Or you?" The king moved, so his shadow fell upon King's Landing. "If Joffrey should die . . . what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?" -Stannis Baratheon, “Thus Spake Stannithustra” There is considerable discussion of Stannis on the forum, but it seems to me that much of it misses the truth of his character by tending to the same error; many are convinced that Stannis is, as Donal Noye says, brittle iron, unbending and rigid. To his admirers he is a steadfast warrior with a lawful cause, to his detractors a steadfast tyrant in pursuit of power. This is a flat view of a rich, full character. I would argue that he is, instead, wracked with doubt and ever lucidly seeking the righteous path, even as he is possessed of a fierce determination to achieve certain ends. Whatever we might think of the various much-discussed choices Stannis makes, it should have no bearing on our understanding of him as a thoughtful and complicated individual. Indeed, he is nothing short of Westeros' existentialist searcher par excellence, ever-yearning for direct contact with the sublime and absolute. Stannis is most often understood as desirous of power, and that this is why he seeks the throne. I'd argue that his hunger is deeper and more fundamentally quixotic. We can sense in the grievances he nurses against Robert that he yearns for respect and appreciation. He wants to be understood as a man who comports himself to a duty higher even than law; he did, after all, choose his brother over his King during the rebellion. A supreme act of will, he not only charts his own course but also holds firm during the Siege of Storm's End, a near island unto himself, in defense of his grand gesture. He reaches a higher plane of truth in this act, and upon descending from it finds it's gone unrecognized and unappreciated. This galls him endlessly. He ill-understands the sensuous pleasures his brothers are known for enjoying, but gives hint of being jealous of the personal qualities attendant to their lifestyles. He, perhaps less than consciously, deeply envies Robert's ability to laugh and be with laughed with, to be admired, respected, and even adored. This is why Renly's peach vexes him so; Renly had the same gifts, and the same lifestyle, and though he (mockingly) offered Stannis the peach, Stannis doesn't know how to reach for it. His highest aspirations, then, are the purposefulness he felt during the siege of Storm's End and to receive the respect and affection of those around him, to comport himself to sublime duty and to directly experience love. Melisandre offers him these things in spades. She comes along and tells him that he will not only be King, but the savior of humankind. Oh, and saving humankind will require frequent sex. Stannis has won the lottery of his deepest yearnings, a purpose to overshadow all other possible purpose, and the experience of sensual pleasure as an apparent requirement of achieving this purpose. Indeed, Melisandre through sex binds his essence into the fabric of nature to make manifest his will- it's the act of willful and sensuous being in its purest expression! It isn't about 'law' for him, which he will frequently bend or even dispense with in pursuit of this end, it's about pursuing purpose so lofty that none can deny its worth. He's deeply interested in acts of righteous willfulness, and yearning for this worldview to be valued and appreciated. This requires him not to be rigid, but to be lithe, and to suspend the lawful or the ethical for a higher end. He wants purpose, and to exert his will to that purpose, and through this to directly meet love and the absolute. He has doubts and he has failures, but this is his truest aim. Having searched for a lifetime and at last found and come to full understanding of absolute purpose, he moves with unvarnished, but not un-anguished, will. All of his decisions can be referred back to this impulse rather than the law abiding fetishism commonly ascribed to him. TL;DR: Stannis is an existentialist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roose The Weddingcrasher Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 "I know the cost! Last night, gazing into that hearth, I saw things in the flames as well. I saw a king, a crown of fire on his brows, burning . . . burning, Davos. His own crown consumed his flesh and turned him into ash. Do you think I need Melisandre to tell me what that means? Or you?" The king moved, so his shadow fell upon King's Landing. "If Joffrey should die . . . what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?" -Stannis Baratheon, “Thus Spake Stannithustra” I was skipping trough your post and this hilarious stuff caught my eye. Good job, I am going to enjoy this :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ab aeterno Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 TL;DR: Stannis is an existentialist. Well argued! He even looks like one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionAhaiReborn Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Well argued! He even looks like one. An excellent point. With this addition I think my case is almost undeniably solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunbro Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Well ya see Onions have layers... And Stannis is like an onion. Wait no Davos is like an onion... or Davos has an onion sigil...STANNIS HAS LAYERS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Poem Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Yes, king Stannis is very complicated person... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Ro Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Fascinating thread brah brah, just wanted to let you know i saw it, and I will have more to add later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan the Man Baratheon Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Onion strikes again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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