Sansa Stark Character Analysis in A Game of Thrones

Sansa is Ned and Catelyn’s daughter and Robb, Arya, Bran, and Rickon’s sister. She is also Jon Snow’s half-sister. She is engaged to Joffrey. Sansa is initially enamored with Joffrey because he’s everything she thinks a prince should be: tall, handsome, and strong. Elsewhere, Sansa displays a romantic view of the world and wishes that it would conform to the songs she has heard that commemorate legendary historical events. Later, when Joffrey executes Ned despite her pleas to have mercy on her father, Sansa realizes that Joffrey is not at all what she thought he was. Instead, he’s cruel and despotic, which leads Sansa to a pivotal moment in her coming-of-age story. At that moment, Sansa realizes that the world is not like the romantic songs she heard while growing up. Instead of the heroes achieving victory, the monsters often win. With that in mind, as a character, Sansa reinforces the book’s argument that true heroes often come from the most unlikely places, while those who seem like they might meet one’s superficial ideas of what a stereotypical hero might be are sometimes villains at heart. Sansa also provides a commentary on the novel itself. While fantasy novels are often associated with fairy tales, Sansa’s painful awakening to the harsh reality of the world underlines the idea A Game of Thrones is anything but a fairy tale.

Sansa Stark Quotes in A Game of Thrones

The A Game of Thrones quotes below are all either spoken by Sansa Stark or refer to Sansa Stark. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“Your mother and I have charged [Septa Mordane] with the impossible task of making you a lady.”

“I don’t want to be a lady!” Arya flared.

Related Characters: Ned Stark (speaker), Arya Stark (speaker), Septa Mordane, Myrcella Baratheon, Tyrion Lannister, Sansa Stark, Catelyn Stark, Jon Snow

Page Number and Citation: 185

Explanation and Analysis:

“Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths.”

Related Characters: Ned Stark (speaker), Arya Stark, Sansa Stark

Related Symbols: The Others

Page Number and Citation: 187

Explanation and Analysis:

Sansa stared at him, seeing him for the first time. He was wearing a padded crimson doublet patterned with lions and a cloth-of-gold cape with a high collar that framed his face. She wondered how she could ever have thought him handsome. His lips were as soft and red as the worms you found after a rain, and his eyes were vain and cruel. “I hate you,” she whispered.

King Joffrey’s face hardened. “My mother tells me that it isn’t fitting that a king should strike his wife. Ser Meryn.”

The knight was on her before she could think, yanking back her hand as she tried to shield her face and back-handing her across the ear with a gloved fist. Sansa did not remember falling, yet the next she knew she was sprawled on one knee amongst the rushes. Her head was ringing. Ser Meryn Trant stood over her, with blood on the knuckles of his white silk glove.

Related Characters: Sansa Stark (speaker), Joffrey Baratheon (speaker), Robert Baratheon/the Usurper, Bran Stark, Ned Stark, Tywin Lannister, Viserys Targaryen

Page Number and Citation: 622

Explanation and Analysis:

A voice inside her whispered, There are no heroes, and she remembered what Lord Petyr had said to her, here in this very hall. “Life is not a song, sweetling,” he’d told her. “You may learn that one day to your sorrow.” In life, the monsters win, she told herself.

Related Characters: Petyr Baelish/Littlefinger (speaker), Joffrey Baratheon, Ned Stark, Sansa Stark

Page Number and Citation: 624

Explanation and Analysis:

Sansa Stark Character Timeline in A Game of Thrones

The timeline below shows where the character Sansa Stark appears in A Game of Thrones. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...says that if Ned comes to King’s Landing, perhaps his son Joffrey and Ned’s daughter Sansa could marry, uniting the families. (full context)

Catelyn and Ned begin to plan what will happen when Ned accepts the offer. Sansa, Arya, and Bran will go with him to King’s Landing. Robb will stay behind with... (full context)

Arya does needlework with Sansa and Princess Myrcella. Arya’s needlework comes out crooked, while Sansa’s looks perfect. Sansa is beautiful... (full context)

...Arya to practice while she’s in King’s Landing. He also tells her not to tell Sansa about the sword. Arya is elated and hugs Jon before he turns to leave for... (full context)

Sansa and Arya are supposed to spend the day with Princess Myrcella and Queen Cersei, but... (full context)

Sansa hears that new riders have arrived to escort the king to King’s Landing and goes... (full context)

Joffrey and Sansa have a picnic and drink wine before they hear a crashing sound in the woods.... (full context)

...and Cersei is intent on making Arya face consequences. Arya explains what happened. Ned asks Sansa to corroborate Arya’s story, but Sansa says she doesn’t remember what happened. Arya screams out... (full context)

...fight and hasn’t been found. Cersei responds that there’s still a wolf in the camp. Sansa realizes that Cersei means her direwolf, Lady, and screams in protest. Trying to appease Cersei,... (full context)

Climate Change and Collective Action Theme Icon

...Arya that she needs to understand who her true enemies are and that she and Sansa need to stick together because they’re family. A few days later, Arya is told to... (full context)

Sansa watches men joust in the tournament from the stands. She’s in awe of the lavish... (full context)

Joffrey comes to sit next to Sansa. The two haven’t spoken since the fight between Arya and Joffrey, after which Queen Cersei... (full context)

Joffrey orders his bodyguard, the Hound, to walk Sansa back to the Red Keep. On the way, the Hound remarks on Sansa’s fascination with... (full context)

Sansa talks with Jeyne Poole about Ned’s decision not to send Loras Tyrell to track down... (full context)

Ned enters the room and tells Sansa and Arya that he’s sending both of them back to Winterfell for their own safety.... (full context)

...feeling vengeful after learning that Ned ordered his brother’s death. Ned turns the words that Sansa said over in his mind—that Joffrey is nothing like “the drunken old king [Robert].” Suddenly... (full context)

...king in Joffrey’s stead for four years until Joffrey comes of age. He should marry Sansa off to Joffrey, have Arya marry Tommen, and Myrcella marry Robb. By the time Joffrey... (full context)

Ned tells Sansa and Arya to prepare to leave. Sansa doesn’t understand why she can’t say goodbye to... (full context)

Not long before Sansa and Arya are about to leave for Winterfell, Sansa defies Ned’s orders. She goes to... (full context)

Cersei tells Sansa that she has bad news: her father (Ned) is a traitor. Sansa can’t believe it.... (full context)

Cersei says that she can’t possibly let Sansa marry Joffrey, considering that Sansa is the daughter of a traitor—that is, unless Sansa writes... (full context)

...the most. While there, Bran recalls when Robb received the raven with the message from Sansa. Sansa urged Robb and Catelyn to come to King’s Landing and pledge fealty to King... (full context)

Catelyn and Robb talk about military strategy. Robb shows Catelyn the letter he received from Sansa, and Catelyn says that it’s clear that it’s Cersei’s letter, not Sansa’s. She believes the... (full context)

Sansa is allowed to move freely around the Red Keep, but the Lannisters won’t let her... (full context)

...Hand of the King. Joffrey then asks if anyone else has business before the king. Sansa timidly speaks up. She knows Joffrey loves her, so she’s sure he'll listen to her.... (full context)

...Stark army might pose, especially considering how young Robb is. Varys also tells Ned that Sansa pleaded for Ned’s life before King Joffrey. Varys encourages Ned to do as Cersei wants.... (full context)

...the shore, she finds out that the ship her father hired to transport her and Sansa out of King’s Landing is still waiting, but the men guarding the ship aren’t her... (full context)

...see her father. In the center of town, Cersei and King Joffrey watch over Ned. Sansa is with them, and Arya wonders why she looks so happy. (full context)

...kill Joffrey and seize the throne for himself. When he finishes speaking, Joffrey announces that Sansa and Cersei have advised him to spare Ned’s life and banish him to the Night’s... (full context)

Sansa grows despondent after Ned’s execution. She stays in bed in her room. At one point,... (full context)

In court, Sansa watches Joffrey hand out cruel sentence after cruel sentence. She recalls the songs of heroes... (full context)

Sansa Stark Character Analysis

Sansa Stark Quotes in A Game of Thrones

Chapter 22: Arya Quotes

Chapter 67: Sansa Quotes

Sansa Stark Character Timeline in A Game of Thrones