r/gameofthrones • u/cuttheblue • 10h ago
Was there really nothing else Robert could have enjoyed doing with his life after becoming King?
Robert seems to have let himself go after becoming king - no fighting left to do and his beloved (in his eyes) dead, so he appears to have just got drunk, paid for sex, gone hunting, hosted tournaments, for the rest of his life.
I get that he didn't want to rule and wanted adventures, but were there really none left for him to have? Or have I misunderstood him and he was just lazy?
He could have explored the uncharted parts of the world. He could have dealt with the wildling attacks, the iron islands (properly - so they change their way of life and not continue raiding again), if he'd gone far North he might even have found the white walkers.
For all his faults, at least he didn't start pointless wars.
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u/RAGHAV_HDMI 10h ago
I think Robert’s problem was that he enjoyed the journey more than the destination. He was at his best when he had something to fight for, and once he won the throne, he had no idea what to do with himself. He could’ve gone on adventures, but he never really wanted the responsibilities that came with being king. Honestly, Ned might have been right when he said Robert won the throne but lost himself along the way.
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u/cuttheblue 9h ago
"I think Robert’s problem was that he enjoyed the journey more than the destination"
Definitely. Poor guy missed the war of the seven kingdoms, the white walkers invasion and dragons by just a few years. Although I suppose he caused it all in the first place with his neglect.I don't understand why he didn't go North or officially abdicate the throne, he's one of the most powerful men in Westeros, in a world full of danger. Was there really no way he could have found the adventure he wanted?
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u/dahfer25 Daenerys Targaryen 9h ago
No King has ever abdicated the throne. So its probably not an option unless he tries to go to the night's watch or something. Which nobody would allow him to do lol.
Plus iiirc he did say one of the reasons he still is king is that joffrey would be pretty terrible as king
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u/LockeInLock 9h ago
IMO Robert loved the thrill of winning more than actually having a purpose. Once he became king, he had everything he thought he wanted but none of what actually made him happy. He wasn't necessarily lazy, just deeply unhappy and completely unsuited for ruling. No amount of hunting or exploring would've fixed that.
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u/jinzokan 9h ago
Turns out giving the guy who can swing the biggest hammer the throne was a bad idea. I know he had targaryan ancestry but that should also be a slight against him if there whole thing is fighting to remove targaryans from power.
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u/Guilliman_POTUS_2030 4h ago
Robert cares about his responsibilities, and he doesn’t want to abandon them. He says as much to Eddard in AGOT (I think there is a similar interaction in the HBO series)
He seems irresponsible and immature because he is an alcoholic. The alcohol abuse makes it difficult or impossible for him to actually manage his responsibilities in a correct way; but that is not the same as simply lacking the desire to fulfill his responsibilities
As you get older, you will eventually meet this type of person in your own life. If you’re unlucky, you will see it happen to someone you already know
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u/HappyGilOHMYGOD House Stark 9h ago
His Fury drove him to becoming King. Once that was gone, or at least once there was nothing constructive left to do with it, he figured not much else to do but eat and drink yourself to death.
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u/CastrateMeASAP 5h ago
Do you believe in love? I know it can sometimes be a foreign concept, many of us search desperately for that elusive 4-letter word called LOVE, Robert was I love with ONE woman, and it wasn’t the woman he married. If I forced you to marry someone you could barely even tolerate, knowing you would never hold the one you truly loved ever again, could you keep your 💩 together, or would you drown your sorrows in the bottom of a flagon of wine too? I freely admit that I am not strong enough to “move on” after that kind of loss, so I empathize with Robert losing himself in any distraction that was an obvious cooping mechanism. But then again, I don’t have 7 kingdoms to rule🤷🏻♂️
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u/Matthius81 3h ago
Close, but I'd correct that to say he loved his IDEA of Lyanna, not Lyanna himself. He barely knew her, and I think would have been bitterly disappointed by their marriage. No, what Robert truly mourns isnt his fiancee, its the lost chance to become Ned Stark's brother.
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u/cuttheblue 3h ago
He barely knew Lyanna though (maybe part of the pain is, it was his connection to Ned and the life he wanted for himself).
But even if he was deeply grieving for her, he was the King and had a huge amount of power and freedom, No doubt he would have grieved but eventually he could have found someone else he loved and had a secret relationship with them.
As for Cersei, I think they could have just agreed to date other people." I am not strong enough to “move on” after that kind of loss"
I don't believe that, I'm sure you could. It takes time but from my limited experience, the key is time to heal and finding other things you want to do
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u/Fancy_Toe1451 5h ago
He was consumed by grief and depression, and surrounded by bad faith actors who saw that keeping him in that state was more profitable for them than helping him process that grief and depression and come out the other side, setting new life goals and discovering new life opportunities. Even Jon Arryn found his position as Hand of the King an easier one when Robert was persuaded not to get involved.
If Westeros had a proper mental health system...
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u/cuttheblue 3h ago
Blimey this is a brilliant and quite tragic theory. The people around him intentionally turned him into the terrible king he was to get more power for themselves.
"If Westeros had a proper mental health system..."
Definitely bring this up at the next small council meeting.2
u/cuttheblue 1h ago
I don't understand why your comment got downvoted and mine upvoted, but I upvoted you.
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u/BrilliantStar1811 4h ago
tv show really should have cast actors in their mid-30's for Robert, Ned, and Catelyn.
the rest of his life was only what, 15-17 years?
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u/cuttheblue 3h ago
Maybe they were younger than they looked.
Robert - the drinking and feats aged him
Ned and Catelyn - the cold aged them
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u/Matthius81 3h ago
Robert craves Validation. From Ned, from Lyanna, from Jon Arryn, from any woman who will have him. One would think being King would bring him all the praise he could ever want, but he quickly realised nobody valued him, they just valued his position. His wife certainly didn't respect him. So he went out partying and chasing highs, because any other validation felt hollow and fake.
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