Game of Thrones - Sansa Stark / Characters

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Queen Sansa Stark

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"I'm a slow learner, it's true. But I learn."

Played By: Sophie Turner

Voiced By: Angélica Villa (Latin American Spanish), Minami Tsuda (Japanese), Marcia von Rebay (German)

"I did what I had to do to survive, my lady. But I am a Stark — I will always be a Stark."

Elder daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark and their second child. Raised as a lady, Sansa is the most idealistic of the Stark children at the start of the series, becoming a pawn in the machinations of the other characters. However, the realities and myriad tragedies of Westeros harden her heart as time wears on and circumstances force her to become savvier and more cunning — a real player in the Game of Thrones.

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Accidental Truth: After hearing her father's order to send her and Arya back to Winterfell, Sansa claims that she absolutely must stay in King's Landing so she can marry Joffrey, lamenting that he'll be the greatest king there ever was and a golden lion — referencing the sigil of House Lannister. Arya quickly corrects her and points out that he would be a stag, the sigil of House Baratheon and his "father", which Sansa dismisses by saying that he's nothing like Robert anyway. As we know though, in truth, Joffrey's incestuous heritage actually makes him one-hundred percent Lannister and Sansa was technically correct.^note Sansa's seemingly meaningless slip of the tongue inspires Ned to start looking into Joffrey's "heritage", which for better or worse, sets a lot of the events of the series into motion.
Action Survivor: Sansa is by no means a fighter, but she manages to get through the eponymous war and become Queen for the throne despite every dangerous situation she finds herself in, including more than one active battlefield, by sheer guile and pluck.
Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Not that she doesn't undergo Trauma Conga Line in the books, but her wedding night rape with Ramsay is entirely exclusive to the show as a result of her character's storyline becoming a composite with that of Jeyne Poole's in the book.
Adaptational Dumbass: In the books, Sansa can spout historical and literary trivia and identify Renly and Barristan purely by Sherlock Scan, but in the show, she literally thinks "shift" is a vulgar word for dung. She also remains oblivious to subtle character clues like Loras's chivalrous disinterest and Littlefinger's Stepford Smile instead of sensing them after a single conversation, and she trusts her mysterious new maid "even though she tells me not to" rather than assuming she's a spy (which is true of her maids in the novels). However, later seasons overlap into Adaptational Intelligence below.
Adaptational Heroism:
- As written below, she played an unwitting role in Eddard's capture, which the show Adapted Out for reasons of Age Lift and which Word of Godinvoked himself felt was not as essential in light of her later Character Development.
- In the books, Sansa likewise heard Lysa Arryn specifically shouting out that she killed Jon Arryn for Littlefinger (which Sansa doesn't allow herself to believe) and was an accomplice in Littlefinger framing a Fall Guy. In the show, said Fall Guy lost his tongue back in Season 1 and hasn't been seen since.
Adaptational Intelligence: Throughout seasons 6, 7 and 8, Sansa becomes a much more shrewd political operator than her book counterpart was up to this point.
Adaptational Nice Guy: In the books, she and her friends regularly bully Arya by calling her "Horseface," which goes unmentioned in the television series.
Adaptational Wimp: In the books, she armed herself with a knife and journeyed through the Red Keep at night to investigate a message left by Ser Dontos, and actively conspired with him to escape King's Landing over the course of several months. In the show, she has no involvement at all and is simply dragged out of King's Landing unawares.
Adaptation Dye-Job: Her hair is a lighter, brighter red in the show, but is auburn (red-brown) in the books.
Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
- Her friendship with the Tyrells in the show comes off as much more genuine on their part, whereas in the books it's strongly implied that they only care about her as a political pawn.
- Her marriage to Tyrion in the book was a constant source of humiliation and misery for her, while in the TV series they both make an effort and manage to get along fairly well (at least up until the Red Wedding happens), even if there's no actual love there.
- In the show she marries Ramsay Bolton, while in the books the two of them have never met.
- Her relationship with her cousin Robin, while still positive, isn't as close as it was in the books.
Adapted Out:
- Some of Sansa's more naive actions in the book, especially in Season 1, are removed partly because the showrunners felt that her Age Lift made it less believable. The most notable instance was her informing Cersei about her father's plans to move his household back to Winterfell by ship, an action which played a small role in Ned Stark's arrest.
- As a result of most of her book 4 plot being removed and converged with Jeyne Poole's storyline in Season 5, Sansa's Character Development in that section, her friendship with smallfolk and outsiders like Mya Stone and blossoming into the role of hostess and Number Two to Littlefinger is removed.
Affectionate Nickname: Sandor calls her "little bird".
All Girls Want Bad Boys:
- Averted. Sansa wanted the psychotic Joffrey — but only when she thought he was the stereotypical heroic prince from her stories. Her feelings change to hatred upon seeing how terrible Joffrey truly is.
- Averted with Ramsey, a repudiated psychopath from a family of psychopaths, leading an army of psychopaths — and their sigil is a mutilated corpse. She knew it was a bad idea, and pretty much everyone else did as well.
Alliterative Name: Sansa Stark.
Ambiguous Situation: Her "marriage" to Ramsay creates a giant one:
- The use of surnames and the ability of noblewomen to retain their maiden name after marriage was established within the show in Seasons 1-3 and by discussions with writers, but there's no agreement in-universe on what Sansa's surname currently is. Jaime considers her as Sansa Lannister in Season 4 while, in Season 6, a Bolton soldier trying to capture her calls her Lady Bolton. Later, Lyanna Mormont hangs a Lampshade by noting whether she is a Lannister or Bolton, while Sansa calls herself Sansa Stark, despite being legally married. In keeping with the series' themes, each person largely uses whatever name most suits their own position. The legitimacy of her second marriage is a second issue since Sansa was married to Tyrion Lannister before a large crowd and officiated by the High Septon, while the second marriage is conducted in a ceremony of the Old Gods. In the books, Sansa's marriage to Tyrion is voidable but not void and requires a formal annulment. In the show, Littlefinger claims that no annulment is necessary. Some fans believe otherwise since this is Littlefinger, but nothing else has been said on the subject. The second marriage becomes something of a moot point after Ramsay Bolton becomes dog food.
Amicable Exes: With Tyrion. When Tyrion writes to Jon in Season 7 to summon him to Dragonstone, Sansa argues it could have been written by anyone, but when Jon verifies it was written by Tyrion himself from the phrase "all dwarves are bastards in their father's eyes", Sansa remarks Tyrion is not like the other Lannisters and that he was kind to her. Tyrion also asks after Sansa's wellbeing when reunited with Jon.
Animal Motif:
- In early seasons, Sansa is associated with dragonflies; she frequently wears dragonfly necklaces and has dragonfly motifs on her clothing. Dragonflies are symbolic of personal growth, self-realization, renewal, and adaptability, all of which are quite fitting for Sansa's arc and development over the course of the series. Dragonflies are also known for being one of the most successful predators in the animal kingdom, foreshadowing her victory in the game of thrones by winning Northern independence and becoming Queen of the North.
- Sansa is associated with birds. She is sometimes nicknamed "little bird", especially by Sandor Clegane. Birds are pretty but a bit fragile and easily frightened. Like a captive bird in a Gilded Cage, Sansa is kept hostage in the Red Keep. Also, as Clegane remarks, she sings whatever songs her captors want to hear to keep herself safe. In the Season 4 finale, when Sansa enters the game of thrones as a serious player, she is wearing a dress with black feathers like a raven's or crow's... or a mockingbird's. She's become Littlefinger's apprentice - whose personal sigil is the mockingbird — and has started to learn how to use her apparent fragility and observation skills to throw people off and manipulate them.
- By Season 6, Sansa's clothes have started to become more wolfish, symbolising her returning to her roots as her family's sigil is a direwolf and embracing her identity as a Stark (as well as her freeing herself from Littlefinger's toxic influence).
Arch-Enemy: As the series progresses, Sansa becomes this to Littlefinger for his many transgressions against both herself and House Stark as a whole, although Littlefinger doesn't realize she has turned on him until it is too late.
Armor-Piercing Question: In Season 8's premiere, she poses one to Jon, asking him if he bent the knee to Daenerys "to save the North, or because [he] love[s] [Daenerys]"? Jon doesn't answer.
Arranged Marriage: Happens with Sansa multiple times throughout the series:
- To Joffrey, which she views as a Perfectly Arranged Marriage until he shows his true colors.
- After Joffrey repudiates her, the Tyrells plan to marry Sansa to Loras for her claim to Winterfell. When Tywin finds out, he declares that she shall marry Tyrion instead, which she does. Seeing as the both of them are soon on the run and neither had bothered to consummate the marriage, no one in Westeros seems to really acknowledge or care as to whether or not she is still married to him.
- When Tyrion is in serious danger of being executed, her Aunt Lysa begins to plan a marriage with Robin Arryn.
- Lord Baelish and Lord Bolton marry her to Ramsay after Ramsay is made heir to Winterfell.
Attempted Rape: A repeated scare for her:
- Attempted gang rape by a group of commoners in "The Old Gods and the New". She is rescued in the nick of time by Sandor Clegane.
- Joffrey all but states he'll force himself on her after they're married. Even after she's married off to Tyrion instead, he openly covets this during their wedding, but his threats are eventually defused.
- The Hound tells Arya while he is possibly dying that he should have raped Sansa while he had the chance, though at this he's trying to goad Arya into killing him, after not only not raping her but also saving her from rapists and subtly promising to protect her from Joffrey's depravity, so take it for what it's worth.
- Sansa's luck eventually runs out, as Ramsay rapes her for many nights, beginning on their wedding night.
Awful Wedded Life:
- She very narrowly avoids this with Joffrey. He not only has her father killed in front of her, he also regularly torments her, has his guards beat her (as a king shouldn't strike his lady) and makes remarks about killing her if she doesn't give him a worthy heir and so forth. Cersei (who speaks from experience) pretty much states that Joffrey will never show her love or devotion, and the best she can hope for is not getting on his bad side and having children she can dote upon. Sansa is so petrified of the thought of marrying Joffrey she attempts to hide the fact she's started menstruating and when he dumps her for Margaery, she can barely contain her joy as she pretends to be heartbroken.
- Tyrion and Sansa don't have any love for each other, being ordered to marry by Tywin and the latter being forced into it. They form a quasi-friendship almost as Sansa realizes that Tyrion is a decent man even if he's a member of the Lannister family. This goes From Bad to Worse after the Red Wedding as Sansa realizes that she's married into the family that murdered her father, her mother, her brothers and most of her family. She doesn't seem to blame or resent him for any of it though, later telling a number of people that Tyrion treated her kindly.
- Her marriage to Ramsay Bolton is a very straightforward example, as he invokes his "right" of Marital Rape License nightly, beating her and leaving her crying in her bed.
Awesome Moment of Crowning: Having come to the conclusion that the North will never bow to a southern ruler again, even if that ruler is Brandon Stark, Sansa successfully argues for Northern independence and ends the series taking up the mantle of Queen in the North.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:
- Remembers Arya with fondness past Season 1 and makes it clear that she misses her.
- Her eyes light up when Ramsay mentions her half-brother, Jon Snow, in Season 5, whom she had never previously shown any affection towards. Their reunion in Season 6 is also very affectionate, a stark contrast from her aloofness towards him in Season 1.
- In Season 7, she is finally reunited with her sister Arya and they have a sombre, yet heartwarming conversation by Ned's statue.
Badass Boast: In "The Battle of the Bastards", she gives her abuser Ramsay a simple, yet accurate one-liner, "You're going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton. Sleep well." She gives Ramsay the final, perfect middle finger by telling him, "Your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear," before she feeds him to his own hounds.
- In the finale of Season 7, "When the snow falls and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives."
Badass Bureaucrat: Thanks to Sansa's years in King's Landing and her time spent with Littlefinger, Sansa has gained the political know-how to navigate her way through the political office in a way that her other siblings cant. She's so good at the game that Jon leaves Sansa in charge of the North while he meets with Daenerys Targaryen and Sansa is able to keep the peace with the notably fickle Northern Lords.
Bastard Understudy: By the end of Season 4, she has become this to Littlefinger, willingly protecting him from the nobles of the Vale using manipulation techniques she's learned from Littlefinger's various monologues. She has also thrown in with his plans, though she has some leverage against him to prevent unwanted advances. Needless to say, Petyr is impressed by this. By the end of Season 7, Sansa is able to outmaneuver him and has Littlefinger killed when she learns of his crimes against her family, showing that she has now surpassed her teacher.
Battle Ballgown: As Winterfell prepares to fight the White Walkers, she adds a bodice of leather armor to her outfit.
Be Careful What You Wish For:
- She is deliriously happy to be engaged to the heir to the kingdoms... until he has her father beheaded right in front of her, and she becomes a hostage to his family in the ensuing civil war. What's more, Joffrey can't even pretend to be civil to her; he makes her look at her father's head on the wall, orders Meryn Trant to smack her when she sasses him in the middle of grief and denial, and tries to have her assaulted when Robb has a victory.
- Happens again at the end of Season 2, when she finally gets out of her engagement to Joffrey. Unfortunately, as Petyr Baelish points out, she's actually worse off, since she's not allowed to return home, Joffrey is still free to beat and rape her without reprisal, and she doesn't have the minor consolation of being queen when it happens.
- In Season 4, she's finally free of the Lannisters, Joffrey and King's Landing by being forced to go on the lam after the King's assassination, being a prime suspect with a large bounty on her head. The only person keeping her safe at this time is the real culprit, Petyr Littlefinger Baelish, and her place of refuge is the castle of her mad aunt Lysa Arryn.
Better as Friends: When she and Tyrion reunite in Season 8, he jokes that they should have stayed married to avoid all the anguish coming with the Long Night. Sansa in turn quips that he's the best husband that she's ever had. They have a laugh about it, before preparing to fight the wights as a team and go down fighting. They still don't get back together, because he is too old for Sansa and he's loyal to Dany. In the end, they part as allies if not friends.
Beware the Quiet Ones:
- In an unexpected moment of boldness, Sansa attempts to push Joffrey off a bridge. She's stopped by the Hound.
- In "Battle of the Bastards", she executes Ramsay by having his hounds eat him alive.
Big Little Sister: She is slightly but noticeably taller than her older half-brother Jon. And while her eldest brother Robb is slightly taller than her on foot, Sansa clearly towers over him while on heels.
Big Sister Instinct:
- After hearing Ramsay's letter which says he has taken Rickon hostage, Sansa is more determined to take Winterfell back from Ramsay and pushes Jon to join her. She even displays shades of this towards Jon, who Sansa refers to as her brother.
- During Littlefinger’s trial, it’s discovered that he’s the one that sent the assassin after Bran while pinning the blame on Tyrion, which resulted in the war between her family against the Lannisters. For nearly assassinating her little brother, trying to turn her against her sister, and causing the death of her parents and two of her brothers, it comes to no surprise that she has him executed.
Born Unlucky: Ironic, because at the start of the series, she was envisioned to have the best career of the Stark children, set to marry the Crown Prince and make House Stark the Royal Family of Westeros, but she ended up being the unluckiest of the kids who survived, forced into difficult situations where she couldn't fully act because she didn't have magical and supernatural aid or mentors to help her out (unlike Jon, Bran, and Arya).
- Straight averted in the end. Compared to Bran, who lost the use of his legs; Jon, who ends up back at the Wall; and Robb and Rickon who are dead, she arguably has the best ending of all the Starks.
Bratty Teenage Daughter: One time with her septa in Season 1. Later, in Season 6, Sansa apologises to Jon for being cold to him as a girl.
Sansa: Where are you from, anyway? The north or the south?
Septa Mordane: I come from a very small village in a—
Sansa: —Oh, wait. I just realized... I don't care.
Break the Haughty: Played with in that she's uppity and callous at the beginning of the story, but her misfortunes are so harsh that she becomes a sympathetic Broken Bird instead.
- When Lady is killed and later when her father is deemed a traitor and is beheaded. And then Joffrey shows her the heads of her father and his retainers. After stating that he will rape her when she can bear children. And then he has one of his bodyguards hit her. Repeatedly.
- She is then forcibly married to the unattractive Tyrion instead of the dreamy Loras, but her new husband is completely respectful and kind to her, and he disobeys his father's orders to rape and impregnate her. They even start to get along rather well... and then she learns of the Lannister-planned Red Wedding, which resulted in the horrific murders of her brother, mother, and the Northern army. While she knows Tyrion had nothing to do with it, she can't accept his comfort knowing his family benefits. She has thus lost her last sliver of hope of rescue from King's Landing. It gets worse when she returns to Winterfell, where she is married to Ramsay Bolton, who is the North's very own homegrown version of Joffrey.
Broken Bird: Has reached this point after everything mentioned above, and she is forced to adapt and play Littlefinger's game to survive.
Broken Tears: After she hears about The Red Wedding.
Brother–Sister Team: After she reunites with Jon in Season 6, they team up to bring down the Boltons and retake Winterfell. Sansa provides the cunning and political know-how while Jon provides the brawn and martial prowess.
Butt-Monkey: Her life in King's Landing is truly dramatic and horrible. Just when it seems her luck may be changing thanks to an Arranged Marriage to Loras, the political machine conspires against her. After returning to Winterfell, she reaches a point where she believes that things can't possibly be any worse. Theon rightly points out that with Ramsay around, things can always get worse.
The Cassandra: Sansa warns Jon Ramsay will try to aggravate him into doing something stupid and falling into a trap, but Jon dismisses her. Her observation comes to pass.
Chained by Fashion: After taking back the North from House Bolton and becoming Lady of Winterfell, Sansa begins wearing a chain necklace with her outfits.
Character Development:
- Sansa starts out wanting to visit the Capital and be less like her family. Joffrey and Cersei's true nature and the death and separation from the Starks makes her long for nothing more than Winterfell and her home, she takes to building a miniature version of her home castle in the Vale.
- And from a naive, sheltered highborn girl with a tendency to believe Beauty Equals Goodness to an increasingly cynical, insightful young woman with a keen understanding of what makes people tick.
- She and Arya start off at odds with each other; while Arya is to blame for pranking her, her little sister is absolutely right to call her out for ignoring Joffrey's violent tendencies. Sansa knows better by the time she and Arya reunite; when Littlefinger tries to turn them against each other, Sansa refuses to make the same mistake again in taking someone else's side over her sister's.
The Chessmaster: After a long time in the cutthroat society of King's Landing and being tutored by Littlefinger himself, Sansa develops quite a knack for elaborate stratagems. Noticeable examples include engineering Littlefinger's death and planting the seeds of Daenerys' downfall to better the North's position.
Chekhov's Gun:
- The necklace Ser Dontos gives her, which he claims is an heirloom of House Hollard but was in fact a cheap imitation made by Littlefinger. When Sansa arrives aboard Littlefinger's ship after being secreted out of King's Landing by Ser Dontos, he takes off the necklace. One of the fake gems is missing. In the next episode, he confirms to Sansa that he hid the poison that Olenna Tyrell used to kill Joffrey in the missing stone.
- The corkscrew she grabbed in "The Gift" comes into play in the finale when she uses it to pick the lock of her room in Winterfell, ultimately managing to escape with Theon.
Commonality Connection:
- Starts to form this with Loras in "The Climb", as they are both extremely depressed after losing a loved one (Ned for Sansa and Renly for Loras), plus they find life in King's Landing intolerable.
- She begins to bond with Tyrion over their outcast status. Then she learns of the Red Wedding.
Composite Character: She takes over the role of Jeyne Poole (who was Adapted Out other than a brief unnamed cameo in the first episode) as Ramsay's betrothed in Season 5. In her Season 6 reunion with Jon, Sansa takes the role of Alys Karstark as well.
Corrupt the Cutie: Courtesy of Littlefinger's influence.
Daddy's Girl: Less obvious than Arya, but the scenes with the doll her father gives her heavily imply she is one, though she's clearly closer to Cat than Arya was.
Dark Is Not Evil: In later seasons, she wears much darker clothing compared to her earlier appearances, but besides becoming a bit more ruthless and pragmatic, she remains one of the nicer characters on the show and is definitely heroic.
Deadpan Snarker: Downplayed as she has to measure her words given the hostile environment she's in, but the tendency is there.
Death Glare: As demonstrated by her character image for Season 6, Sansa throws a glare like a Northern storm. Her Icy Blue Eyes in later seasons help the effect.
Despair Event Horizon: Is in this at the start of Season 4, refusing to talk to people, eat for days, even admitting to Tyrion that she goes to the Godswood because she'll be left alone there and not because she prays or believes anymore.
Did You Actually Believe...?: Mocks Myranda for believing that Ramsay actually intended on marrying her.
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Calls Ramsay Snow a bastard, to his face. The last person who did that was shot at point-blank range with an arrow.
Distracted by the Sexy: She stares longingly at Loras' backside as he walks away in "Dark Wings, Dark Words", and Margaery even has to gently snap Sansa out of her reverie.
The Dog Bites Back:
- Almost literally. When Ramsay is at her mercy, she savors every second of telling him that House Bolton dies with him, before siccing his starving dogs on him, walking away with a big smile on her face with starved snarling and agonized screaming behind her.
- After spending years being manipulated by him and used as a bargaining chip in his games Sansa finally uses all of the tricks that Littlefinger taught her to get him at her mercy and executes him for the crimes he has committed against her family and the realm.
Domestic Abuse:
- When Joffrey is pissed off, he has his knights beat her, because his mother told him "a king should not strike his lady."
- Her marriage to Ramsay Bolton starts off with him raping her on their wedding night and it's made clear that a sadist like him has no intention of being loving.
Do Not Go Gentle: During the Battle of Winterfell, she and Tyrion end up hiding in the crypt as wights swarm around them, attacking anyone still living. Rather than stay hiding, Sansa arms herself with the dragonglass dagger Arya had given her and goes to fight them, with Tyrion joining her. Both she and Tyrion end up surviving.
Doom Magnet: Somehow she attracts a nightmare's gallery of suitors. First Joffrey, then Robin and just when you think it couldn't get worse, Littlefinger engaged her to Ramsay Bolton, to say nothing of Littlefinger's own "interest" in her. About the only people who are nice to her are the scarred and ugly Sandor Clegane and the dwarf Tyrion Lannister, and even that situation is complicated with the latter two essentially serving the family that killed hers.
The Dreaded: Yes, that's right. In Season 7, after the Starks have taken back Winterfell and Arya shows up, the gatekeepers try to send her away believing Arya is a prankster. When Arya tells them the Lady of Winterfell will not be happy if it turns out she's telling the truth and they got rid of her sister, they are visibly nervous of incurring Sansa's wrath. Feeding your abusive husband to dogs will probably garner such a reputation.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: After the Battle of the Bastards, where, as Jon acknowledges later, she was the one who saved the day, leaving her the legitimate heir to Winterfell, she is completely ignored by the Northern lords at the council, and Jon is praised as the avenger of the Red Wedding and then crowned King in the North. Sansa is unhappy at this turn of events.
Dye or Die: At the end of Season 4, she dyes her very distinctive red hair black to disguise herself as she and Littlefinger travel to the North. In the following season, she washes the dye out after reaching Winterfell and getting betrothed to Ramsay.
Earn Your Happy Ending: At the series finale, after all the heartache and pain she's gone through, with her brothers sent into either effective (Bran being named King of the Six Kingdoms) or literal (Jon being sent beyond the Wall, officially as a member of the Night Watch) exile, and despite her sister leaving Westeros to go sailing into the unknown, Sansa wins the North's formal independence and is herself crowned Queen of the North.
Exact Words: Combined with Dramatic Irony. In the books, her father Ned tries to free her from Joffrey's grasp, promising to find her a better suitor but she naively declines. To say she comes to regret this far, far too late would be a monumental understatement.
Ned Stark: I will find you a better husband, someone who is brave, gentle, and strong.
Sansa Stark: I don't want someone who is brave, gentle, and strong, I want him!
Extreme Doormat: To Joffrey and Cersei during her time as a hostage in King's Landing (though obviously she has no choice in this). By Season 6, she's leading a northern army alongside her brother Jon and doesn't hesitate to rebuke someone who disrespects her.
Face Death with Dignity: She doesn't even flinch when Myranda is pointing an arrow at her face. Luckily, Theon shoves Myranda from the rampart before Myranda has chance to hurt Sansa.
Fainting: Collapses after her father is executed.
Fairytale Wedding Dress: The full-skirted white gown with a matching fur wrap she wears to her second wedding is stunning. Pity about the groom and circumstances.
Bran Stark: It was so beautiful that night. Snow falling, just like now. And you were so beautiful. In your white wedding dress.
Fatal Attractor: Poor Sansa has horrible luck when it comes to men.
- Her first betrothed Joffrey puts up a Prince Charming facade but is actually The Caligula who cuts her father's head off in front of her, has her beaten, publically humiliated and repeatedly threatens to rape and/or kill her.
- Her second husband Ramsay is quite possibly even more of a psycho than Joffrey, who abuses and rapes her and tries to torture and kill anyone she loves or who shows compassion to her.
- Littlefinger has a very obvious crush on her and is a Manipulative Bastard old enough to be her dad; he's also technically her uncle by marriage and was obsessed with her mother, whom she strongly resembles. It's all but stated he intends her to be a Replacement Goldfish for Catelyn and he's not above trying to force physical affection on her. He's also the one who arranged her marriage to Ramsay and tries to alienate her from her surviving family.
- Sandor Clegane is implied to have a bit of a crush on her; although he treats her much better than Joffrey, Littlefinger and Ramsay, he's still a deeply twisted and violent individual and there are implications he once considered forcing himself on her, though he could just have been saying this to get a rise out of Arya and he never actually touched her.
- Out of all the men she's been 'involved' with, hard-drinking Chivalrous Pervert Tyrion is by far the nicest. Her crush Loras is nice to her too... but she doesn't realise he's gay, bless her.
First Period Panic: Her first period means she can now marry Joffrey and bear his children. She's so horrified by this that she frantically attempts to cut the bloodstain from her mattress to hide it. (Luckily, the betrothal falls through when Joffrey decides to marry Margaery instead).
Flowers of Romance: She believes the red rose Loras offers to her at the Tourney of the Hand is a token of his affection. If only she had noticed that the Knight of Flowers was in fact googly-eyed over the Lord of Storm's End sitting behind her...
Foil: In the novels, George R. R. Martin designed Sansa to be Arya's foil. This is present in the adaptation as well. They are both Starks of Winterfell who spend a great deal of time with Sandor "The Hound" Clegane who takes them both captive at one time or another and ends up showing them his softer side. But it's also part of their development and their very different Break the Cutie arc. Sansa becomes ensnared in the politics of King's Landing and sees, first hand, the ruthlessness and backstabbing of a Decadent Court while Arya travels across Westeros and falls under the view and guidance of characters of varying moral fibre. Arya slowly becomes a methodical Child Soldier who falls in with an amoral killing cult that believes in death for everyone while Sansa has become Number Two to Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, using her father's honorable reputation to defend a murderer from facing the consequences of his actions and becoming a willing accomplice. In both cases, the sisters are forced to discard their whole identities in order to pursue vengeance and survival.
Forceful Kiss: Sansa is on the receiving one from Littlefinger in "Mockingbird". She didn't really resist; just stood there kind of stunned. Littlefinger tries his luck again in "The Winds of Winter" — this time, Sansa pushes him away.
Forgiveness: She forgives Tyrion for their mutual baggage with their families feuding and him being ordered to marry her. Tyrion in turn forgives her for leaving him to take the blame because he intuited that she had nothing to do with Joffrey's death and that she was being used.
Freeze-Frame Bonus: The necklace Ser Dontos gives her is missing one of its fake gems when Littlefinger takes it off Sansa aboard his boat, and which Littlefinger confirms contained the poison used to kill Joffrey. Even better: the gem is already missing during the Purple Wedding. Freeze frame right after Olenna touches the necklace.

G-M

Generation Xerox: Looks-wise, a few characters remark she looks very much like Catelyn did when she was young. Littlefinger even says she's more beautiful than her mother was at that age. Appropriately enough, she gradually starts exhibiting more and more of Catelyn's character traits as she gets older, save for acquiring a cold pragmatism her mother did not have, which was probably acquired from her time around court, particularly around Littlefinger. So, in a way, she became the child Littlefinger never got to have with Cat. Even more striking in Season 6 as she has now taken over the role of The Consigliere to Jon like Catelyn used to do with her husband and son.
Girl in the Tower: Becomes one of these after her wedding, kept locked in a bedroom and visited only by Ramsay, who rapes her nightly, and Theon.
The Glomp: When she is reunited with Jon after years of suffering, she and her half-brother rush to each other and embrace each other as family.
- When Theon returns to Winterfell in Season 8 and promises to fight for House Stark, Sansa runs to him with tears in her eyes and they hug warmly.
The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: With Arya. While far from unintelligent, particularly in recent episodes, she fills the role of "the pretty one."
Good Is Not Soft: Though Sansa never really loses her compassionate heart, six seasons of virtually nonstop trauma see her become hard, unforgiving, and iron-fisted when it comes to her enemies and those of her House. Ramsay discovers this most righteously.
Grew a Spine: It's been steadily happening since Ned's execution, but come Season 6, she's boldly declaring war on the Boltons and insisting on the need to retake Winterfell. Her vertebral development culminates with her being the one who finally collects on Littlefinger's Karma Houdini Warranty.
Growing Up Sucks: It does when it means you'll be traded as a bride to psychopaths (or anyone needing to forge an alliance).
Guile Hero: Becomes a very intelligent ruler and politician by the end of her Character Development.
Hate at First Sight: Sansa takes a strong dislike to Daenerys the moment she meets her, partly because Jon pledged allegiance to her without consulting Sansa or anyone else in the North and because of the horrible deaths her grandfather and uncle suffered at the hands of Aerys. Even though Daenerys came to help the North against the Army of the Dead, Sansa sees Daenerys more as a threat to Northern independence than as an important ally and when she asks Daenerys what becomes of the North should Daenerys take the crown, the Mother of Dragons doesn't have an answer.
Head-Turning Beauty: Second only to Daenerys in this regard. Her sexual attractiveness is the source of some significant drama in her life, both from the men who want her and the women who look upon her with jealousy. Ramsay's blunt response to his mistress asking if he finds Sansa pretty sums it up pretty well: "Of course I do. I'm not blind."
Heroic BSoD:
- Collapses in shock when Ilyn Payne swings her father's sword.
- When she starts menstruating, as this means that she's now able to have Joffrey's children.
- She gets another one when she finds out that she is being married to Tyrion, not Loras as intended, and that her other chance to leave King's Landing sails away.
- In Season 4, she's lost any will to eat, and spends hours in the Godswood just to get away from people trying to comfort her about the deaths of Catelyn and Robb.
The High Queen: Starts to show signs of this trope in "Blackwater", shortly after Cersei mentions how much she disdains it. As of Season 6, she is now the Lady of Winterfell and becomes her brother Jon's regent in Season 7. As Lady of Winterfell, Sansa projects a regal authority and demonstrates a good grasp of Northern dynastic politics. She repeatedly demonstrates concern for her people and tries to point out in the aftermath of "The Longest Night" that their forces need to rest before fighting another battle. Finally in "The Iron Throne", Sansa successfully lobbies for the Norths independence and is officially crowned Queen in the North.
Honey Trap: A non-blatantly sexual version, as she's offered as a wife to Ramsay Bolton to help solidify the Boltons' rule of the North by including the Starks again. The real purpose is to get her close enough to take revenge. Which she does, but not after having suffered horribly.
Horrible Judge of Character: May be a family trait. "I trust her, even though she tells me not to" could almost be the words of House Stark. She completely fails to see the parts of people she doesn't want to see, especially with regard to Joffrey. While life at court makes her a bit warier, it remains to be seen if her trust in Shae, and Tyrion by extension, is a good call. This trait has pretty much vanished by Season 5 — such as the way she interacts with Myranda, not fooled for a second by the latter's Bitch in Sheep's Clothing act. Although she, and Littlefinger apparently, seriously misjudge how crazy Ramsay is and Sansa only sees his Mask of Sanity crack just before the wedding. By Season 8, she seems to be growing out of this, as she correctly deduces that Cersei will go back on her alliance with the Starks and Targaryens despite the dire circumstances, which even Tyrion doesn't fully suspect, believing Cersei would agree for the sake of her unborn child. She also rightly suspects that Jon has pledged himself to Daenerys out of love for Daenerys.
Hostage Situation: She is the most important political token of the Lannisters during the War of the Five Kings after the death of Ned and the disappearance of Arya. Even if she wasn't Robb's heir as King in the North, Sansa is the heir to Winterfell after Theon "kills" Bran and Rickon. The Red Wedding caused the Lannisters to lose interest in her, as she wasn't as valuable a hostage anymore. The Tyrells try to bring her into the fold, to which the Lannisters married her to Tyrion. The cementing of the Tyrell-Lannister alliance and the chaos caused by the assassination of Joffrey allowed Littlefinger to take Sansa with him to the Vale of Arryn, disguising her as his bastard.
Hourglass Plot: The Stark daughter who most wanted to assimilate in the North and go South in the beginning of the series ends up desperately wanting to return home to the North due to her horrific experiences in the South. She becomes thoroughly devoted to the Stark family's memories and legacy, ultimately helping to restore it to power, and tries to defend it from all the Feuding Families with members that have harmed it in the past.
I Did What I Had to Do: When Lyanna Mormont brings up the fact she's been married to both Tyrion Lannister and Ramsay Bolton, Sansa states she only did what she had to in order to survive and reaffirms her allegiance to House Stark.
I Hate Past Me: Although no time travel is involved, in Season 6 she remarks to Jon that she hates how naive she used to be and regrets how she took her home and family for granted. She also feels bad for being "an ass" to Jon.
Sansa to Jon: Don't you wish we could go back to the day we left? I want to scream to myself "Don't go, you idiot."
I Have Your Wife: After Ned's execution and Arya's escape, she's essentially being used as leverage by the Lannisters against Robb, and is physically and emotionally abused by Joffrey for her brother's victories.
Incompatible Orientation: She's a bit infatuated with Loras Tyrell, unaware that he's gay.
I Need a Freaking Drink:
- Pours herself some wine when she's alone with Tyrion during their wedding night in "Second Sons", which is especially notable as Sansa had always been reluctant to drink in previous episodes. (Possibly because she associates it with Cersei.)
- She tries out same ale in "The House of Black and White", but declares she doesn't see what the fuss is about.
- She reaches for a drink of ale with Jon in "The Book of the Stranger", even if it doesn't go over quite as well.
Informed Flaw: She was apparently quite cold to Jon as a kid, but because Sansa and Jon never shared any scenes together in Season 1, all we have is her word to go on.
The Ingenue: While not stupid by any means, Sansa is woefully naive, to the point where "Mhysa" reveals her belief that the vulgar way of saying dung is "shift". One suspects this is part of the reason so many characters in King's Landing seem to take it upon themselves to try and protect her (though, unfortunately, just as many as seek to exploit her).
Innocent Blue Eyes: She has gorgeous blue eyes and is an innocent, naive young teen girl at the start of the series. As Sansa's innocence has been slowly destroyed by circumstance, her gaze has appropriately hardened in kind.
In the Hood: While fleeing from King's Landing following the Purple Wedding, she has the sense to put the hood of her cloak up to make herself less visible. As she travels to the Eyrie, she also wears a hood to hide her red hair, as she's supposed to be pretending to be Littlefinger's niece. During her marriage to Ramsay, she wears a hood most of the time, both because it's cold in the North and later to make herself less visible when she makes her escape from the castle.
Intimate Hair Brushing:
- Sansa has beautiful red hair. Lady Stark is seen brushing her eldest daughter's hair, signifying the love and bond between them.
- Tyrion arranges for his secret lover Shae to become Lady Sansa's handmaiden. Shae is a former prostitute who doesn't know what it entails, and Sansa, held hostage in King's Landing, is exasperated with her. She lashes out that she shouldn't have to teach her how to do her job, but moments later asks Shae to brush her hair. Sansa is very lonely and desperate to have a companion. For Sansa, hair-brushing is an act of affection and intimacy which reminds her of her mother. She gradually warms up to Shae.
Ironic Echo: During Littlefinger's trial, she throws his discord-sowing words back at him. "Sometimes when I'm trying to understand a person's motives, I play a little game. I assume the worst." It's when these words are spoken that Petyr visibly realizes that the jig is truly up.
Iron Lady: What she eventually becomes after years of Character Development. Everyone from Winterfell to the new king's council in King's Landing will listen to hear as soon she makes her mind (gracefully) expressed.
Ironic Hell: More mundane version. In the first season, Sansa refuses to support Arya's or Joffrey's side in a quarrel so she can stay with her beloved prince and not make her house look bad. She certainly ends up getting one of the two.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Across all her character development, from spoiled child to trauma-hardened young adult, Sansa has a tendency toward being cold, curt, and snappish, which is eventually paired with a ruthless sense of pragmatism learned over the course of her traumas. But beneath all that, Sansa is still very much a Stark: loyal, just, and fiercely loving and protective of her family.
Lady and Knight: Ironically for a girl who grew up in love with chivalric romances, when her knight finally arrives, it's Brienne, a woman. Also, the closest she cam before that was Sandor Clegane, who despises the concept of knighthood.
The Lady's Favour: It initially appears to be a gender inversion of this trope when Ser Loras gives Sansa a rose before his joust, but it's quickly subverted when it turns out to be an empty gesture. Lord Renly is Loras's true sweetheart but Loras obviously cannot offer his favour to another man in a homophobic society, so he simply hands the rose to the young lady who happens to be seated the closest to Renly in the stands. Sansa doesn't pick up on the clues, and believes from that point onwards that the Knight of Flowers is interested in her romantically.
Laser-Guided Karma: After Nymeria bites Joffrey due to him threatening Arya and her sparring partner, Sansa refuses to stick up for Arya because she has the hots for Joffrey. As a result, when Cersei demands the head of a direwolf, Sansa's wolf Lady is executed because Arya had already chased Nymeria off.
Let's Get Dangerous!: The Damsel in Distress, who needed to be rescued and has been toyed around with for five seasons by more powerful and savvy characters, has had enough. Beginning the first episode of Season 6, she has stopped taking people’s shit and instead, takes matters into her own hands: she starts by escaping her abusive husband, accepts Brienne's aid, finally finds safety when she is reunited with an actual loving family member (not Aunt Lysa) — her brother, Jon — and begins to come into her own. Sansa plans to march on Winterfell with a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits to make the North safe again for herself and their family. Together with Jon, they take back Winterfell to save their little brother and get their family’s home back from that abusive monster of a husband, Ramsay Bolton, restoring the Starks in the North. By the end of the season, Sansa is Lady of Winterfell and her brother Jon is crowned the King in the North.
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: In Season 1, she's besotted with a Prince Charmless of teenage royalty and takes a shine to the aforementioned Ser Loras Tyrell.
Loving a Shadow: With Joffrey, a Draco in Leather Pants in-universe. She's entirely willing to overlook Joffrey's many, many flaws even when she sees them firsthand, due to the fact that she will be stuck with this monster forever, with Joffrey and his family able to make her life a living hell if she displeases him. She finally snaps out of it at the end of "Baelor", but it took her beau ordering her father's execution. Ned also points out to Arya that because she's going to be Joffrey's wife, she needs to show at least the pretense of Undying Loyalty to him, regardless of whether he deserves it. And, well, Ned was right about this.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch:
- She slaps Robin in the face when he has a tantrum and destroys her snow castle.
- It's Sansa who delivers Ramsay's sentence — by having him eaten alive by starving dogs.
- And as for Littlefinger, she has Arya slit his throat — with the blade he used to try and have Bran killed, no less.
The Maiden Name Debate: Despite being married twice, Sansa used neither of her husbands' respective surnames and is always been addressed as "Stark". Lyanna Mormont lampshades this in their first meeting.
Mean Boss: A milder example than most but she is rather rude to Septa Mordane.
Morality Pet: Served as the Hound's for a time. She's also one for Theon in Seasons 5 and 6, as it's threats towards Sansa's wellbeing that eventually snap Theon out of his "Reek" persona and lead him to defying Ramsay by escaping with her.

N-Z

Naïve Everygirl: To the point of thinking the naughty word for dung is "shift." She's come a long way since then.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- It's partly her fault that Lady got killed. What actually happened was that Joffrey attacked Mycah, and Arya and Nymeria stepped in to defend the boy. Sansa implicitly took Joffrey's side and refused to refute his lie that he was the one attacked. Cersei demands a direwolf to kill and since Arya made Nymeria run for her life, she insists on Lady instead. Sansa is heartbroken and begging for her direwolf's life, but to no avail. Mycah dies anyway, thanks to the Hound. No wonder Arya tells off Sansa in the next episode and calls her a liar. While Ned says that Sansa can't side against her future husband, Arya also points out why would Ned want Sansa to marry Joffrey then?
- Daenerys feels Sansa is as much responsible for Varys's death as she is, because Sansa broke her word to Jon about never telling his secret and told Tyrion. This is one of the contributing factors that pushes Dany to the stage where she decides to destroy all of King's Landing. The showrunners in Inside the Episode explain that Varys's schemes and Jon telling Sansa — who, in spite of her promise to Jon, tells Tyrion who tells Varys — played a part in her breaking out.
No Historical Figures Were Harmed: On face value, Sansa's position is akin to Anne of York, the oldest surviving daughter of the House of York (who was ironically married to a Lancastrian supporter)—the same way Sansa was betrothed to Joffrey (then forcibly married to Tyrion) during the War of Five Kings. The fact that she has been subject to multiple marriage proposals across competing clans (Baratheon, Lannister, Tyrell and ultimately Bolton) is also comparable to Anne's niece Elizabeth of York—who ended up marrying into The House of Tudor.
- As of the show continuity, Sansa is, chronologically, the eldest heir to her house — yet is compelled to serve in a more diplomatic/advisory position for her side due to it requiring the leadership of male warriors in a war setting. So far, she's done her best to tie a patchwork of alliances, but struggles with being seen as an insider with her house's bannermen due to being separated from their culture for so long. This description may also describe the Empress Matilda, the actual claimant to the throne during the Anarchy, who had to give away field leadership to Robert of Gloucester, her father King Henry I's bastard son (as Jon Snow nominally is).^{From the books...}
- A politically savvy royal who is ultimately crowned Queen after an unlikely series of events lead to her being the one with the strongest claim. Furthermore she is crowned with her red hair flowing free and unrestrained. It is easy to see her as echoing Queen Elizabeth I.
Number Two: She becomes a right-hand-lady to Littlefinger in Season 4 when she begins actively helping him with his schemes. Later, she becomes something of a Hand to Jon when he gears up for war with the Boltons and eventually becomes King in the North.
The Oathbreaker: Jon swears her and Arya to secrecy regarding his parentage, then she tells Tyrion, who tells Varys.
Oh, Crap!: Her reaction when Joffrey, who had promised to be merciful, orders Ser Ilyn to bring him her father's head.
Paint It Black: Sansa abruptly dyes her hair black and slips into a new black dress to match her new attempt to play the game of thrones at the end of Season 4.
Pay Evil unto Evil:
- Downplayed. When Robin Arryn throws a fit and destroys her snow replica of Winterfell, she slaps him so hard that he falls to the ground. Although Sansa might have been the one who escalated the altercation to begin with, Littlefinger blithely remarks afterward that Robin had it coming his entire life.
- After her older brother Jon literally beats Ramsay into the ground, it's Sansa who gets to pass final judgment on him. So what revenge does she take for the absolute hell Ramsay's put her and her family through? Sansa decides to feed Ramsay to his starving dogs, just as he'd intended to do to Jon if the Stark army had been defeated and what he did to numerous innocent women in his past.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: How she initially views her engagement to Joffrey. In Season 3, Sansa thinks that Loras would be an ideal husband for her when Margaery suggests a betrothal between them. And indeed, even with the Incompatible Orientation, Loras would have been a much better match for her than Joffrey. Unfortunately, Tywin put the kibosh on this by marrying her to Tyrion and betrothing Loras to Cersei.
Pimped-Out Dress: After years of being an Unwitting Pawn in the games of others, Sansa signifies her switch to taking charge of her life by sewing a black dress adorned with feathers. The effect is quite striking.
Pinball Protagonist: For the most part, she is being thrown into different circumstances with little control of them for most of the show.
Please Spare Him, My Liege!:
- Sansa pleads with Joffrey to exercise mercy in his treatment of Ned. It fails. Though Joffrey says before Sansa pleaded for Ned's life, he was going to have Ned hung, drawn, and quartered before he beheaded him.
- With some help from the Hound, she succeeds in getting drunken Ser Dontos spared during Joffrey's name day by suggesting for him to be Joffrey's new fool instead.
Plucky Girl: After getting broken first, she seems to be gradually growing into one.
Politically-Active Princess: By Season 6, Sansa officially holds the title of princess since her brother is crowned King in the North. After many years surviving and learning how to play the game of thrones in the south, she offers advice Jon on his decisions. Sansa also comes to see through Littlefinger's manipulations and ultimately has him executed after learning he was stirring up conflict between her and Arya, with Littlefinger hoping she'd have Arya executed.
Power Trio: Come the end of Season 7, she forms a sibling version with Arya and Bran during Littlefinger's trial. They use their respective skillsets to reveal Littlefinger's treacherous actions to the Lords of the North and the Vale then summarily execute him for his crimes.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: "Thank you for your many lessons, Lord Baelish. I will never forget them."
Pretty in Mink: During her wedding to Ramsay. And in the climactic Battle of the Bastards, she wears the fur-lined cloak pictured in her character image.
Princess Classic: Zigzagged. Though not initially a princess in her own right, she is betrothed to a prince and fills the trope in every other respect. And then Robb declares himself King in the North, which does make her a princess in her own right. Too bad her hosts don't recognize Stark claims of sovereignty. By the time she could be undeniably referred as a princess in Season 6 when her brother Jon is crowned king, the naiveté and innocence associated with the trope have long faded.
Promotion to Parent: Arya asks Sansa after she reunites if she should call her "Lady Stark" now, to which Sansa jokingly says yes, more or less legally becoming Bran and Arya's guardian, and their Lady liege. However, they are very close in age and she's not supposed to bring them up or be their surrogate mother figure. Bran and Arya are way more independent than small kids who must rely on their elder sister to provide for them.
Proper Lady: She initially aspires to be this, being polite and courteous, partaking in activities like embroidery and happily going along with her Arranged Marriage (especially compared to her tomboy sister Arya. She moves even closer to this trope in later seasons, but with an underlying steeliness and ruthless edge.
Protagonist-Centered Morality: After Theon reveals that the two boys he killed weren't her brothers, she seems more willing to forgive him. This makes sense as Sansa believed she lost so many of her family members.
Puppet King: With her brother Robb's death, and her other brothers presumed dead, the Lannisters planned to rule the North in her name.
Rape as Drama: In Season 5, after taking over Jeyne Poole's story, via Ramsay Bolton. After learning about this in a letter and finding out Ramsay has their brother Rickon captive, big brother Jon agrees to march on Winterfell.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Drops no less than two. The first one is on Littlefinger in Season 6, when she first meets him after escaping from her horrific marriage to Ramsay Bolton, in which she forces him to imagine exactly what it was like for her to be Ramsay's victim and observes that if Littlefinger didn't know what kind of man Ramsay was, then he was an idiot, and if he did know, then he (Littlefinger) is now her enemy; then in Season 7 she drops a truly awesome one again on Littlefinger, calling him out on everything he's done to the Stark family over the course of the show with his scheming and backstabbing.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She isn't seen being particularly harsh on her men, tries to make sure people are fed and provisions are made, and while she did suggest stripping children of their ancestral home, it was mostly to reward the families who stood by the Stark even at their lowest (compared to Royce who just wanted to burn the castles down as punishment and example for others).
Refuge in Audacity:
- Seems to be taking it more and more as she spends time in King's Landing, such as when she pointedly reminds Joffrey of the time he had his ass handed to him by Arya and cried like the Dirty Coward he is afterwards.
- Calls Ramsay a bastard to his face. When he protests that King Tommen legitimized him, Sansa coldly rebuffs it by calling Tommen another bastard.
Replacement Goldfish: Littlefinger comes to view her as one for his lifelong love Catelyn, after she is killed at the Red Wedding. As Catelyn's daughter, Sansa looks very much like her, which Littlefinger often comments on. He does everything he can to earn her trust and make it seem she can only rely on him. He kisses her in Season 4 and tries again in Season 6, also attempting to drive a wedge between her and her surviving family. He eventually tells her he wants to rule the Seven Kingdoms with her as his wife, which seems to have been his original plan with Catelyn before her untimely death. Unfortunately for him, Sansa is having none of it.
Resigned to the Call: Sansa never wanted to live in The North, let alone be its ruler. By the end, she has to embrace her heritage like never before just to survive.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Sansa may not physically fight like her sister or Brienne, but she's more than capable of using her guile and political knowledge to retake Winterfell and then assist her brother Jon after he becomes King in the North. She even rallies the Knights of the Vale to her cause and goes wit-to-wit with Littlefinger on multiple occasions in the sixth season.
Serial Spouse: She is put in an Arranged Marriage four times. With Joffrey in Season 1 (although the wedding itself never happens), then with Tyrion in Season 3 (unconsummated), then with Robin (doesn't pass the engagement part) then with Ramsay in Season 5. Only Margaery and Dany have a similar track record.
Shut Up, Hannibal!:
- By the time she finally escapes King's Landing, she's gotten such an education in the ways of the world that she's even able to talk to Littlefinger on his own level, and calls him on every time he tries his usual double talk.
- Gives a nice one to Myranda when the latter starts recounting all the women Sansa's husband-to-be has "gotten bored of".
- And delivers an excellent one to Ramsay just before she has him executed.
  Sansa: Your words will disappear. Your House will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear.
- Gives one to Littlefinger when he tries to give her another Forceful Kiss, brushing off his ambition as "a pretty dream."
Significant Wardrobe Shift:
- In Season 1, she wears the traditional Northern clothes and braided hairstyle, but her clothes are somewhat fancier than Catelyn's or Arya's since she longs to be a Princess Classic in King's Landing.
- Towards the end of Season 1 and the whole Season 2, she wears some sumptuous gowns and elaborate hairstyle like Cersei, reflecting her status as Joffrey's betrothed and a member of the royal court (though actually unwilling, since she's a glorified hostage and victim of Domestic Abuse).
- She shifts back to a much more somber style in Season 3 wearing mournful, monochrome colors and loose hair since she has fallen from her status as the King's betrothed and cast aside. It gets worse when, not only has her father been executed, her mother and oldest brother are slaughtered with her two younger brothers believed to have been murdered as well.
- While at the end of Season 4 she keeps a somber look fitting for her refugee situation, between Seasons 4 and 5, she switches to dark clothes along with the dark hair she uses to disguise herself, meaning she's becoming a dangerous player in the game.
- After finally breaking free from Ramsay and reuniting with her brother Jon, the first family member she has seen again in a long time, Sansa fully embraces her Stark identity. She styles herself in Northern clothing with the blue gowns and braided hair, but since she is no longer a little girl like in Season 1, her clothes are very reminiscent of her mother Catelyn's when Catelyn was Lady of Winterfell.
- Again, Season 7 and 8 show her maturity as a leader and then Queen with her wardrobe shifting towards black and grey shades, leather shirts that don't show an inch of skin, topped by fur capes and Shoulders of Doom that along with Sophie Turner's unusual height, make Sansa tower over most of the cast.
Silk Hiding Steel: Developing into this, most notably in "Blackwater", where she manages to sass Joffrey, make clear to Tyrion how much she hates the Lannisters, weather a drunken Cersei, calm down a room full of anxious noble ladies, and stand up to the Hound without once losing her resolve. By Season 6, she's willing to march on Winterfell and kill Ramsay with Jon at her side. In Season 8, she pulls out a dragonglass dagger and is implied to go to fight some wights when they overrun the crypt of Winterfell (although the scene of her actually killing some was deleted).
Smitten Teenage Girl: Zigzagged. She's infatuated with Joffrey for most of Season 1, but completely loses interest by the time he chops her father's head off. In Season 3, her crush on Loras (which is first seen in "The Wolf and the Lion") grows, but she gets the hint he's not interested when he clearly barely remembers giving her a rose at the King's Tourney.
So Beautiful, It's a Curse: When a Dude Magnet breeds with Doom Magnet, this is the result. Sansa is frequently praised as being very beautiful and she tends to get into trouble because of it with a nightmarish gallery of suitors — Joffrey expresses a desire to rape her when she's being wedded to Tyrion, she very nearly gets gang-raped in the King's Landing riots, Littlefinger has a creepy obsession with her and even Ramsay admits he finds her attractive. Even Tyrion had a desire to sleep with her, but he refused to force himself upon her. Sandor claims to Arya that he should have "fucked her bloody" when he had the chance during The Battle of Blackwater, but it's unclear how much he meant it (considering his obvious soft spot for Sansa) and how much he was merely saying it to goad Arya into killing him. Note that the last two were the least unpleasant.
Spanner in the Works: Revealing her true identity to Lord Royce and Lady Waynwood as Sansa Stark, not Alayne Stone, gives Sansa a key alliance three seasons later. As Littlefinger discovers, the Lords of the Vale are actually loyal to her, not him, and none of them intercede on his behalf when he is sentenced to death for treason.
Statuesque Stunner: Like in the novels, Sansa is exceptionally tall and statuesque; Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa, is 5'9". Lampshaded by Cersei in their first meeting.
Stepford Smiler: She is forced to become one to survive in the royal court in King's Landing. Even though she loves and is happy to see Jon, she has too many trust issues (thanks to being continuously manipulated by people over the course of six seasons). Consequently, Sansa does not trust Jon with the information that she's still in contact with Littlefinger throughout season 6 or that she has taken Littlefinger up on his offer of the Vale army.
Strong Family Resemblance: Looks increasingly like Catelyn as she gets older, even after she dyes her hair black. Littlefinger in particular notes this, coming to view her as a potential Replacement Goldfish.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Rather like Ned was, as a matter of fact. As Sansa grows older and becomes more cynical and savvy, she becomes this as she acts as Lady of Winterfell, showing a regal, stoic personality around the Northern Lords and her subjects, but we see the sweet, caring part when she's with people she likes and trusts, namely Brienne or her siblings.
Surpassed the Teacher: She learned Littlefinger's lessons very well and ends up outgambitting him, making him pay for all the crimes he committed when he played the great families of Westeros against each other. He didn't even notice that she and Arya faked their conflict to get him where they wanted.
The Team Normal: Of the surviving Stark children, Sansa is the only one not tied to supernatural happenings and whose experiences are entirely tied to the social reality of Westeros. Jon was resurrected by Lady Melisandre and R'hllor, Bran is the Three-Eyed Raven, and Arya is a Faceless Man. Admittedly, Sansa hasn't had a typical experience either and has had wild and horrifying events happening to her, which just goes to show how weird the Stark family ended up becoming.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Sansa very noticeably takes a strong dislike of Daenerys Targaryen when she appears in Season 8 responding to her in the most passive aggressive way possible and acting very standoffish due to a combination of Jon giving up his crown to Daenerys and because of her father's role in the death of Sansa's grandfather and uncle. Daenerys for her part is likewise both confused and annoyed by Sansa's disrespect towards her and responds to her passive aggressiveness in kind.
Textile Work Is Feminine: She is a proficient seamstress (and, evidently, embroiderer, furrier, and leatherworker), responsible for making her own clothes as well as items for other characters. In later seasons, this is used on a number of occasions to have her give herself a Significant Wardrobe Shift (see also the entry for that).
Thicker Than Water: With her sister, Arya. Despite their differences, the two ultimately do love each other and they're not about to betray one another for one of Littlefinger's games. As such, they work together to take down Littlefinger once and for all.
Throw the Dog a Bone: After all the trauma, abuse, and betrayals Sansa's had to endure, in Season 6 she finally gets to reunite with a loving member of her family, Jon Snow. Together, they are able to slay her abusive husband and usurper of Winterfell and take their home back.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: With Tyrion when they're forced to get married. He stands just 4'5" due to dwarfism, while Sansa is unusually tall for a girl at 5'9" and thus towers over him. This is clearly displayed during their wedding ceremony; Sansa has to crouch down so Tyrion can put the cloak around her shoulders (there was supposed to be a stool for him to stand on, but Joffrey intentionally removed it).
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly Girl to her sister Arya's Tomboy. Also the girly to Brienne's tomboy.
Took a Level in Badass: All the turmoil she goes through in Seasons 2 and 3 definitely hardens her and toughens her up, but it doesn't really start to show until Season 4. By late Season 4, she's become far more adept at navigating the field. Though she has long ways to go, she definitely has the most political intrigue out of any of the Starks and is able to use deception and manipulation to her advantage. This leveling up is largely forgotten between Seasons 4 and 5, sadly, as she spends pretty much all of Season 5 being victimized worse than ever, her supposed desire for revenge never goes anywhere, and she ends up being rescued after her own attempt at calling for rescue fails completely, though she does break herself out of her room with the corkscrew.
- Levels up again in Season 6, telling Jon that she'll rally the North and oust Ramsay by herself if he's unwilling to help (Jon ultimately agrees to fight when Sansa convinces him that Ramsay truly does have Rickon held hostage). When they finally corner Ramsay in "Battle of the Bastards", Jon literally beats him into the ground before deferring final judgment to his sister. Sansa decides to feed him to his own dogs. And watches him die as he is.
- In Season 7, she successfully manages to Hold the Line for Jon while he's away at Dragonstone, hearing out the complaints of the Northern Lords and doing her best to make sure the people of Winterfell have enough to eat. She then outgambits Littlefinger by staging a feud with her sister Arya and lures him into a trial, laying out everything he's done against her family before having Arya slit his throat.
Took a Level in Jerkass: When recruiting Northern Houses to join the cause in Season 6, she expects them to obey despite having nothing but an oath to a House that no longer exists in a fight that seems pointless, though it is pointed out that if the Boltons win, the North is screwed when the White Walkers arrive.
- She also criticizes Jon for not having more men despite having gotten all they could gather before snow sets in, not telling him about the Vale army that's waiting in Moat Cailin for her word. She apologises for this later.
Trademark Favorite Food: Sansa loves lemon cakes. Everyone seeking to manipulate her seems to know this.
Tragic Keepsake: In Season 1, Ned gives her a doll in an effort to make amends with her after the death of her wolf. She is understandably dismissive, both given the situation and the fact that the doll was totally age-inappropriate ("I haven't played with dolls since I was eight."). The doll has since reappeared in both "Blackwater" and "Second Sons", displayed openly and clearly valued as what was probably her father's last gift.
Tranquil Fury: When Joffrey threatens to bring Robb's head to her, Sansa's response that maybe her brother will bring her Joffrey's head instead shows that the girl has more iron in her than many people thought.
- In Season 6, when Ramsay sends a letter to Jon bragging about how he has Rickon hostage and will force Jon to watch while he murders all his Wildling friends and rapes Sansa, she makes it clear to Jon that she wants to take Winterfell back and make Ramsay pay. All without raising her voice. In "Battle of the Bastards", Sansa warns Ramsay in a very calm and blunt manner that he's going to die tomorrow. The next day, she watches her brother beat Ramsay into the ground and then has him fed to his own starving dogs.
Trauma Conga Line: It would be fair to say virtually her entire character arc up until she's saved from the Boltons by Theon consists of this. From having her pet direwolf killed and losing most of her family in horrible ways (including seeing her father getting decapitated only a few feet away), to being a royal hostage/punching bag for years and victim of Marital Rape License, the poor girl just can't catch a break.
Troll:
- Seems to have taken a liking to doing this to Joffrey, in the most hilariously polite, well-mannered, well-worded way possible. Ties into her Refuge in Audacity.
- She begins doing it again in Season 5 when she rightly points out Ramsay is a bastard and, legitimised or not, a trueborn heir will always have a higher claim. When he points out he was legitimised by King Tommen, she simply counters that Tommen himself is a bastard so it doesn't mean squat.
- In Season 7, she pretends to go along with Littlefinger's attempts to pit her against her sister and makes it look like she's putting Arya on trial... only for Littlefinger to end up the one who stands accused.
True Blue Femininity: In Season 1, Sansa is seen wearing a romantic ice blue gown. In Season 6, she switches back to the mainly blue clothing like her mother used to do, which underlines her coming back to the North and the Northern ways.
Undying Loyalty: Brienne of Tarth has this towards her, and Sansa reciprocates. When Brienne vouches for Jaime when he is on trial at Winterfell, Sansa says that Brienne has always been loyal to her and if she thinks Jaime is a good man, (as well as the fact that Jaime gave Brienne Oathkeeper to protect the Stark girls with and sent her to find them) then she will allow him to stay and fight against the undead.
Unexpected Successor: Sansa has defied all odds by outlasting her father and brothers. As the acknowledged and legal Queen in the North (Robb Stark and Jon Snow are considered just rebels), she is also the successor of her ancestor King Torrhen.
Unwitting Pawn: At various points, Sansa is this to the Lannisters, the Tyrells, and Littlefinger across Season 3, where without her knowledge, leave alone consent, she is traded as a match, ultimately becoming Tyrion's wife. This is merely the pretext, in turns out that Littlefinger allied himself to the Tyrells and arranged for Joffrey's assassination. Sansa, through a Littlefinger stooge, Ser Dontos, carries a necklace which contains poison and as Tyrion's wife is close enough to be seated on the wedding dais that Olenna could reach her, collect the poison and pass it to Joffrey's cup at the opportune moment. She is "rescued" by Ser Dontos and Littlefinger from Cersei's wrath who has put a large bounty on her head.
Virgin in a White Dress: When she marries Ramsay, as Tyrion never touched her, not wanting to consummate their marriage against her will. Unfortunately, Ramsay has no such compunctions.
Wham Line: Just before Sansa sentences Littlefinger, she tells him, "You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of treason. How do you answer these charges... Lord Baelish?" It's made more shocking by the fact she had been appearing to address Arya before mentioning Littlefinger's name, catching him completely off-guard.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: At the beginning of the series, she thinks she is going to be a fairy tale princess and that Joffrey is her Prince Charming. She loses more and more of her illusions after her father is executed and she's kept as a hostage in King's Landing. In Season 6, she tells Jon that she'd like to go back in time and smack her younger self for being so stupid.
Winter Royal Lady: If both her titles as Lady of Winterfell and princess following Jon's coronation as King of Winter is any indication.
Yank the Dog's Chain:
- In Season 3, the Tyrells betroth her to Loras, who despite Incompatible Orientation, would definitely be much kinder to her than the Lannisters. She'd eventually become the Lady of Highgarden (noted as one of the nicest places in Westeros) as well, which is a pretty sweet deal — until Tywin finds out and squashes her hopes and dreams flat by marrying her to Tyrion. When she shows signs of finally opening up to her husband, Robb and Catelyn are slaughtered at the Red Wedding along with her hopes of eventually being rescued from King's Landing by her family. She, not unreasonably, assumes Tyrion was in on it.
- In Season 4, she's finally free from King's Landing but because she's wrongfully accused of killing Joffrey, she carries a large bounty on her head. Then she finds out that she's essentially under the thumb of Littlefinger and Lysa Arryn. The former is a Manipulative Bastard who caused Joffrey's assassination and her aunt Lysa is a willing dupe and insane to boot.
- And again in Season 5. Despite all of the misfortune and psychological abuse she suffered, the one thing Sansa had managed to avoid (despite encountering a string of wannabe perpetrators) up to that point was getting raped. She runs out of her luck during her wedding night with Ramsay.
You Killed My Father:
- Sansa gives a very poignant calling-out to Theon about betraying Robb and butchering Bran and Rickon, only to discover that her little brothers may be still alive.
- In Season 8, she brings up the fact that Jaime almost killed her father and contributed to the near-destruction of her family as a reason why they can't trust him. However, she changes her mind when Brienne vouches for him, telling her about how he saved her and that it was in fact Jaime who facilitated Brienne rescuing Sansa.
Young and in Charge: At the age of 20, she is Lady of Winterfell and helping Jon rule the North. After the war, she successfully lobbies for the North's independence and becomes its new Queen.
Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: As Littlefinger tells her in "Valar Morghulis", Joffrey's new compromise with Margaery does not mean she's to be set free nor does make her safe from Joffrey if he still wants to take her while married to another woman.

Characters / Game of Thrones - Sansa Stark

Queen Sansa Stark

Played By: Sophie Turner

Voiced By: Angélica Villa (Latin American Spanish), Minami Tsuda (Japanese), Marcia von Rebay (German)

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Characters / Game of Thrones - Sansa Stark

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Queen Sansa Stark

Played By: Sophie Turner

Voiced By: Angélica Villa (Latin American Spanish), Minami Tsuda (Japanese), Marcia von Rebay (German)

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