Sandbox / Game Of Thrones - Renly Baratheon

King Renly Baratheon

"You never wanted any friends, brother, but a man without friends is a man without power."

Played By: Gethin Anthony

"[Stannis] inspires no love nor loyalty. He is not a king. I am."

Robert's youngest brother, Lord of Storm's End, and Master of Laws on Robert's Small Council. Fourth in line for the throne according to the Lannisters, second in line due to Joffrey and Tommen's real heritage. Claims the title because he thinks he would make a better King than Stannis. He allies with the mighty House Tyrell of the Reach, and begins the War of the Five Kings with by far the largest army, but he is murdered by Lady Melisandre's sorcerously-created shadow assassin before he can engage either the Lannisters or his brother, causing the Tyrells to become neutral once more, and the Stormlands to join Stannis.

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Tropes relating to him

• 24-Hour Armor: He doesn't seem to have any formal clothing other than his armour in Season 2.
• Adaptational Badass:
  • The Renly of the series is shown as less of a Yes-Man towards Robert than his book counterpart, and is willing to criticize his brother in the face. Most notably, TV Renly stood up to his brother and rebuke his romanticization of the rebellion, which doesn't happen in the books.
  • In the show, book Renly's extreme incompetence as a war commander seems to be absent. His bad decisions such as lifting the siege with just cavalries and knights, as well to attack at dawn when the sunlight will be facing his army and making Loras Tyrell lead the charge instead of the more experienced Randyll, all have been omitted from the show. As a result of this, Stannis in the books was fully prepared to battle Renly's much larger host with the sun at his back, while in the show he was convinced he could not win.
• Adaptational Intelligence: In the books, Renly is a non-intellectual who dislikes reading, believing that it is for maesters. Here, it is implied that he takes Stannis' role as the most well-read of the Baratheon brothers. Renly is also made to be much less impulsive and more calculating, diplomatic and thoughtful than he was in the books.
• Adaptational Heroism: His claim for the crown is transformed from the naked power-grab in the books, genuinely usurping his legitimate brother, to an ideological rebellion by Renly and his supporters who argue that his intellect, his kindness and charisma makes him The Good King and a better choice than his brother. His main Kick the Dog moments (mocking Brienne of Tarth and Shireen behind their backs) is changed to sincerely respecting Brienne's abilities and service.
  • This trope is zig-zagged when taking into account Renly's conversation with Ned Stark in the first book and season. In the books, neither Ned nor Renly made any mention of Stannis' claim to the throne, and Ned's decision to ignore Renly's offer to kidnap Joffrey without revealing his own plans made it clear to Renly as a sign of his loyalty towards Cersei, which was later confirmed in Renly's conversation with Catelyn. In the show, Ned makes a direct mention of Stannis' claim to the throne and his support for Stannis, which Renly rebutts by claiming Stannis' lack of charisma would not "make him a king", hence in a way making Renly come across as a bigger hypocrite than in the books. Moreover, in the show it's directly stated that Renly knows about Joffrey's illegitimacy, which was left ambiguous in the books.
• Adaptational Ugliness: Renly is a good-looking guy, but is not the Adonis described in the book.
• Adaptational Wimp: Show Renly is noticeably less keen of violence than Book Renly; Book Renly participates in the Tourney of the Hand during the jousts and he has been instructed in hand-to-hand combat; Show Renly in comparison is appalled by the mere sight of blood.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Instead of using the normal black-stag-on-a-yellow-field sigil of his book counterpart, King Renly on the series creates a new banner which features a golden stag on a green background — the King in Highgarden, indeed.
• Adaptation Personality Change: The Renly of the books was charismatic and superficially charming, but mainly an arrogant Jerk Jock and Sleazy Politician who was fiercely anti-intellectual. The show version is a genuine Nice Guy, bureaucratic, and stated to be the intellectual of the Baratheon brothers, as a result of Adaptation Expansion which explores Renly's private life much more than the novels do.
• Ad Hominem: His argument against Stannis is essentially attacking him personally, his lack of humour, his banners and choice of sigil and not the issues which Stannis represents.
• Adopt the Dog: After a moment of consideration, he grants Brienne's wish to join his Kingsguard. It would've been easier for Renly to adhere to everyone else's expectations by rejecting her request, he was presumably pondering the consequences of having a female protector during the brief pause[[/note]], but he chooses to do the right thing by giving the position to a warrior who earned it, regardless of her gender. The reaction to Brienne's appointment is fairly negative; his bannermen audibly gasp, his wife gives him a Disapproving Look, and his lover berates him for it later that evening, but Renly sticks firmly to his decision.
• Afraid of Blood: He becomes a bit queasy at the sight of blood due to his lack of combat experience. Seems to be fairly reasonable, as the squeamishness referenced was towards a boy getting his eye knocked out of its socket.
  Renly: All I ever hear from Robert and Stannis is how I'm not tough enough, how I squirm at the sight of blood.
  Loras: You did vomit when that boy's eye was knocked out in the melee.
  Renly: His eye was dangling out of the damn socket!
  Loras: He shouldn't have entered the melee if he didn't know how to fight.
• Age Lift: In the first novel, Renly is 20 years old, but in Season 1, the character looks like he's around 25. The actor who plays him was 27 years old at the time of filming.
• Ambition Is Evil: The characters who aren't on his side don't view positively his bid to the throne, as he can't even kid anyone about having any legitimacy. Davos, who may be considered Only Sane Man, even remarks that Renly's actions were unlawful and wrong enough to consider him a justified casualty of war.
• Anyone Can Die: Despite being set up as a major player in the game of thrones, he gets unceremoniously killed off by Melisandre's shadow son.
• Appeal to Force: By law, his claim is weaker than Stannis', but Renly's charisma provides him with a bigger support, which in turn is used to press said claim.
  Renly: Look across those fields, brother. Can you see all those banners?
  Stannis: You think a few bolts of cloth will make you king?
  Renly: No. The men holding those bolts of cloth will make me king.
• Armor-Piercing Question: When he asks Ned, "Tell me something; do you still believe good soldiers make good kings?", the older man remains silent.
  • Earlier that day, he throws a sling of questions at Robert because he kept glorifying the days when there were still war and conquest.
  Renly: Which days, exactly? The ones where half of Westeros fought the other half and millions died? Or before that, when the Mad King slaughtered women and babies because the voices in his head told him they deserved it? Or way before that, when dragons burned whole cities to the ground?
• Arranged Marriage: To Margaery Tyrell. An amiable one, although largely sexless for obvious reasons.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite his dislike for Robert's self-centered and unpleasant personality he's absoloutely crushed by his older brother's death.
• Beneath the Mask: During his private moments, Renly is shown to be more insecure than the confident facade that he projects in public.
• Best Friends-in-Law: In addition to being motivated by politics, his marriage to Margaery is also an excuse for him to become closer to his boyfriend Loras, as they are now brother-in-laws. Margaery is even willing to share Renly with Loras if it helps to get her pregnant.
• Black Sheep: House Baratheon is primarily known as a family of warriors, and Renly is viewed as something of an embarrassment because he is often criticized by his brothers for being a non-fighter. Robert is especially disparaging of his youngest sibling's masculinity, calling him a "boy" during their hunting trip because he doesn't consider Renly to be a "real man."
• Blatant Lies:
  • When Robert (who is ignorant of his youngest brother's homosexuality) asks him, "Have you ever fucked a Riverlands girl?", Renly's vague response is "Once, I think." Renly's annoyed facial expression indicates that he often uses this line whenever someone inquires about his sexual conquests.
  • In "What Is Dead May Never Die", he blames his lack of readiness on the wine. Margaery knows better and tries to accommodate.
• Bling of War: It's revealed in this featurette that Renly's armour (which included velvet fabric) was the most complicated costume created for the first two seasons of the show.
• Bodyguard Crush: The object of affection for both Loras (an unusual reciprocal example because they form a same-sex couple) and Brienne (a rare gender inversion of the trope) while they were members of his Kingsguard.
• Brutal Honesty: He's usually snarky with Littlefinger, but in "Garden of Bones", Renly is sick of beating around the bush, as their banter no longer amuses him.
  Renly: I don't like you, Lord Baelish. I don't like your face, I don't like the words that come oozing out of your mouth. I don't want you in my tent one minute more than necessary.
• But Not Too Gay: His intimate scenes with Loras are not nearly as sexually explicit as the heterosexual pairings on the show.
• Cain and Abel: He is the Abel to Stannis's Cain, though if he had survived another day probably would have been the Cain, as he tells Catelyn that he plans to destroy Stannis' army in the morning with no mention or hint of sparing Stannis.
• Can't Act Perverted Toward a Love Interest: While he's described as having "shagged half the stableboys in the Seven Kingdoms," he's depicted as being more cautious and romantic towards Loras.
• Character Death: He's stabbed In the Back by a demonic shadow with Stannis' face on it.
• The Charmer: According to Loras, people just like him.
  Loras: People love you. They want to serve you because you're kind to them. They want to be near you.
  • Proves to get along with everyone in his entourage, down to common soldiers, in "What Is Dead May Never Die".
  • In "Dark Wings, Dark Words", Sansa says that Renly was very gallant, and Olenna then adds "...charming and very clean. He knew how to dress and smile..." Mace Tyrell liked Renly enough to crown him king, although this may be more due to Renly marrying Mace's daughter.
• Cheerful Child: It's implied that a young Renly was this while he grew up in court, according to Jaime in "Dark Wings, Dark Words".
• A Child Shall Lead Them: After Robert had won his rebellion, he bestowed the title of Lord of Storm's End to his youngest brother Renly, who was only a child at the time. ^note In the novels, Renly was around 5 years old when he became the liege lord of the Stormlands.
• Corrupt Politician: Downplayed in the show. However, he is still willing to break the laws of succession to become king despite being Master of Laws.
• Country Matters: He uses it in "The Wolf and the Lion" when describing the Lannisters.
  Renly: You have to give it to the Lannisters. They may be the most pompous, ponderous cunts the gods have ever suffered to walk the world, but they do have an outrageous amount of money.
• Courtly Love: Gender-flipped with him and Brienne. She is a devoted knight who will do anything for her beloved King Renly, and she is resigned to the fact that he will never return her feelings. ^note  In the books, Renly's homosexuality is never explicitly confirmed, merely being implied instead. Thus, Brienne believes Renly's lack of attraction to her is due to her appearance and mannerisms, rather than because he's gay. In the show, she makes it clear that she'd known about his sexuality for quite some time.
• Crown of Horns: In Season 2, he wears a fancy, golden crown shaped like stag antlers; it's arguably the most striking piece of headwear in the series. In fact, Renly is the trope image for the Crown of Horns page. It was chosen as one of The Coolest Helmets, Hats and Headpieces in Science Fiction and Fantasy by io9.com.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Being fatally stabbed by an unstoppable shadow-demon which looks like his brother and who creepily howls at him before vanishing is the stuff that nightmares are made of.
• Deadpan Snarker:
  • Shows signs of this when he treats with his brother.
    Renly: Whose banner is that?
    Stannis: My own.
    Renly: [smiles] I suppose if we used the same one the battle would be terribly confusing... Why's your stag on fire?
  • From the same scene:
    Renly: "Born amidst salt and smoke"... Is he a ham?
  • His acerbic greeting to Littlefinger in "Garden of Bones", which begins with a false smile and ends with a Disapproving Look.
    Renly: Well, if it isn't my favourite whoremonger! Pray I haven't kept you waiting long.
• Didn't Think This Through: Lady Olenna calls him out posthumously, remarking that Renly had an older brother and no legitimacy, so he should have stayed well out of the game.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Renly collapses into Brienne's arms after he is stabbed through the heart, and she holds him for a moment before he dies.
• Disc-One Final Boss: Renly gathers up the largest army which he was about to use to kill Stannis then take King's Landing, but dies before he can actually do so.
• Divided We Fall: In "You Win or You Die", Robert's death and Joffrey's ascent to the throne causes him, who's more or less on Ned's side, to become exasperated with Ned's support of Stannis and leave King's Landing. When he declares himself King, Robb Stark refuses to support him because he sees Renly as threatening the line of succession and his bannerman insist that he become the King in the North instead. However, he later agrees to alliance, provided that he retain his title as King In The North.
• Everyone Can See It: His homosexuality and his supposed Secret Relationship with Loras Tyrell are an Open Secret to the entire Westeros but Robert.
• Evil Uncle: Though this is downplayed in the show Renly was willing to usurp who he believes was his nephew from the Iron Throne before Ned revealed their illegitimacy. Granted, Joffrey was a monster, but by supporting the rumor of their illegitimacy, Renly was also willing to disgrace Myrcella and Tommen.
• A Father to His Men: He is shown to be a caring and affable commander towards even the lowliest soldier in his army.
• Finger Muzzle: He is the recipient of this when Margaery wants him to stop quoting philosophy and focus on consummating their marriage.
• Foil:
  • To Ned. Renly is a Non-Action Guy and an astute politician who knows how to successfully navigate the treacherous waters of a Decadent Court. Ned, on the other hand, is a Proud Warrior Race Guy who is a Horrible Judge of Character, and therefore ill-prepared to deal with his enemies in King's Landing. Robert loves and respects his best friend much more than his own brothers, and Renly is even a bit jealous of Ned, as the only attention Renly ever receives from Robert involves the belittling of his masculinity. Ned and Catelyn are in a Perfectly Arranged Marriage and are free to openly express their love, whereas Renly and Loras — who are happily committed to each other — are forced to maintain a Secret Relationship because homosexuality is a taboo.
  • To Littlefinger. They are both politically savvy courtiers with no combat experience who frequently engage in Snark-to-Snark Combat. Renly enjoyed a priviledged life growing up as the king's brother and as the liege lord of the Stormlands. Baelish was born as an impoverished, minor noble, and gained his wealth by becoming a ruthless Self-Made Man. People are drawn to Renly's The Charmer and Nice to the Waiter qualities, which sharply contrasts Littlefinger's unpopular reputation as The Sociopath and Bad Boss. Renly loathes the Lannisters and tries to protect Ned from falling into their clutches, but Baelish sucks up to the family and hands Ned over to them. Petyr is infatuated with Catelyn for most of his life, but she never returns his feelings, whereas Renly's love for Loras is reciprocated.
  • To Stannis. Renly is charismatic, is second in line for the throne after Robert dies, yet has a gigantic amount of support because of his skills in diplomacy and his loving relationship with Loras (who says Renly would make a great king). Stannis on the other hand is dour, by law the rightful king, yet has little support because of his hard, rigid personality, and Loras says he has the personality of a lobster. Also see Renly's Sibling Yin-Yang entry for more comparisons between the two characters.
  • To Joffrey in Season 2. Their style of ruling is directly contrasted in the manner that they host a tournament. Joffrey is happy when a fighter slays his opponent in the melee; Renly's tourney doesn't involve death (nor would he enjoy watching someone die — in fact he would be horrified). While Joff nearly kills a drunk knight just for the fun of it, Renly elevates a female warrior to his Kingsguard. Renly is polite to his wife, unlike Joffrey, who is verbally abusive towards his fiancé. Joff greets Tyrion — his own Acting Hand of the King — with disdain, whereas Renly is courteous to Catelyn, an envoy from the North. He even comes to Catelyn's defense when Loras and Brienne are rude to her.
  • He's also a foil to Robb in Season 2. Both men share certain traits in common (e.g. they are young, sensible nice guys who aspire to be good kings), but they are polar opposites in other respects. Robb excels when he's on the battlefield, while Renly is a Non-Action Guy whose greatest strength is his political acumen. In terms of sealing alliances for their respective cause, Renly marries the right woman, whereas Robb very much marries the wrong one. Robb is a Modest Royalty, while Renly likes being surrounded by finery.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Of the two Baratheon siblings at King's Landing, one has never failed to attend to important matters and takes part in shaping the future of the realm... and the other is Robert. The king largely dismisses Renly as a Yes-Man, although Renly is shown to be ashamed and embarrassed by Robert's neglect and mismanagement of the kingdom. For instance, while seemingly nonchalant when Ned Stark is alarmed about the realm's massive debt, Renly's annoyance when he speaks of Robert's "counting coppers" attitude hints at his disapproval. He fully supported Robert's plan to assassinate Daenerys because Renly is thinking of protecting his House from an enemy, unlike his brother's Revenge Before Reason bloodlust.
• Freudian Trio:
  • He's the Ego of the Baratheon brothers.
  • This dynamic is also present in his three-way marriage to Margaery and Loras. Renly is again the Ego, his wife is the Superego, and his boyfriend is the Id.
• Friendly Enemy: He exchanges verbal jabs with Littlefinger in a nonchalant tone. Both men strongly dislike each other.
• The Generation Gap: A major reason why he doesn't get along with both Robert and Stannis is that both of them are over a decade older than him.
• The Good King: Sees himself as this, and so do Loras and Brienne. However they are not presented as the most perceptive characters around and Renly might have been kidding himself. Some more insightful people, like Olenna and Jaime have serious doubts about his stewardship and capabilities.
• Has a Type: Jaime claims that Renly is only attracted to curly-haired "little girls" like Loras Tyrell.
• Hope Spot: Just when it looked like he and Robb were going to form a glorious alliance that would crush the Lannisters, Renly is assassinated mere seconds after negotiating with Catelyn.
• Hypocrite:
  • Claims him becoming King would be better for the common people, even though his attempt to usurp the Iron Throne leaves King's Landing starving.
  • Asks Ned if good warriors make good Kings. However he is basically planning to take the Iron Throne through military force. For someone who is afraid of blood and peaceable, he shows no remorse for ordering the deaths of Daenerys Targaryen and Viserys, which Ned alone disagreed with, and Robert felt guilty about and tried to rescind. Tells Catelyn he and Robb are natural allies, comparing them to his brother Robert and Robb's father Ned... except Renly went against Ned's wishes in trying to usurp the crown and abandons him in King's Landing.
  • Claims to Catelyn Stark that negotiating with his brother Stannis would be futile because Stannis refuses to compromise. When he and Stannis do meet, Stannis offers to make Renly his heir in exchange for his backing^note As Stannis had no male children, this meant Renly would have become king on Stannis' death, getting exactly what he wanted, but it is Renly who refuses to budge, and he continues to belittle Stannis and Melisandre throughout the conversation.
• Inadequate Inheritor: He invokes these tropes to justify why he should rule the Seven Kingdoms instead of Stannis. From Stannis's perspective, Renly was unjustly given the family seat at Storm's End, a castle he heroically defended against impossible odds in Robert's Rebellion as well as titles that Renly never earned with any significant accomplishment. Olenna Tyrell later admitted that that the Tyrells should never have backed Renly's impossible and incompetent campaign and "should have stayed well out of it".
• Incompatible Orientation: Defied by Margaery Tyrell. She's willing to do whatever it takes to produce an heir with Renly after she realizes that he's not the least bit attracted to her.
  Margaery: Would you like my brother to come in and help?
• Informed Ability: Renly is frequently presented as being intelligent and a serious statesman, but we see very little of this in practice. He does nothing to halt Robert's spendthrift kingdom, which admittedly vexed even Jon Arryn's abilities. Most notably he agrees with Pycelle, Varys and Littlefinger with Robert's desire to assassinate Daenerys Targaryen. Robert on his deathbed even dismisses him as a Yes-Man compared to Ned Stark who was the only one to oppose it.
• Informed Attractiveness: He is acknowledged as being very handsome.
• In Touch with His Feminine Side: In terms of this trope's five broad categories, Renly is strongly defined by his Lack of Athleticism, Lack of Aggression, and his Open, Emotional Personality (specifically his compassionate side).
• It's All About Me: While sincere about the well-being of the common people, his desire to be King is on the face of it a need to assert himself rather than any real service to the realm. He claims that he would be a superior monarch in comparison to Stannis because the older man has No Social Skills, completely ignoring — unlike Ned — his impeccable service record. Renly, on the other hand, has never done anything significant and has far less experience then Stannis, making his claim Stannis should be passed over for rule rather shaky.
• Lady and Knight: He is the handsome and gentle king who is guarded by two highly skilled and brave knights: Brienne (a gender inversion of the trope) and Loras (a same-sex variation).
• Laser-Guided Karma: He agrees that Daenerys Targaryen and Viserys should be killed for the good of the realm. Later he gets killed by Stannis who cites the same reason.
• The Leader: Type IV. His charismatic personality is what wins the support of Lord Mace Tyrell and his bannermen. He commands the combined army strength of the Reach and the Stormlands, which numbers around 100,000. Renly uses diplomacy to defuse the tension between Catelyn and his two overprotective Kingsguards. He almost manages to convince Catelyn to have Robb swear fealty to him and be King in the North in only a symbolic sense (meaning no truly independent North or Riverlands) by appealing to the traditionally close relations between their respective houses, and the Starks' pressing need to bring justice to the Lannisters.
  • Though considering the Tyrells later support the monstrously cruel Joffrey (who Loras used as a reason why Renly should usurp rule) due to the agreement Margaery will marry him, the idea that they're just supporting Renly because of his charisma is suspect.
• The Lost Lenore: Loras and Brienne mourn him later on, with Loras eventually moving on to form a doomed relationship with the male prostitute Olyvar, while Brienne remains devoted to Renly and avenges him.
• Love Triangle: Brienne is in love with Renly, but he and Loras have already been a romantic couple for years. While Renly is aware that Brienne is very loyal to him, it's unclear on the show if he ever suspected that she fancied him. Brienne initially said she didn't believe the gossip about Renly and Loras, but later admits to Podrick that she was fully aware of Renly's sexual orientation and understood that his attitude towards her was simply kindness.
• Machiavelli Was Wrong: Loras thinks that Renly would be a great monarch because he would be loved and respected by the people instead of hated and feared. In a case of Informed Attribute, the minute the North and Riverlands hear of his claim, they denounce Renly for usurping Stannis on the line of succession, and declare Robb Stark King in the North.
• Masquerade Ball: Robert mentions during their hunting trip that Renly likes to organize these.
• Meaningful Look:
  • He and Loras share a lingering one at the Tourney of the Hand, and it's our first clue that these two characters are more than friends.
  • They exchange another look when Brienne asks to become one of Renly's Kingsguards. As Renly considers her request, Loras' expression basically reads, "Tell her no." Renly decides to disregard this silent plea, much to Loras' irritation.
  • After Brienne is appointed to his Kingsguard, Renly winks at her◊ as he applauds to further communicate his warmth and reassurance that he's on her side, regardless of his followers' unfavourable opinion.
• Moment Killer: In "What Is Dead May Never Die", the foreplay between Renly and Loras is unexpectedly interrupted after Renly starts kissing the bruises on Loras' chest. This reminds Loras of the humiliation he suffered earlier in the day, and it kills the mood.
• Nice to the Waiter: In "What Is Dead May Never Die", Renly shows concern for the lowborn soldiers in his army, making the effort to remember their names (Gerald in the episode) and the nature of their injury if they have one.
• Nice Guy: Ungrateful Bastard tendencies aside, it's easy to see why he is the most popular candidate despite his claim being the weakest of all. Renly is a charming, friendly guy and the only man who has treated Brienne with kindness and respect, and he's probably the only king who has accepted a woman into his Kingsguard. He does this despite knowing full well that it would shock his bannermen, annoy his wife, and piss off his lover. He himself understands how painful it is to be frequently mocked for not adhering to rigid gender roles (Robert and Stannis have bullied Renly for his lack of combat experience), so his empathy towards Brienne's situation allows him to be accepting of her masculinity. Renly praises Brienne's martial skills and her devotion when Loras confronts him about it.
• Not So Above It All: In "You Win or You Die", you get the impression Renly almost sold his argument to Ned until he let his ego get in the way by saying about Stannis, "He's not a king, I am.".
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: As noted above, he serves as the parallel to George, Duke of Clarence, brother to Edward IV and Richard III—having been a King-claimant at odds with his siblings.^note Clarence indeed joined Warwick the Kingmaker in his initial bouts against Edward (hoping to be crowned King himself), before eventually being sidelined by his switch to the Lancastrian cause It's probably appropriate to note, however, that Renly in the show appeared way more circumspect, well-meaning and better-connected compared to Clarence's open and ill-conceived power grab—which makes his assassination by Stannis less well-deserved^note as Clarence was eventually executed by Edward IV for another treason accusation and more genuinely tragic.
• Non-Action Guy: He's the only Baratheon brother who is not a warrior. Both Robert and Stannis have a low opinion of Renly because of this.
• Only Sane Man: Renly views himself as this after Ned rejects his plan in "You Win or You Die". He certainly is the more pragmatic one at the moment.
• Open Secret: He and Loras seem to have done a poor job attempting to conceal their relationship. His wife Margaery Tyrell knows about it, and simple Lannister bannermen on the other side of the country joke about Loras "stabbing Renly Baratheon for years, and Renly ain't dead!" It's revealed in Season 3 that Jaime, Cersei, Joffrey, Tywin, and Tyrion are also aware of Renly's sexual orientation.
  Jaime: It's all true about Renly. His proclivities were the worst kept secret at court. It's a shame the throne isn't made out of cocks... They'd have never got him off it.
• Palette Swap: With the exception of the Tourney of the Hand, he only wore House Baratheon black throughout Season 1; this represents his loyalty to his brother Robert. In Season 2, after Renly rebels against Stannis and forms an alliance with House Tyrell, he then sports a golden crown with gold armour, plus his belt and undershirt (its collar can be seen peeking out from under his gorget) are green, symbolizing his new commitment to his wife's (and lover's) family.
• Peaceful in Death: Despite the horrific manner in which he is killed, his body looks remarkably at peace. The corpse is later dressed and positioned in a way to make King Renly appear regal and dignified, and Margaery can't resist mentioning how handsome he was, with Littlefinger agreeing.
• Rage Breaking Point: He yells at Robert during their hunting trip after being belittled one too many times.
• Reasonable Authority Figure:
  • Is this towards Ned, and generally has a much better grasp on the situation in the country than does his brother who is ruling it.
  • Robb correctly believes Renly would be more open-minded about his demands for an independent North than Stannis. Despite the Young Wolf's opinion in Season 1 that Stannis is the rightful king after Robert's death, he decides to negotiate with Renly in Season 2 for an alliance against the Lannisters.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers a fantastic one to Robert in "A Golden Crown".
  Robert: Those were the days!
  Renly: Which days, exactly? The ones when half of Westeros fought the other half and millions died? Or before that, when the Mad King slaughtered women and babies because the voices in his head told him they deserved it? Or way before that, when dragons burnt whole cities to the ground?
  Robert: Easy boy, you might be my brother, but you're speaking to the king.
  Renly: I suppose it was all rather heroic, if you were drunk enough and had some poor Riverlands whore to shove your prick inside and "make the eight"!
• Red Herring: Renly is marketed in previews and behind-the-scenes videos as a major player in the War of the Five Kings so that his death makes for a stronger shock.
• Refusal of the Call: He initially rejects Loras' suggestion that he should be king in "The Wolf and the Lion", but the idea gradually becomes more appealing after he argues with Robert, and he finally embraces it in "You Win or You Die". When Renly first appears in Season 2, he has already crowned himself king with the help of the Tyrells.
• Relationship Reveal: The scene where Loras is shaving Renly's chest.
• The Resenter: He believes that he would make a far better king than either of his brothers or Robert's sons, but he's fourth (becoming second after the incest revelation) in line for the throne. He is one of many people with no legitimacy to rule who would want to do this anyway.
• Ruling Couple: King Renly, Queen Margaery and Ser Loras are presented as this in Season 2. Natalie Dormer describes their complicated union as a trinity in this featurette. It's Renly's romantic relationship with Loras which allows for the alliance to be created in the first place, and his marriage to Margaery seals the deal officially. Renly treats both his lover and his wife as his equals (the latter is shown symbolically in the melee scene, where Margaery's seat is of the same size as Renly's). The Tyrell siblings essentially function as a Brother–Sister Team in this three-way marriage; Loras' goal is to help Renly win the Iron Throne, while Margaery's job is to help her husband keep it.
• Sacrificial Lion: In Season 2. His death early in the War of the Five Kings signals that things are about to start getting worse for everyone.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Flees King's Landing in "You Win or You Die" when Ned refuses to support Renly's bid for the throne.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man:
  • He's the smart, politically savvy brother who doesn't particularly like fighting, while Robert and Stannis are notable warriors.
  • This dynamic is also present in his relationship with Loras. Renly looks tougher, but has never seen a battle; Loras is a very pretty, very dangerous knight.
• Shadow Archetype: To Robb Stark. Both men are young Reasonable Authority Figures who treat their subjects with respect, but Renly is the Non-Action Guy image of what Robb would have been if he had let his pride and arrogance take over his mind.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Whether he's at court, on a hunting trip, or commanding an army of about a hundred thousand men, Renly is always handsomely dressed for the occasion.
• Shirtless Scene: Has a couple of these with Loras.
• Sibling Rivalry: He has a strained relationship with both of his brothers, but it's his conflict with Stannis in Season 2 which leads to tragedy.
• Sibling Yin-Yang:
  • He thinks before he acts, prefers council meetings to hunting, and seems to be faithful to one man that he trusts and listens to. See Robert's entry to contrast.
  • Also in play versus Stannis. Renly is snarky and fun, beloved by the smallfolk and his bannermen alike, has both a lover and a wife that he loves (albeit in different ways), is willing to break the rules, wants the crown because he desires power and thinks he could do a good job, gets things done with diplomacy, and is somewhat flighty and prone to impracticality (staging a tourney when he'd need all his knights in fighting shape for a war). Stannis, on the other hand, is dour and overly serious, has no social skills and only one friend, has a strained relationship with his unwanted wife, is devoted to rules and laws, only wants the crown out of duty and legal right, gets things done via law or conquest, and is logical and pragmatic.
• Snark-to-Snark Combat: With Littlefinger. Since neither man possesses any talent for fighting, this is the only form of combat that they excel at.
• Spanner in the Works: Renly's rebellion was one of the key factors for why Westeros was divided in the wake of the Succession Crisis after Robert's death:
  • Ned wanted a smooth transition to Stannis over the illegitimate children, yet Renly insisted that Ned leapfrog the line of succession and make him King for ideological reasons which Ned refused and in response, Renly, Loras and their contingent of soldiers leave the capiital. This prevented Ned from having proper allies at the key moment of Robert's death, forcing him to turn to Littlefinger and Janos Slynt instead, leading to his downfall.
  • Renly declaring himself a King was a key factor in the Succession Crisis becoming a War of Five Kings. Rather than a straightforward conflict between Joffrey and Stannis as Ned intended. Since Stannis hadn't yet recieved Ned's letter he didn't know of his claim until much later. Renly declaring himself King challenged the line of succession, as Robb Stark pointed out, which led to the North and Riverlands electing Robb as King in the North. Had it not been for Renly, the North MIGHT have rallied behind Stannis as Ned intended, and there would have been a proper alliance against the Lannisters. Emphasis on might, as none of the Northerners wanted to serve him and Stannis would have been unwilling to accept an independent North.
• Spoiled Brat: In "The Wolf and the Lion", Renly reveals that his brothers consider him to be a spoiled child. Loras' facial expression and his silence strongly indicate that he agrees. Also Renly's opinion that the laws of succession should be blatantly broken because he thinks he'd do a better job.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: His illicit romance with Loras comes to a tragic end in "The Ghost of Harrenhal".
• Straight Gay: Much more masculine than his lover, at least, though oddly not nearly as combative.
• Too Clever by Half: How Olenna regards him after his death, a man who counted far too much on his likability and statesmanship in a time of all out war for the Iron Throne, and who possessed the flimsiest claim of all the contestants. Joffrey has the support of his mother's family and actually sits on the throne, Stannis is Robert's next-oldest brother and therefore can contest his "nephew's" succession. Robb Stark and Balon Greyjoy for vastly different reasons claim secession, citing long-time abuses at the hands of the crown, and merely want their own portion. The idealistic Renly wants to be king because he believes his compassion for the smallfolk would make Westeros a more prosperous and harmonious realm. However it's worth noting that he is one of the very few players who were not defeated because of their own mistakes, as nobody in his position would really count being murdered by black magic among possibilities. However many fans have felt Renly's actions would be disastrous in the long term, as it would lead to factional fratercidal wars among the nobility, asking what happens if Renly has a son people don't like, or an ambitious younger son.
• True Beauty Is on the Inside: He is one of the very few individuals in this Crapsack World who can look past Brienne's unappealing physique and see her inner beauty.
• Ungrateful Bastard:
  • Stannis saved his life during the Siege of Storm's End when he was only a young boy, and yet as an adult decides to usurp his claim because the former has the personality of a lobster — by siding with the people that almost had them both killed.
  • Subverted when he insults Robert for romanticizing his warrior days and victories and keeps insulting Robert, forgetting that had it not been for his brother, House Baratheon would have probably been destroyed by the Targaryens, nor would Renly ever had a seat on the Small Council or met Loras. Robert also made him Lord of Storm's End despite Stannis being more deserving, and yet Renly never shows the slightest gratitude. However, if one actually looks at it from a more general perspective, he is not criticizing Robert for the Rebellion but for enjoying it. He is disgusted that Robert would prefer to live in the days where woman were raped and murdered and cities were burned to the ground because things were more exciting. ^note  And he is most likely extremely disgusted by the Sack at King's Landing which was not only cruel and savage, but unnecessary. The war was already won at that point. The fact that Robert did not punish Tywin Lannister or his men but rewarded them instead for their vile deeds, gives Renly a very strong reason to hate him.
• Universally Beloved Leader: He's so popular among the Stormlanders that they all swear fealty to him instead of Stannis, even though the bannermen are technically committing treason (as Renly is duty-bound to obey Stannis). After Renly's sudden demise, Davos reports to Stannis that all the men grieve for his younger brother.
• The Usurper: Out of all the contestants, he has the weakest legal claim to any throne. While Robb Stark and the long-ignored Balon Greyjoy want to revive their Houses' respective kingship traditions, Stannis is Robert's lawful heir, Joffrey is Robert's official heir (and actually sits on the throne) and Daenerys is the heir of the previous dynasty, Renly is an usurper from any perspective that can be taken on this issue. He claims the Baratheons became the rulers through Robert usurping the Throne, that it's no different, while ignoring the fact House Targaryen broke the feudal contract and turned tyrannical.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Downplayed. While "villain" is a bit of a stretch since Renly's not evil by any means, but he is still a usurper who declares himself king before his oldest brother Robert died, and is willing to murder Stannis, who has a better claim to the throne, without any hint of remorse.
• War Is Hell: He invokes this trope after he becomes disgusted with his brother Robert's reminiscing about "the good old days" of the war. Renly borderline shouts at the King that for the loads of lesser men killed, the women raped, and the bastard or orphaned children — pretty much everyone who is not part of the ruling class actually finds war pretty awful. Of course, this makes him a bit of a hypocrite considering that later he decides to start a war to usurp the crown rather then help Ned make sure the throne passes to Stannis with as little bloodshed as possible.
• White Stallion: As part of his regal image, he rides one in "Garden of Bones". Loras will later charge into battle in "Blackwater" on Renly's white horse to better enhance the illusion that he is King Renly's ghost.
• Would Hurt a Child: Renly supports Robert's proposed assassination of Daenerys Targaryen.
  Renly: We should have had them both killed years ago.
• Youngest Child Wins: Renly wanted to invoke this trope to his great woe. This is however laced with a great deal of Didn't Think This Through, the main reason Robb Stark didn't back Renly's claim was that he wanted to leapfrog over his elder brother which Robb pointed to his fellow lords was totally against the line of succession:
  Robb Stark: If Bran can't be Lord of Winterfell before me, Renly can't be King before Stannis.