Role conflict occurs when a person is required to perform the duties of several contradictory roles. Lord Eddard Stark, the protagonist of the first season of Game of Thrones, is a father, a husband, Lord of Winterfell, and a friend to Robert Baratheon, eventually becoming the Hand of the King. All of these positions are different roles that he must fulfill. Ned Stark is a prime example of role conflict. For example, Ned struggles with the decision of accepting the Hand of the king position. Accepting this position and title means leaving his wife and children in Winterfell, while he lives and works in King’s Landing. Yet he also cannot disappoint the king, Robert Baratheon, whom he has been friends with since childhood. His loyalty to both his friend and the realm causes him to take the Hand of the King position. …show more content…
He discovers that all three of Robert’s “heirs" are the products of an incestuous relationship between the Queen and her twin brother. While Robert lies in bed dying, he commands Ned to write a decree, naming Ned “the Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm upon (his) death, to rule in (his) stead until (Robert’s) son Joffrey comes of age.” Ned is torn between his knowledge of the illegitimacy of Joffrey and being loyal to Robert and the realm, and chooses to write instead “until (Robert’s) rightful heir comes of age.” In this situation, it is clear from the start that Ned is experiencing role conflict. His choice to accept the position as Hand, while leaving the majority of his family in Winterfell, shows a disagreement in his role as a father and a husband. It can be said that his loyalty to Robert, rather than the realm, leads to Stark’s personal