Summary

• Stannis chose power over his daughter's safety, leading to a heartbreaking and unnecessary death for Shireen Baratheon.
• Shireen's tragic demise was more extreme than previous deaths in Game of Thrones, sparking controversy among fans.
• Despite its shocking impact, Shireen's death didn't serve a significant purpose in advancing the overall plot of the series.

Shireen Baratheon had one of the most heart-wrenching deaths in Game of Thrones. The young daughter of Stannis and Selyse Baratheon was played by Kerry Ingram in three seasons of the series. Shireen had contracted Greyscale and kept hidden away. Even though Stannis was often preoccupied with gaining the power to get the Iron Throne, he had a soft spot for his daughter. Shireen befriended Ser Davos Seaworth from a young age and even gave him reading lessons. Given how sweet and innocent Shireen was, fans are still wondering why did Stannis burn his daughter alive.

As Stannis and his army marched on Winterfell to take it from the Boltons, they were delayed by a snowstorm. Melisandre's powerful magic could melt the snow but only with a sacrifice of king's blood and the Red Priestess recommended Shireen. After internally debating the decision, Stannis agreed to the sacrifice and handed his only child over to Melisandre for the sadistic ceremony to the Lord of Light. The Shireen Baratheon death scene saw her tied up and burned at the stake — and it turned out to be for nothing.

Stannis Cared More About The Iron Throne Than Keeping Shireen Safe

His Ambition Led To Him Allowing His Daughter's Death

There were many Game of Thrones deaths before Shireen Baratheon was burned alive, including many children. Plenty of young characters were killed off throughout the series, including Rickon Stark, Lyanna Mormont, and all the Baratheon children. The series didn't even avoid killing direwolves, which usually hurt more than seeing humans meet their ends.

However, Shireen's death was made worse by the fact that her father took advantage of her love and loyalty. Before sacrificing her, he met with his daughter and explained that a man must meet his destiny. Stannis Baratheon's daughter claimed that she would do anything she would to help her father, and he manipulated her faith in him for his own personal gain.

Stannis and Selyse blindly followed a religion that they didn't understand, which saw a child burned alive in Game of Thrones. Shireen's sacrifice turned out to be a needless decision, because all it brought was more misfortune. Not only did it not give Stannis a better chance at claiming the Iron Throne, but it also caused hundreds of his soldiers to desert his efforts. In addition, Selyse committed suicide, and Melisandre abandoned Stannis after realizing she had misinterpreted the prophecy.

Stannis and his army were easily beaten, and he was later killed by Brienne of Tarth. His selfish actions finally caught up with him, but it came at the price of his family. Shireen Baratheon had a whole life to live and didn't deserve what happened to her. Her excruciating death wasn't at the hands of an enemy or a personal sacrifice for the greater good. Her own father bartered with her young life, making it the most difficult death in Game of Thrones to accept.

GoT Might Have Gone Too Far With Shireen Baratheon's Death

The Moment Pushed Boundaries Even For Game Of Thrones

Shireen Baratheon being killed stood out in a series known for its shocking deaths, and it's one of the moments that even the most devoted Game of Thrones fans concede may have gone too far. The multiple deaths at the Red Wedding alone caused a huge shockwave as of the Stark clan met their end in the horrific bloodshed. Oberyn Martell's death at the hands of the Mountain was hard to watch as his head almost literally explodes. Ned Stark saw the wrong end of a sword in season 1's most shocking death. Even Hodor's demise caused quite a few tears.

However, none of these deaths, no matter how gruesome or extreme, compared to when a child was burned alive on Game of Thrones. The Shireen Baratheon death scene is nearly unwatchable, with the young child's fruitless cries acting as the soundtrack to what is a truly senseless murder. Game of Thrones watchers had strong feelings about the scene when the season 5 episode aired, with many taking to social media to vent their opinions about how the show went too far this time.

Out of all the deaths in Game of Thrones, Shireen Baratheon's was by far the most tragic and difficult to witness. Many people blamed the series for being too misogynistic towards its female characters since the same season also saw the sexual assault of Sansa at the hands of Ramsay Bolton.

Shireen's Death Was Ultimately Pointless

The Shocking Moment Didn't Do Much To Advance The Plot Of Game Of Thrones

The Shireen Baratheon death in Game of Thrones is even harder to take given how pointless it was for the rest of the series. This is due to the show failing to properly set up the characters before this horrific event as well as failing to follow key character arcs toward the Game of Thrones ending once Shireen was killed. The first major failing comes from how the show handled Stannis Baratheon. Despite a standout performance from Stephen Dillane, the show never truly understood the character.

In the books, Stannis is a man burdened by a sense of duty. He does not actually want to be king, but since Robert Baratheon's heirs are false Baratheons, it makes him the rightful heir to the throne and he feels it is his duty to serve the people of Westeros by seating the true heir on the Iron Throne. The show depicts him more as a power-hungry man who is frustrated when he can't get his way. Had he resembled his book counterpart more closely, Shireen's death would have been more of a moral dilemma as he would have been faced with killing his daughter in order to save the kingdom.

Shireen's death also meant nothing for Melisandre's arc that followed. It was meant to be a pivotal moment for her as the magic she was once so confident in led her astray. This led to her embracing her magic once again to resurrect Jon Snow. However, that achievement has no real impact since Jon's resurrection feels pointless in retrospect as well. Looking back on Shireen's death, it feels like the main purpose was simply to end the Stannis storyline which had run its course.

Was Shireen's Death Any Different In The Book?

The Death Of Shireen Baratheon Is Still Due In George R.R. Martin's Novels

The death of Shireen Baratheon occurred in Game of Thrones season 5, episode 9, "The Dance of Dragons". Almost immediately after the episode aired, viewers had a key question — did the shocking and heartwrenching scene happen the same way in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Hearing a child scream while they were burned alive rattled many audience , so the need to find out who was responsible for including it in the narrative was, for some, a question of who to blame out of author George R.R. Martin or Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff.

However, those for whom the Shireen Baratheon death scene difficult to swallow found the answer to their question somewhat frustrating. So far, Shireen Baratheon hasn't been killed off in any of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. This revelation irked some viewers, as they saw it as an example of the HBO show being gratuitously shocking and violent for the sake of creating a talking point. It must be noted though that, while Shireen's death doesn't happen in the novels, it wasn't added to GoT arbitrarily.

It's long been known that, while he has yet to finish his book series, George R.R. Martin does have a rough plan for how the rest of the story will play out. Showrunner David Benioff itted that George R.R. Martin is the one who suggested that Shireen face her demise in that manner, meaning it probably will show up in the novels somewhere. How Shireen Baratheon dies in the books won't be different, and she will still be burned alive. The difference is in the context.

Stannis Baratheon in the books is a very different character to the show, and isn't anywhere near as ambitious. Melisandre, on the other hand, is just as devoted to the Lord of Light in both versions. From what Martin and Benioff have revealed, Melisandre will ultimately end up burning Shireen Baratheon alive. The difference will come with Stannis Baratheon's involvement and reaction. What's more, it's implied in the novels that the reason Melisandre inflicts such a painful fate on Shireen is to stop the White Walkers, rather than remove a blizzard that stands in the way of Stannis's goals.

How Shireen's Death Helped Set Up House Of The Dragon

The Show's Version Of Shireen Dropped Plenty Of Important Exposition

Shireen's death may have been pointless in the greater world of Game of Thrones — however, her character did set up House of the Dragon. House of the Dragon is the GoT prequel series, which focuses on the Targaryen line and chronicles the infighting that leads to the Targaryen civil war, known as the "Dance of the Dragons." The show has made multiple connections to its parent series, most notably through the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy. However, it was Shireen Baratheon who greased the wheels for audiences looking into Targaryen history.

Shireen was a huge Targaryen history buff, and often taught Davos to read through the histories. She provided random tidbits of Targaryen history throughout Game of Thrones, and could arguably be deemed responsible for generating audience interest in the dragon clan. Shireen's ion, intelligence, and kindness are what made the character so endearing and her death all the more heartbreaking. A child burned alive in Game of Thrones wasn't the way that she should've gone, and the series arguably went too far with her means of death.