Sansa Stark had one of the most dramatic (and painful) transformations in Game of Thrones. In the first season, Sansa was a spoiled princess (not literally, of course, but the spoiled daughter of a major house in Westeros), obsessed with gowns, dancing, being 'ladylike', and marrying well. Cut to the finale seasons, and she's a warrior Queen, obsessed with killing her enemies, feeding her husband to his own dogs, and generally cutting a swath of terror in front of her.
It may have come at the price of the loss of her family, her innocence, multiple hideously abusive betrothals and marriages, and repeated betrayals, but Sansa's growth is incredible - and today we are looking at some of the biggest things that changed over the course of the show.
Her Opinion Of The Lannisters
In the first season, Sansa idolized the Lannisters. She was desperate to marry Joffrey, and thought he was a perfect prince (how wrong she was). She looked up to Cersei, and attempted to wear styles like her, change her hair to match, and learn from her future mother-in-law all there was to know. That, of course, quickly changed. She became their prisoner, hating them, and seeing Joffrey for the vicious brute he was. Her hatred of the Lannisters grew to an almost overwhelming level - and with good reason.
Her Love Of King's Landing
Like her opinion of the Lannisters, Sansa's love of King's Landing soon soured. In season one, she couldn't wait to get away from the North, wanting to be in the big city with the court and all its delights. Of course, by the end Sansa was Queen in the North, vowing to stay away from King's Landing as much as possible, as it's not a place for Starks. This doesn't just show how much she has learned, but how much she has found importance and security in her roots and her upbringing.
Her Desire To Get Married
When we first meet Sansa, she has essentially one goal in life - to marry well. She wants this so that she can also wear pretty gowns and be a mother, but that wedding is front and center in her mind. Of course, she ends up getting her wish - sort of.
She has one horrible wedding to Tyrion, who she does not love, is slightly afraid of, and who she finds hideous (not exactly the young prince of her dreams). Then, of course, she has a far worse one to Ramsay Bolton, who brutally assaults her on their wedding night. By the end, Sansa has zero intention of getting married - and no need to, as she becomes Queen in her own right.
Her Respect For Her Family
Early series Sansa, as well as being spoiled and desperate to marry a prince, is quick to renounce her family, and desperate to differentiate herself from them. Her apeing of the dress and manners of the Lannisters also serves to show just how much she wants to be unlike her own family - which is very different in the end, when she realizes how important her Stark lineage and Winterfell are to her, and embraces them fully.
Her Hair
Hair isn't just decorative in Game of Thrones, it carries all kinds of meaning, and Sansa's is no exception. In the early seasons, her hair is loose, wavy and flowing - the ultimate innocent-young-woman style. From there, she goes to wearing a style that mimics Cersei's as she tries to fit in, and finally finds herself with something that is harsher, but also more powerful, and entirely her own.
Her Style
It's not just her hair that changed, but her style as a whole. Early-seasons Sansa wore light colors, flowing and lighter fabrics, and delicate, more youthful dresses.
At King's Landing, she switched to wearing more ornate and adult styles, attempting to mimic Cersei and the ladies of the court. By the end, though, she had ditched all of this in favor of heavy fabrics, dark colors, harsh shapes, chains, and fur. This is a woman who is no longer interested in being pretty - she wants to be powerful.
Her Comfort With Violence
Sadly, this change came about because Sansa was faced with so much violence over the course of the show - but there's no denying that Sansa's style change wasn't just cosmetic. Sansa went from a young girl who hated any form of violence to one who almost welcomed it. She became capable at talking about war tactics, a woman willing to defend herself (if still not a great fighter), and of course, she fed Ramsay to his dogs. A big change from the girl who hated the sight of blood.
Her Relationship With Arya
In the early seasons, Sansa and Arya were so completely different that they fought at every turn. Sansa's love of fine things and ladylike behavior was completely at odds with Arya's tomboyish nature, and it seemed like they were always at each other's throats. That is, until they grew up and met back at Winterfell. After all that had happened, it took a while to trust each other again, but when they finally did, it was incredible. Seeing them team up to take down Littlefinger was a stunning scene, and their relationship was a highlight of the final seasons.
Her Naivete
This has been touched on in other entries, but it's such a huge change that it does deserve its own - over the course of the series, Sansa went from an incredibly innocent young girl to a hardened Queen. In her early days she was quick to trust everyone, and judged based on appearances - and it cost her. By the end, Sansa had become a woman who knew not to trust anyone - or to trust that innocent people would not come to harm, a lesson that she first started to learn with the death of her Direwolf, Lady.
Knowing How To Use Power
Finally, it all comes together, and one of Sansa's most striking changes is her ability to wield power - and do it well. From an innocent and spoiled girl she became a true Queen, learning how to use her alliances, how to hold back information when she needs to, how to play nice, and how to trust her gut and her family. There's little doubt that she deserved to become Queen in the North, and that she will make a great one.