Even if I concede he was dead from the moment he was captured, that leaves HOW he died to determine. - Edit 1
Before modification by Joel at 13/06/2011 04:15:10 PM
If he purposefully would not admit his folly would you think Cercei would let him live. Would you purposefully let a defiant man who knew a secret that could endanger your safety, a man who wishes you dead, would you let him live.
If Ned didn't retrack his claims he would have been killed. If he did retrack his claims he would have been probably been killed (short term their would be benefits for not killing him, but as you said long term he was still a threat to Joffrey's survival.)
Ned was a dead man as soon as he was captured, nothing was going to change the fact he was going to die. He was going to retrack his claims about Joffrey for he was a good solider about to die, and he was trying to save his daughter's life.
If Ned didn't retrack his claims he would have been killed. If he did retrack his claims he would have been probably been killed (short term their would be benefits for not killing him, but as you said long term he was still a threat to Joffrey's survival.)
Ned was a dead man as soon as he was captured, nothing was going to change the fact he was going to die. He was going to retrack his claims about Joffrey for he was a good solider about to die, and he was trying to save his daughter's life.
In other words, if he was dead no matter what, the only question that remained was whether he would die with his honor intact or in shreds around him. Needless to say, he chose the latter. However, had it been as simple as the Lannisters killing Ned for what he knew as soon as they captured him, none of the prison drama would ever have transpired. Whether or not he what he knew gave him leverage even from within a cell, THEY believed it did and that gave him a bargaining chip: Your life and your childrens in exchange for mine. Once he surrendered that leverage he was utterly at the mercy of people whose defining characteristics are lack of mercy or scruples. Knowing all that, he did it anyway, which makes him as stupid as he was honorless. Giving into hostage takers demands doesn't free the hostages, it simply enriches their captors (and is particularly stupid when killing the hostages would eliminate all THEIR leverage).