Was Viserys evil?

[Gibzit]

He was the product of hundreds of years of incest which made him as mad as he was.

[Viserys - The last dragon]

I have sympathy for Viserys the child not Viserys the man. Many people had rough, abusive, lonely childhoods but they don't all grow up to be abusive and conniving men. Dany was in the same boat only the younger and had to also endure the abuses of her brother- "waking the dragon".

Well.. You can't really compare Dany and Viserys. Dany did not know what they had lost- she had never experienced being royal- Viserys, however, had. He knew how and what he lost (= everything). And lets remember when he was a child, receiving bedtime stories, he was probably told how awesome the Targs are, how they are better than everyone else etc etc (which made him frustrated, since he was the last one to pass down the line).

He was sacred, confused and alone (well, he had a young sister who was pretty much a liability).

If he was evil he would not have bothered with Dany. She would not be able to read, ride a horse or anything. She'd probably not be alive. Now some might say that Viserys kept her alive her entire life because he was planing to marry her away... Well.. thats BS, since he was just a kid, and perhaps not too bright. He did not think of this.

And Dany mentioned that he allowed her to sleep in his bed when she got scared, when they were younger. He was a good guy before he sold Rhaellas crown.

I understand Viserys so well.

[Gibzit]

He probably also got lots of talk from aerys which inspired the "waking the dragon" part of him

[Lady Blizzardborn]

He probably also got lots of talk from aerys which inspired the "waking the dragon" part of him

Rhaella made a point of keeping him away from Aerys actually.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

If Drogo didn't kill him...someone would have...and probably soon.

If Drogo hadn't killed him...Drogo would have killed him (just later than he did).

[Lady Blizzardborn]

He was the product of hundreds of years of incest which made him as mad as he was.

Then why aren't all the Targs mad?

[Ser Cold Fingers]

If Drogo hadn't killed him...Drogo would have killed him (just later than he did).

Very good point.

[Gibzit]

Then why aren't all the Targs mad?

Because um... magic?

[LittleMissTyrell]

was Viserys evil? No I don't think he was evil just brought up by evil intentions he was the mad kings child so he is in that category that falls as oh the child was brought up by evil so lets make the kid evil, He didn't know how to be nicer because of his whole parentage.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Because um... magic?

Fair enough.

[Brynden Blackfish Jr.]

No, he wasn't evil, but it seems evident he was on his way to becoming another Aerys. He clearly inherited the notorious Targaryen madness and on top of that, suffered an extremely traumatic childhood as an orphan with nowhere to go and enemies everywhere. If my memory serves me correctly, I recall that Dany had somewhat fond memories of Viserys when they were both very young, but that Viserys grew madder as he got older and his and Dany's situation became increasingly desperate. It seems like his madness could have been kept in check had he experienced a childhood with stable guardians, but we will never know. I say this because Aerys obviously inherited the Targaryen madness, but was a brilliant king until he was taken prisoner at Duskendale. Had Duskendale never happened, it is possible that Aerys may have kept his madness in check and gone down in Westerosi history as a great king.

[lady jellybean]

I feel sorry for him. What he went thru what he felt he had to do what he wanted to do. All of it he had to do alone. And he was all alone with a baby to take care of. Poor thing.

Not that I can forgive some of the stuff he did, but I can understand his motives

[Alysanne.Stark]

I think back to it now, I hate that Drogo killed him...

I think he was a frustrated soul. Losing everything, then having to give away his sister, who could have been his own queen, so that he could make it back to the life in KL he yearned for.

[Stannis's birthright]

I don't think he was truly evil but he was on the way . Can you imagine him as King . He wouldn't of lasted the year .

[James Arryn]

When all he had was a crown and a sister, he sold the crown to feed the sister.

[Universal Sword Donor]

No

[The Wolf Lord's Daughter]

When all he had was a crown and a sister, he sold the crown to feed the sister.

Yeah. That really was his redeeming feature. I feel sorry for him, because despite what most think, I don't buy the he was already mad thing. Dany herself says that he was an ok brother and protector until he had to sell their mother's crown. He had been a prince, with a loving mother to take her 8f him and without any responsibilities. Suddenly, with the fall of the targs, he was the heir to a powerful dynasty and left to care for a baby sister without any resources other than one kind knight who later dies.

Now, that doesn't excuse his actions to Dany later, but I think that if he had led a better life he would have been an fairly decent guy.

[A spoon of knife and fork]

If he was evil he would not have bothered with Dany. She would not be able to read, ride a horse or anything. She'd probably not be alive.

I doubt this very much. Dany already knew how to read and probably ride before their protector died - she would have learnt while they were all at the house with the red door. I think that Dany might even have done better without V, because he was so good at losing friends (whereas Dany is good at making them).

And Dany mentioned that he allowed her to sleep in his bed when she got scared, when they were younger. He was a good guy before he sold Rhaellas crown.

I understand Viserys so well.

Any abused person will tell you that the abuse is invariably paired with extremely good times as well. In fact that's what makes it so hard to get away - you think they've changed, or that wasn't who they "really are" when they hit you (Viserys makes this explicit - he calls his abusive side "the dragon" and then tries to win back Danys affections with kindness/sweet sister BS). It's awful and insane-making to be on the receiving end of that.

Viserys was like many abusers emotional it manipulative - he is nice to her and then on a whim he starts beating her, and the cycle continues.

I don't think there's any evidence that he was any different before they sold the crown. Dany remembers him as always being cruel but also being kind from time to time. That's the weird thing about abusers and Narssicists.

[ummester]

Evil? Why such an absolute word?

I feel that all threads asking was x evil, or is x good, or stating x is a bad character might as well read 'I hate character x'. None of the characters are absolute - not even LF, or Ramsay or similar characters that act in very immoral ways.

Viserys was foolish, selfish, arrogant and often cruel, by the end it could be argued that any compassion he had for Dany had turned entirely to loathing- I do not think these things amount to evil.

[sarah.jenice]

Evil? Why such an absolute word?

I feel that all threads asking was x evil, or is x good, or stating x is a bad character might as well read 'I hate character x'. None of the characters are absolute - not even LF, or Ramsay or similar characters that act in very immoral ways.

Viserys was foolish, selfish, arrogant and often cruel, by the end it could be argued that any compassion he had for Dany had turned entirely to loathing- I do not think these things amount to evil.

Well said. But I can't think of any redeeming qualities about Ramsay and I don't dislike him. I think he's fun to read but is a really, really twisted guy.