Seaworth'sShipmate Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I know Melisandre gets a lot of heat on this board, and receives a lot of inflammatory statements. But is she really so bad? Unlike a majority of Planetos, she is aware of the coming threat from the white walkers, and is trying to combat it. She (incorrectly) perceives that Stannis is the fiery savior of the world and does all she can to try and make him king. I know her burnings are bad, but given what's at stake, I can see why she might want to do them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Blackmont Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I actually don't have a huge problem with her burnings. All of the people would have been executed anyway, and while burning is a horrible way to go, it's not the worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James of the Blackwater Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 She wants to save the realm, I believe that is geniune..her methods are questionable and she is frequently wrong, but she does want what is best for the realm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissdbyfire Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I think the burnings are horrendous, and I can't think of a worse way to die, tbh. But my main issue with Mel is that she's not a team player, so to speak. She lies, withholds information, manipulates, and tricks people. Sure, she seems to be convinced it's for 'the greater good', she seems convinced the world will be overrun by White Walkers, etc. And if there is one thing I am sure of, is that the way out - whatever that might be - can only be achieved by people pulling together and overcoming their petty silly differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Municipal Engines Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 She wants to save the realm, I believe that is geniune..her methods are questionable and she is frequently wrong, but she does want what is best for the realm She does it because she believes her God wants her too, and because prophecy said so. If she needed to sacrifice Westeros to bring about this confrontation between Azor Ahai Reborn and the Great Other's champions, she would Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I swear by Ice and Fire Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 She herself knows her interpretation is not flawless. To then declare with confidence someone the saviour of the world and then burn people that dont agree with them seems very dubious. personally I think shes a hypocrite and burns people in vain. No matter how many she murders her god wont do shit. So when its all said and done her "holier than thou" attitiude wont mean nothing. She may have good intentions but then again thats what the road to hell is made of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Little Sister Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I don't hate her either. She definitely is doing more than most to combat the true bad guy of the story. A lot of people have issues with the sacrifices, but honestly she has been personally responsible for less deaths than most of the other well-liked characters and she has saved plenty of lives. I think it is highly likely that she is not as good at reading the flames as she believes she is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Little Sister Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 She does it because she believes her God wants her too, and because prophecy said so. If she needed to sacrifice Westeros to bring about this confrontation between Azor Ahai Reborn and the Great Other's champions, she wouldThe truth of this is that (assuming the prophecy is true) all of westeros and Essos is doomed if AA doesn't come to save them. Shitty situations sometimes call for a "lesser of two evils" decision. Everyone gives her and Stanis crap for the shadow incidents but how many thousands of innocents would have died if they had t made those decisions. Such is the price of war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLightning Lord Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The author has said she's the most misunderstood character. And he went out of his way to give us a POV from her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I swear by Ice and Fire Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The truth of this is that (assuming the prophecy is true) all of westeros and Essos is doomed if AA doesn't come to save them. Shitty situations sometimes call for a "lesser of two evils" decision. Everyone gives her and Stanis crap for the shadow incidents but how many thousands of innocents would have died if they had t made those decisions. Such is the price of war. Only true if stannis is AAR. Which we have strong reasons to doubt. Edit: strong not string, sry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James of the Blackwater Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Only true if stannis is AAR. Which we have string reasons to doubt. Stannis is most definitely not AAR, pretty sure from her POV chapter in Dance she is starting to realize that Stannis is not AAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fresh PtwP Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 She won't be confused for Baelor the blessed anytime soon but she doesn't even make my list of ASoIaF villains Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaworth'sShipmate Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 I think the burnings are horrendous, and I can't think of a worse way to die, tbh. Burnings are pretty bad, but it is a surprisingly quick way to compared to others in ASOIAF. Drowning,Flaying and crucifixions are all much worse ways to go than burnings. I think the flames burn away the pain receptors after a bit, and most people usually die of smoke inhalation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Municipal Engines Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 So basically her only redeeming feature is she wants to fight the Others, but that's not out of genuine concern for Westeros or humankind. It's purely a religious thing; she sees the Others as servants of the evil god her god is eternally at war with, so she wants to fight them. She thinks the prophecy of AAR is being fulfilled so she wants Stannis to fight them too. Her motivation and methods are based entirely on her fanaticism for her fire god, which doesn't redeem her in my eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaworth'sShipmate Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 So basically her only redeeming feature is she wants to fight the Others, but that's not out of genuine concern for Westeros or humankind. It's purely a religious thing; she sees the Others as servants of the evil god her god is eternally at war with, so she wants to fight them. She thinks the prophecy of AAR is being fulfilled so she wants Stannis to fight them too. Her motivation and methods are based entirely on her fanaticism for her fire god, which doesn't redeem her in my eyes. Still, actions are more important than intentions. Even if she wishes to fight the Others for selfish reason, she does want to fight them, which counts for something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James of the Blackwater Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 GRRM himself said she's the most misunderstood character, so I dunno, we will see how it shakes out in the end....really I don't have much of an opinion of her either way, I just think her motivations seem to be good and her methods are not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ned's Little Girl Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I despise Melisandre because she is a zealot and I distrust zealots. And I don't think that because she wants to fight against the Others, that it makes her evil acts somehow better. It's still evil how she manipulates people and lies (I believe that she bald-faced lied to Jon Snow by telling him her vision was of Eastwatch when she wasn't sure that it was). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Reaper oOo Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 She's one of my favorite characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Municipal Engines Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Still, actions are more important than intentions. Even if she wishes to fight the Others for selfish reason, she does want to fight them, which counts for something Everyone would want to fight them if they genuinely believed they were coming. But it's kind of like someone telling you an army of demons straight out of the Book of Revelations was making its way down from Nunavut. Of course you're not going to believe they're real or they're coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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