Daenerys: Rethinking and Remapping a Protagonist

[butterbumps!]

This is a collaborative project to deconstruct and rethink the character of Dany through a series of critical essays.

In lieu of a conventional reread, we are structuring this as a chronological analysis explored through an expository form. We’re breaking Dany’s chapters into chronological groups in order to write complementary analyses on those chapters according to different lenses (for example, for aGoT Dany chapters 1-5 Oar is looking at the theme of sexuality, I’m looking at power, Redviper is exploring Dany’s ideas of social justice/ class and so forth).

However, like a traditional reread, we would like to keep to a chronological structure, such that comments reflect the group of chapters being presented without moving ahead (though we strongly encourage cumulative analysis of past chapters).

Our purpose is to deconstruct some of the assumptions about Dany’s character through close textual analysis and a measured “point—counterpoint” style discourse to reconstruct new ways of looking at and understanding her character. Our intention is neither to condemn nor glorify Dany, but to re-present her arc from different angles with the hope of gaining richer insight into who she is.

We welcome thoughtful, textually grounded contributions committed to critically analyzing Dany’s character (“critical” meaning significant and performative, not negatively judgmental). However, we would like to discourage revisiting familiar territory and arguments, as well as devolutions into character judgment.

Above all, please be civil, and we encourage engagement with the subject with an open mind (this is explicitly neither a Dany appreciation nor Dany hate thread).

basic structure:

Chapter group summary

Essay

Response time

Essay

Response time

(repeat)

link to explanation of themes

[OnionAhaiReborn]

Daenerys I - Memories of the past - The plot of Illyrio and Viserys - First meetings

Viserys presents Daenerys with a gift from Illyrio, in whose home in Pentos they are staying. Viserys tells her that the history of his reign over Westeros will be marked from that night, and leaves her. Daenerys ruminates on Westeros and the rebellion against the Targaryen dynasty as its history has been passed to her from Viserys. She recalls the fierce storm on the night she was born, and the death of her mother in birthing her. She traces her and Viserys' wandering throughout the Free Cities, which has brought them now to Pentos.

Illyrio and Viserys discuss their plan to marry Daenerys to Khal Drogo in exchange for Drogo and his khalasar invading the Seven Kingdoms to restore Viserys to the throne of the Targaryen dynasty. They then go to a feast to introduce Daenerys to Drogo, where Illyrio promises a skeptical Viserys that Daenerys will surely win Drogo's favor.

Illyrio points out Jorah Mormont, and Daenerys is intrigued by his appearance and the sight of a person from the homeland she has never seen. When she sees Drogo for the first time she is frightened, and begs Viserys to take her back to lllyrio's home. Viserys refuses her request and threatens her. When she is presented to Drogo she manages to smile and stand up straight.

Daenerys II - The wedding feast - Gifts presented to Daenerys - The wedding night

Daenerys weds Drogo and attends a day-long celebration. We learn that Jorah has pledged his service to Viserys. Viserys is impatient and demands to know when Drogo will give him an army to conquer Westeros. Illyrio explains that Drogo will first present Daenerys to the crones of the dosh khaleen and then go to war only if the omens are favorable.

Jorah presents Daenerys with books containing histories and songs of the Seven Kingdoms and Illyrio gifts her three petrified dragon's eggs. Drogo's bloodriders present her with weapons which she, in accordance with Dothraki custom, refuses and gives to Drogo to bear in her stead. Finally, Drogo gives her a silver-grey horse, and they ride off together.

Daenerys becomes upset and begins to cry as she and Drogo go to consummate their marriage. Drogo says 'no,' leading Daenerys to believe that he can speak the Common Tongue, but it appears to be only word he knows. Daenerys undoes Drogo's braids and Drogo undresses Daenerys. Drogo strokes her body until she moves his hand between her legs and says 'yes.'

Daenerys III - The Dothraki Sea - Viserys chastened - Daenerys pregnant

Daenerys rides with Jorah as the khalasar arrives in the Dothraki sea on its way to Vaes Dothrak. She begins to appreciate the beauty of the land and she becomes acclimated to life in the khalasar. She commands the khalasar to stop, and wanders off to enjoy the day.

Viserys comes upon her, angered that she has given him a command. He grows violent, and Daenerys pushes him away. Jhogo arrives and lashes a whip around Viserys' neck. When Daenerys is asked if she wants Viserys dead, she orders his life spared but forces him to walk behind the khalasar.

Later Daenerys speaks with her handmaidens about dragons. They tell her that there are no more dragons in the world. Doreah recalls that she was once told that dragons came from a moon which wandered too close to the sun and cracked, releasing thousands of dragons upon the world. Daenerys has Doreah stay while her other handmaidens go, and Doreah offers advice on lovemaking. That night, Daenerys takes Drogo outside beneath the stars, they have sex, and she learns weeks later, on her fourteenth 'name day,' that she is pregnant.

Daenerys IV - Vaes Dothrak - Daenerys strikes Viserys

Drogo's khalasar arrives at Vaes Dothrak. It is home to a vast collection of statues from conquered peoples, and its structures are made in a variety of styles, built by captured slaves. Jorah and Daenerys speak of the Seven Kingdoms, and of Jorah's exile imposed by Ned Stark. When asked if the Dothraki could conquer Westeros, Jorah admits respect for the Dothraki's fighting ability, but disparages Viserys' ability to lead them to victory.

Daenerys invites Viserys for dinner and offers him gifts of clothing. Viserys is angered that Doreah was sent to command him to eat with her and becomes violent. He then spurns her gifts and seizes her tightly by the arm, causing her pain. Daenerys takes hold of a bronze belt she had planned to give Viserys and uses it to strike him in the face, drawing his blood. She threatens to call her guards and inform Khal Drogo and Viserys leaves her.

Daenerys V - Pregnancy rituals of the Dothraki - The Stallion Who Mounts the World - The feast and the death of Viserys

Daenerys stands before the dosh khaleen and eats a horse's heart. She has been told that failing to consume the entire heart without vomiting is a bad omen for the future of her unborn child. She eats the entire heart, and the crones of the dosh khaleen declare that she will give birth to a boy who shall grow up to be the 'Stallion Who Mounts the World.' She announces that she will name the child Rhaego. They then ride to the lake called 'the Womb of the World,' where Daenerys bathes herself and she and Drogo have sex on the shore.

A feast is held and Daenerys calls Jorah to her side to talk. She asks him where Viserys is, he tells her that he is in the market in search of wine, and that earlier her brother had tried to steal her dragon's eggs in order to sell them and hire sellswords with the profit. Jorah says he stopped Viserys from taking the eggs. Daenerys asks Jorah about the 'Stallion Who Mounts the World,' and Jorah tells her of the ancient prophecy which foretells the coming of a "khal of khals" who will "unite the Dothraki into a sing Khalasar" and conquer the entire world.

Viserys arrives at the feast, drunk, and calling for Daenerys. He tries to take a seat beside Drogo and the other Khals but is mocked and told to sit in a place of dishonor. He draws his sword, causing Daenerys to cry out and calling Viserys' attention to her. He claims Drogo has broken their bargain and threatens to cut Daenerys' unborn child from within her, take her, the dragon eggs, and leave. Drogo promises Viserys that he will honor their bargain, and says he will have a golden crown. Viserys is momentarily pleased until he is seized by several Dothraki and Drogo melts gold and pours it over Viserys' head, killing him. Daenerys decides that Viserys was not a true dragon, because fire cannot kill a dragon.

[butterbumps!]

Our Introduction to Dany

“She could not remember ever wearing anything so soft. It frightened her. ‘Is it really mine?’”

From the first lines of Dany’s active thoughts, she is portrayed as a deeply sympathetic protagonist. She comes to us seemingly fearful and uncomfortable with finer things, ostensibly due to a history of deprivation of sorts.

The next few paragraphs add complexity to this initial impression. She’s not, actually, naïve or “deprived” strictly speaking; she intelligently questions the motivations behind receiving exquisite gifts and pampering, intuitively understanding that gifts as these always come with conditions.

Her backstory is also complex and even a bit contradictory in terms of playing with our sympathies. She spent the first part of her life living happily in the house with the red door as a “little princess.” Then Darry’s servants did her a great injustice by taking this house for themselves and turning Dany and her brother out. After this, their royal status earned them honored invitations to wealthy households where they continued to live in a sort of luxury for years. Yet, we learn that the “Usurper,” who had similarly ousted Dany’s family once, again inflicted harm to Dany by virtue of the fact that he remained on the throne (as well as apparently sending assassins at Dany and her brother). Dany and her brother’s lives grew more difficult as nobles were less willing to harbor these lost heirs, and eventually they came to poverty. Six months prior to the beginning of Dany’s introduction, Illyrio came to them, offered hospitality, and the siblings have been living in the lap of luxury since.

I say it pulls at our sympathies contradictorily because Dany’s background is at once extremely charmed and full of injustice. She enjoyed unprecedented luxuries at various points of her life, even beginning childhood as a little princess, yet these enchanted moments were variously taken from her through no fault of her own. This duality is quite interesting because her story is neither the archetypal “princess fantasy,” nor is it so cruel as the trope of a “Cosette.” It’s at once enviable and extremely sad.

Though there is a dual charmed-injustice aspect to her backstory, Dany’s victimization at the hands of her brother is unambiguous. In fact, Dany is clearly portrayed as a victim of each of the men she encounters, and her vulnerability is palpable. From Dany’s own suspicions of Illyrio, we realize that he is using her for his own unarticulated ends. We see Viserys sexually harass and torment her, and of course, deliver his notorious line about letting a khalasar and horses rape her in order to get what he wants from her. We see Dany’s feelings of vulnerability in being the only female present at Khal Drogo’s mansion, as well as her tremendous fear of the redoubtable horselord himself, to whom she is being sold against her clearly stated wishes.

Dany comes to us seemingly timid, soft spoken, melancholic and victimized, yet also intuitive, perceptive and dutiful. Between her sweet, thoughtful and sharp inner dialogue, and the obvious abuses and injustices surrounding her, I think it creates a strong foundation for sympathy and progress throughout these 5 chapters, whereby she overcomes victimhood and asserts herself as her own agent.

In other words, I think Dany's introduction sets her up as someone to cheer for and expect great things from, which I believe casts a shadow (both positively and negatively) over everything that follows.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Good luck, all. Great start so far.

[Florina Laufeyson]

Daenerys and the Reader:

When we are first introduced to the character of Daenerys, it becomes increasingly clear to the reader that she is indeed, a sympathetic character. The very first paragraphs of her POV is clearly showing that Dany is a rather frightened young girl. And that her brother, Viserys seems to be in utter control of her. It is immediately established that he is an abuser to Dany and that she is under his thumb. Dany even appears rather weak in comparison to those around her.

Dany also has an unwanted arranged marriage in her very near future. It is established that Viserys and Illyrio arranged this marriage to a barbarian horse lord in order to seal an alliance and gain an army. The Targaryen siblings were exiled away from Westeros, their "rightful place" after Robert's Rebellion. Viserys longs to return and take back the Iron Throne from the "Usurper and his dogs." Dany muses on Westeros but cannot recall it. She also recalls the stories Viserys told her about the Rebellion and how their family was literally torn apart.

As such, the reader is feeling quite a bit of sympathy for Dany and her plight. Dany goes on to recall a large house in Braavos with a big red door. The only place she felt was home.

Viserys' role in Daenerys' story:

Due to Viserys acting as an abusive figure, the reader grows to resent him as much as Dany does. Despite this, we do learn that she assumed she would marry Viserys as is custom for Targaryens to marry brother to sister.

The line must be kept pure, Viserys had told her a thousand times; theirs was the kingsblood, the golden blood of old Valyria, the blood of the dragon. Dragons did not mate with the beasts of the field, and Targaryens did not mingle their blood with that of lesser men. Yet now Viserys schemed to sell her to a stranger, a barbarian.

Viserys' plan is to use Dany as a pawn and she has no say in this. But as to not incur the wroth of her brother, she goes along with it.

But Viserys' motivations become Dany's motivations as the story wears on. He acts as both motive and as an antithesis to her own viewpoints, and by extension, the reader's.

Viserys' impatience is clear. He will do anything in his power to gain his army and the Throne. His weakness is also apparent, as he is quick to anger and relies heavily on those around him. Dany has a dream of Viserys abusing her and then becoming a dragon. She feels nothing but fear. She is living in constant fear of Viserys' anger, his "waking the dragon."

During her wedding, Dany tells herself a very similar line that Viserys himself recites. "I am the blood of the dragon." This helps us readers establish that there is an inner strength to Dany. At this point, the reader does not see hubris in her thoughts as much as a drive to set things to right. The reader however, does see hubris in her brother's actions and words. Resenting being set below his sister, hating the fact that he is at the mercy of the Dothraki.

The moment Dany breaks away from her brother on a ride through the Dothraki Sea, she feels completely and utterly liberated. A new found strength flows through her. What does this mean to us? That Viserys is holding her back in his way. We immediately feel that perhaps she should be rid of him. But what would that mean for Dany overall? Still, we see that she objects to the khalasar striking him down. She still has an attachment to him, despite everything.

Viserys' "Crowning"

Upon Dany establishing herself as Khaleesi, Viserys' resentment for her becomes clear as day. The Dothraki revere her now, and not him. They call him "Cart King" or "Sorefoot King" Making us believe that he is nothing more than a joke to those around him. Even as Dany offers him raiment, he bristles and strikes out against her. Dany strikes back, however, and even turns his words against him. This is telling the reader she will no longer suffer his abuses.

When Dany realizes she is with child, we see her ceremony among the dosh khaleen. As she manages to win their approval, the reader cannot help but feel hope for Dany and her babe. But she does feel that Viserys is all she has left in terms of family.

His drunkenly stumbling into the feast gives the reader the sense of something terrible going to happen. As Drogo points to Viserys' "place", he reacts terribly. Pointing the sword at her belly and threatening to cut out her unborn child. As Drogo orders Viserys to finally be given what he came for, Dany and the reader feel that he will get whats coming to him. She in turn, reacts calmly to his death.

What does this mean to us the reader, and for Dany? To us, it means that her greatest obstacle has finally been brushed away. That she will no longer be held back in her own motivations. For Dany, we are given the impression that she is the true blood of the dragon.

[redviper9]

I'll echo Apple Martini: great stuff so far -- really looking forward to seeing how this thread plays out.

[Dr. Pepper]

Dany has a dream of Viserys abusing her and then becoming a dragon. She feels nothing but fear. She is living in constant fear of Viserys' anger, his "waking the dragon."

During her wedding, Dany tells herself a very similar line that Viserys himself recites. "I am the blood of the dragon." This helps us readers establish that there is an inner strength to Dany. At this point, the reader does not see hubris in her thoughts as much as a drive to set things to right. The reader however, does see hubris in her brother's actions and words. Resenting being set below his sister, hating the fact that he is at the mercy of the Dothraki.

Excellent thread, ladies and gent! I'm still working on rereading the relevant chapters but I'll hopefully catch up before y'all move on.

I'm coming into this thread after spending a whole lot of time in ADWD so it's sort of a whiplash. On the surface, Dany is not the same person in Illyrio's manse as she is in the Great Pyramid. I'm interested in this reread because I want a closer look at how Dany becomes who she is several books down the road and also perhaps gain some insight into who she can be in the final books of the series.

One thing I'm noticing now that I didn't notice before is both her fear and admiration of the dragon persona. She loves Viserys as her brother, but she despises the timid fear he instills in her with all of his dragon talk. She has nightmares about it. The dragon imagery is not something she appreciates when it comes to Viserys and she recognizes it as a thing to be feared, something used to enslave and terrify. Yet, on her wedding day, she claims it.

I agree that this is a moment where we learn that Dany has her own inner strength, but I think it's also the moment where we first get a glimpse of how Dany will handle power in the future. She embraces something she loathed and feared. If I look back, I'm lost. I know I'm breaking the rules by looking forward, but I do wonder if this is the moment where Dany became lost.

[redviper9]

Interesting point on the duality of privilege/persecution, butterbumps! That duality is something that is also present in the arcs of two other unlikely protagonists/leaders, namely Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. Both were born to two of the most powerful families in Westeros, but they were always outsiders, Jon for his bastard birth and Tyrion for being a dwarf and being held responsible by Tywin for Joanna's death. But this thread isn't about Jon and Tyrion, so no need to derail it so early.

She is without question a sympathetic character in the first five chapters of AGoT, in large part -- as has already been pointed out -- because of her relationship with Viserys and how brutal he could be to her whenever she "woke the dragon." I remember thinking when I first read his "coronation" that his death was very deserved (my feelings on Viserys have changed in light of what was revealed in the later books, but no need to get ahead).

I think the sympathy we feel for Dany is also influenced by her relationships with Jorah and Drogo. Jorah, gruff though he is, immediately takes a liking to Dany while doing nothing to conceal his disdain for Viserys ("the shadow of a worm"). Jorah also soon starts comparing Dany favorably to Rhaegar. And by the time of Viserys's death, it's becoming obvious that -- despite the arranged nature of their marriage (and the question of Drogo's possible rape of Dany) -- Drogo has come to care for Dany.

One thing I'm noticing now that I didn't notice before is both her fear and admiration of the dragon persona. She loves Viserys as her brother, but she despises the timid fear he instills in her with all of his dragon talk. She has nightmares about it. The dragon imagery is not something she appreciates when it comes to Viserys and she recognizes it as a thing to be feared, something used to enslave and terrify. Yet, on her wedding day, she claims it.

Great point on Dany fearing her power before embracing it. It actually reminds me of how the Stark kids (Jon included) react whenever someone called them a wolf early in the series. Yet we also see them embracing that identity and using it almost as a silent prayer (though they remind themselves that they're a Stark of Winterfell, as opposed to blood of the direwolf).

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

I'll also echo what I told to Bumps in a PM — it's very interesting to note and to remember just how sympathetic and likeable Dany is in Game of Thrones, and think to myself just how far she's fallen in my esteem since then. And it makes me wonder what GRRM's method is here: 1. Is all of this meant to be a sleight of hand, to make us sympathize with Dany or root for her or believe in her cause, before the rug's pulled out, or 2. Is this really a full-circle transition, wherein Dany starts out sympathetic, loses much of that sympathy and then regains it?

I would argue that neither position in which Dany has found herself is desirable. On the one extreme, she was a political pawn of others, a victim who was tormented by her brother and had no power of her own. Yet when she finally gets the power and autonomy she lacked before, she falls into a quagmire — unsure of what she wants, causing regional chaos and instability, committing, yes, atrocities, stuck in a political trap of her own making. There has to be some happy medium here, between Dany being miserable and powerless and Dany being miserable — and causing misery — while in power.

I have also been instructed (:P) to point out that a lot of how we view Dany is no doubt colored by the fact that the only POV we have of her is her own. It's interesting to consider how she views, say, Viserys' death — he wasn't a true dragon and had tormented and threatened her and her unborn child — and then think about how an outside POV might view it. Would they see it as kinslaying? Perhaps. Would they see it, if not as kinslaying, as something disturbing, the way Jon sees Axell Florent? Without an outside perspective on Dany's actions, there's almost literally no way we can judge how her actions look to an outside observer. And I think that's deliberate.

[butterbumps!]

deconstructing assumptions: remapping themes

We believe that power and identity form the crux of Dany’s arc, the intersection at which a number of adjacent themes converge and multiply: the dragon, motherhood, femininity, sexuality, extant power structure, belonging and perception.

We posit these as the major lenses for the reconsideration of Dany’s arc, and would like to extend invitations to any interested parties to write about one (or more) of these topics for any group of chapters. Let us know which topic you’d like to write a “point” essay on, and we’ll reserve it for you (I’ll edit the list at the bottom of this post). There are also potential subsets to each of these lenses, so if you have an idea for an essay, let us know. (I’m giving a brief overview and some explanations for some of the lenses to mine below to get started.)

power and identity

Like many of the other characters, Dany’s arc has a strong bildungsroman quality, where “finding herself” is one of the central themes. Since the notion of identity is largely self-explanatory, I’ll leave that here and say a few words about “power.”

All of us who came together for this project agreed that the notion of “ruling” is neither a productive nor honest way of looking at Dany’s character. Instead, I posit that Dany’s arc is fundamentally about power. I believe that it’s imperative to acknowledge that power is a construct separate from ruling and leadership when looking at Dany’s arc.

Simply put, “power” is the ability to act or to affect something. It connotes “strength,” “force,” “vitality,” “control,” and “domination,” and these connotations are useful to help us consider the spectrum of ways that one can perform the essential definition of “ability to act or affect.”

On one end of the power spectrum is “invisible power,” as wielded by Varys. It’s a shadowy, subtle power, extremely insidious and highly effective at “affecting” things, employed by influencing the beliefs and expectations of others. This sort of power has limits at its most extreme manifestation; namely, “invisible power” rests on its being unrecognized as power in order to be effective (i.e. people need to believe that they are not being manipulated).

At the other extreme is something closer to “brute force.” This is easier to recognize as “power,” manifesting in the character of Drogo or a fully-grown dragon. It reflects physical dominance over others, granting the wielder unfettered freedom to act and affect through force. It’s worth noting that even this power is not absolute; Drogo was beaten by bacterial infection, and the dragons ultimately died out.

Dany navigates across the spectrum between these two extreme manifestations of power throughout her arc. Though there are political intersections and implications, I think it’s most productive to be extremely cautious and precise about the way the politics are approached. In the same way power=/= ruling, “leadership” =/= “ruling” either.

Again, there is a spectrum in terms of the political manifestations of power. “Leadership” manifests at one extreme in a figurehead capacity; at one extreme, these leaders don’t have physical strength backing their influence, but are rallying forces for a certain ideal or system of beliefs, often of a populist nature (that is, the power of the leader stems from popularity). Leaders need not be political figures; Damphair and Benerro intersect politics, but they are foremost religious figureheads.

“Ruling” is vastly different from “leading,” though the two often intersect. Ruling is about administrating, resource management, protecting constituents, law-making and justice, and is fundamentally geared toward stability and maintenance. Oberyn was Dorne’s figurehead; Doran is their ruler. A good leader may not make a good ruler and vice versa; sometimes people who are good at administrating make very uninspiring leaders.

And sometimes, those with vast power are neither leaders nor rulers (like Varys and Bloodraven), which may be something to ponder as well.

I want to posit that we proceed extremely cautiously about the term “ruling” with regard to Dany’s arc. I think that the real issue here is power, and that by exploring the way Dany’s character deconstructs and rebuilds the notion of power, we can better understand both her identity and the sort of leadership she is happiest at and most successful with. I think that shedding the assumption that ruling is Dany’s goal, or placing value judgments on ruling as something inherently “good” will help expand the discourse on her arc.

the dragon

In these first 5 chapters alone, we’ve already seen at least 4 divergent and paradoxical introductions to the notion of “the dragon.” There’s Viserys, who never lets anyone forget he is a dragon, yet he is weak, cruel and vain. We’re introduced to “waking the dragon,” which frightens Dany and seems quite negative. Dany’s handmaids also give us a negative view of dragons; they refer to dragons as monsters that “brave men” destroy.

Yet Dany, who comes to the reader sympathetically and victimized, draws strength from this same dragon. She silently (as opposed to boisterous Vis) chants “I am the blood of the dragon” to summon courage in the face of becoming further victimized, and after a second dragon dream, finds renewed will to live as she accustoms herself to Dothraki life. Pregnant, she draws the dragon eggs to her belly and thinks of the dragon and her unborn child as siblings.

motherhood

This emerges as a prominent theme in the last two chapters of this first group. Once pregnant, Dany’s mindset changes subtly, especially in terms of her thoughts on Viserys. I think that there is a lot to be gleaned here, from the very construct of the Womb of the World to the way pregnancy prompts Dany to begin questioning her preconceived notions of power.

femininity

It would be remiss to exclude the lens of “femaleness” and gender in discussing Dany’s arc. On one hand, Dany’s gender induces feelings of vulnerability and a sense of victimization. At the other end, we see the otherwise hyper-masculine Dothraki worship and glorify the feminine in the Dosh Khaleen (which in itself has a number of paradoxes).

Running adjacently to this is the way Dany herself sees gender—both in terms of her own self-identification, as well as how she sees others’ gender. From her first chapter, she expresses clear distrust of the men she’s introduced to, but there is something more subtle in how she interacts with the women (all of whom, it should be noted, are actually servants, not equals).

The way Dany self-identifies as a woman is also a rich subject, full of seeming contradictions and shattering expectations. She’s at first meek, delicate, and impressed by a beautiful dress (as one might expect of a lady), but from the third page we see that she enjoys spending time in the stables. Yet, even once she’s outside and free to ride, she’s not exactly a “tomboy” either.

sexuality

I know that Brash will have a lot more to say on this subject than me, but I will say that Dany has offered us a deconstructed view of sex. Of the Dothraki, Illyrio explains that they do not see shame and sin the way most of us do; to them, sex is just another part of nature, like birth of dying. By approaching sex as this natural (and even public) part of life stripped of its societal connotations, Dany rightly sees that there is an inherent power dynamic in sexuality and embraces it. Power and sexuality are constantly intertwined in Dany’s arc, though the way this sexuality functions is much different than it does for most of the other characters that wield and express power this way.

extant power structure

OAR will be expanding on this facet more, but briefly, we believe it’s critical to look closely at the structures of power Dany finds herself in throughout her arc. Subsets of this, such as in depth analysis of the Dothraki or what Dany will later refer to as “floppy ears” would be extremely productive for discussion.

belonging

The shadow of “home” hangs over each of Dany’s chapters. Immediately we learn that she’s felt that she never had a home (though she looks back to the house with the red door quite frequently). This sense of belonging strongly intersects issues of identity and power structures (i.e. how she adopts cultures). Viserys plays a critical role in Dany’s sense of belonging; she feels fearless and at ease amongst the Dothraki, yet he reminds her that the Red Keep is truly where she belongs, a contrast that tears Dany apart for much of her arc.

In other threads there’s been much discussion of Dany’s mother-dragon paradox; I posit that she’s equally torn between the Silver (freedom of the plains) and the dragon (the Red Keep). Chapter 4 of aGoT (page 192) has an extremely compelling passage, where she “submerges” herself in the Dothraki Sea, contemplating nature and freedom. I think those few paragraphs may yield significant insight about her happiness, her desires, her sense of belonging.

perception

This is a slightly nebulous lens, but briefly, we thought it might be productive to look at the way Dany perceives and observes to study the way she thinks. The way she processes information undergoes changes over time, and it might be beneficial to look at these psychological evolutions more closely (note: this isn’t about looking for “madness” or anything like that).

This also has something of a “meta” filter to it, as it calls into question issues of what she believes she sees versus what is actually there, and such questions may be more productive at certain points in her arc than others (Slaver’s Bay, for example).

symbolism, myth, miscellaneous

There’s a ton of symbolism in Dany’s chapters. We think discussion of symbols and mythic significance add a lot to the discussion, so by all means, add any observations you may have to this end.

Relatedly, if there’s a topic anyone believes should be addressed or would like to write on that we’ve missed, let us know and we can add.

“point” essay reservations

extant power structure OAR

belonging redviper9

justice redviper9

the dragon the mysterious one

motherhood UVA

sexuality/ femininity oar

perception/ cognition dr. Pepper

identity Lala

power bumps

[Kittykatknits]

Great point on Dany fearing her power before embracing it. It actually reminds me of how the Stark kids (Jon included) react whenever someone called them a wolf early in the series. Yet we also see them embracing that identity and using it almost as a silent prayer (though they remind themselves that they're a Stark of Winterfell, as opposed to blood of the direwolf).

Dany calls on her heritage as the blood of the dragon the same way we see the Stark kids reminding themselves they are a Stark or the Lannisters with their sense of what it is to be a lion. But, I can't help but see some difference between the Starks and Dany. The Stark kids remind themselves they are a wolf and a Stark of WF. Arya reminds herself that she is a Stark in Clash while surviving her time with the mountain's men and Harrenhal. Sansa reminds herself that she is a Stark and can be brave and then later thinks she is stronger within WF. Bran recalls his father's lords face and lessons on bravery and at one point says that WF is like him, it may be broken but it still stands. Jon recalls watching his father and models Ned in Dance with his most epic "Edd, fetch me a block" line..

In other words, the strength that the Stark kids draw on is something very tangible. It's not an emblem or an image, their strength comes from the values they are taught, being a member of the family, the teachings of Ned, and the strength of Catelyn. It's a concrete sense of family, something that can still endure despite the death of Robb and their parents. to put it simply, I get why they remind themselves why they are a wolf and a Stark of WF.

Now, to contrast this with Dany, I am reminded of what Illyrio says to Tyrion in Dance about Westeros and their sigils. The importance placed on the dragon or the bear or fish. To put it simply, so what? Dany reminds herself that she is the blood of the dragon but what does that really mean? Her family history and knowledge of Westeros comes from Viserys who was only a child himself when sent in to exile. She spent a portion of her life in the house with the red door then wandering the free cities. She has no parents to model correct behavior for her.

The way I see it, it's clear why the Stark kids draw on the wolf image and WF. But Dany doesn't have that same past to draw upon. In the first book, we Dany says she is a dragon and a khaleesi. Later, she is a queen and mother. Is Dany someone who plants her olive trees or practice fire and blood?

Dany's story is a process of discovering who she is and what she wants and it's curious to me that she draws on her power as a dragon but without really knowing what that means. It seems like that will emerge as a major theme for Dany, with nothing to help form that identity she is going to have to create it for herself.

I have also been instructed ( :P) to point out that a lot of how we view Dany is no doubt colored by the fact that the only POV we have of her is her own. It's interesting to consider how she views, say, Viserys' death — he wasn't a true dragon and had tormented and threatened her and her unborn child — and then think about how an outside POV might view it. Would they see it as kinslaying? Perhaps. Would they see it, if not as kinslaying, as something disturbing, the way Jon sees Axell Florent? Without an outside perspective on Dany's actions, there's almost literally no way we can judge how her actions look to an outside observer. And I think that's deliberate.

It's amazing how much the POV structure of this series can distort our understand of what's taking place leading to incorrect conclusions or later surprises because of what a character does or does not reveal. It's like having multiple cameras on a scene, each only able to tell a portion of the story. If we are watching one individual then we can't watch the other.

There are many examples in the series on how the POV structure can mislead or influence a reader. The instance where it feels Martin is hitting us with a brick comes in both Feast and Dance. There is a scene where we are shown everything through the eyes of both Jon and Sam and it's quite glaring how everything reads, depending which camera we are using. Sam gives us an image of Jon that is cold, his lord's face almost intimidates me. Then, with Jon's chapter we see worry, conflict, doubt, and great caring for his friend. I'd never guess all this if all I had to go on was what Sam gave me.

So, back to Dany, we only ever have one camera. We don't know if we are missing body language from those near her or whether her observed of worry is really anger. However, I think it's a worthwhile exercise to see what we can learn what an outside observer thinks of her actions. After all, we don't get inside Sandor's head but we can make some educated guesses on what he thought of Arya's behavior there. Or the reaction of Cersei's small council to her statments about Sansa. My guess is there is quite a bit more to be picked up on than at first glance.

[Two Towers]

I have also been instructed ( :P) to point out that a lot of how we view Dany is no doubt colored by the fact that the only POV we have of her is her own

What about Quentyn and Barristan? They both think about Dany after meeting her. Barry at least, doesn't seem to regret supporting her. He considers her a good queen, and this is a dude that knows a thing or two about crappy kings.

From ADWD, one of the Barristan chapters:

Prince Quentyn was listening intently, at least. That one is his father’s son. Short and stocky, plain-faced, he seemed a decent lad, sober, sensible, dutiful … but not the sort to make a young girl’s heart beat faster. And Daenerys Targaryen, whatever else she might be, was still a young girl, as she herself would claim when it pleased her to play the innocent. Like all good queens she put her people first—else she would never have wed Hizdahr zo Loraq—but the girl in her still yearned for poetry, passion, and laughter. She wants fire, and Dorne sent her mud.

[butterbumps!]

What about Quentyn and Barristan? They both think about Dany after meeting her. Barry at least, doesn't seem to regret supporting her. He considers her a good queen, and this is a dude that knows a thing or two about crappy kings.

From ADWD, one of the Barristan chapters:

The main purpose of this thread is to go through Dany's arc chronologically and methodically to really look at what her character is telling us. This isn't the place to fire back with quotes that occur 4 books later when there's something one disagrees with. We're currently covering chapters 1-5 of aGoT. Apple was within those guidelines by pointing out that for an extremely long time, we see nothing of Dany except what we read through her own POV.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

I have also been instructed ( :P) to point out that a lot of how we view Dany is no doubt colored by the fact that the only POV we have of her is her own. It's interesting to consider how she views, say, Viserys' death — he wasn't a true dragon and had tormented and threatened her and her unborn child — and then think about how an outside POV might view it. Would they see it as kinslaying? Perhaps. Would they see it, if not as kinslaying, as something disturbing, the way Jon sees Axell Florent? Without an outside perspective on Dany's actions, there's almost literally no way we can judge how her actions look to an outside observer. And I think that's deliberate.

I just want to update this and say how awesome it is that the day after I wrote it, GRRM released the Arianne chapter, which brought up a lot of what I suggested about perspective, and showed how people in Westeros might view what happened with Viserys in a not-so-positive light.

I'm not even going to bother addressing Two Towers. Bumps said enough. ETA: And Quentyn and Barristan's POVs only ever consider her in hindsight; she never appears in-person in either of them.

[Djinn]

Very interesting project. I think it will help to clarify many things about the character to many readers. have you considered doing the same for other characters in the future?

[butterbumps!]

Very interesting project. I think it will help to clarify many things about the character to many readers. have you considered doing the same for other characters in the future?

Thanks, and sort of-- some of us have been working on various character analysis threads, though we all came together to brainstorm this particular project. Brash is part of the Arya Reread Project (currently on aCoK Arya VIII), and was also a founding member of the Sansa Rereads and Pawn to Player threads with a similar structure; I worked on the Learning to Lead Project tracing Dany/Jon through DwD, and currently doing the Tyrion Reread Project (currently on aSoS Tyrion VII); I'm planning a Jon reread project when Tyrion's done, and some other posters had discussed a similar one for Jaime.

[OnionAhaiReborn]

Extant Power Structures in Daenerys I-V

Social Structures in Daenerys' World

From her birth through the point at which we meet her and beyond to where we find her at the end of her fifth chapter, Daenerys is exposed to a variety of social structures, both real and imagined, which can be crudely delineated into three conceptions. According to Westerosi custom (and Viserys' incessant bleatings), social status is a quality of birth. The Targaryens are Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses, the occupiers of the highest possible social stratum, and this they are because that is the way they were born. High birth means high status. In the commerce-oriented Free Cities where Dany spends her early life, those who are successful businessmen have large homes, legions of servants, and powerful political offices. Men like Illyrio Mopatis, successful in trade and therefore politically connected, feast with khals and lords and other men of rank. Vast wealth means high status. And among the Dothraki one's social rank is dependent upon one's strength, most notably upon one's martial strength. Men wear braids that they must cut if defeated in battle, and those who cannot ride a horse are considered disgraced. Great strength means high status. Of course, this crude delineation falls somewhat short upon close inspection. All three are fundamentally arrangements of power, predicated on the translation of 'the powerful' to 'the high class.' All of them are devolved forms of the same brute essence: the real ability to project force. They are useful ideal abstractions that bleed into one another significantly in practice; Viserys is the 'beggar King,' exiled from the throne and Kingdom that his birth-status dictates is rightly his, exiled, in fact, by the superior martial strength of 'the Usurper' who now sits the throne. And now the heir to the Targaryen dynasty lives dependent on the wealth of prominent merchants who pay limp homage to his inherited titles, seeking redress in the form of a horde of warriors. Not only are the abstractions of social status absurd, they're contested before Dany's eyes.

Status by birth is not practiced before her, but is a powerful influence nonetheless as stated by Viserys:

In the Free Cities, they talked of Westeros and the Sunset Kingdoms. Her brother had a simpler name. "Our land," he called it. The words were like a prayer with him. If he said them enough, the gods were sure to hear. "Ours by blood right, taken from us by treachery, but ours still, ours forever.”

For Viserys, the birth status of Targaryens is absolute and unending, a fact that he associates closely with their blood. He claims not only that political position and status pass through birth, but also that this is justified by an actual superiority of blood of some people over others.

For centuries the Targaryens had married brother to sister, since Aegon the Conqueror had taken his sisters to bride. The line must be kept pure, Viserys had told her a thousand times; theirs was the kingsblood, the golden blood of old Valyria, the blood of the dragon. Dragons did not mate with the beasts of the field, and Targaryens did not mingle their blood with that of lesser men.

That he associates this blood superiority with conquest and immensely powerful beasts suggests that he considers Targaryen blood, passed through birth, to be blood of significant power. Viserys fails to see that, quite clearly given the fall of the Targaryen dynasty, power does not inhere in blood, but is, rather, necessary in forcing others to accept status based on blood. Nonetheless, this is his understanding of social rank and neither you nor I are likely to talk him out of it.

In the Free Cities, wealth is seen as and, largely, is, an expression and feature of high status. Illyrio is both a politically important official as a Magister of Pentos, and a man of commerce as “a dealer in spices, gemstones, dragonbone, and other, less savory things.” This association is no accident, but the logical ordering of rank in a society where wealth is wielded as force.

"My fellow magisters have doubled the size of the city guard," … The khal had joined his khalasar, his estate given over to Daenerys and her brother until the wedding.

"Best we get Princess Daenerys wedded quickly before they hand half the wealth of Pentos away to sellswords and bravos," Ser Jorah Mormont jested.

The Magisters of Pentos and rulers of other Free Cities use their wealth to purchase their protection against enemies. Drogo is given a “nine-towered manse” in Pentos as tribute to prevent him and his khalasar from attacking. And when Drogo's khalasar comes to see his wedding to Daenarys, the rulers of Pentos use their wealth to purchase further protection. Wealth is essential to the maintenance of their security, so it follows that those with the wealth to support their own protection will also be those with the greatest political power, and the highest social class.

And so it is unsurprising that the conception of wealth as status permeates down through the less propertied ranks of society in the Free Cities. The slaves that prepare Dany for her meeting with Drogo understand his rank in terms of his wealth:

The girl scrubbed her back and her feet and told her how lucky she was. "Drogo is so rich that even his slaves wear golden collars. A hundred thousand men ride in his khalasar, and his palace in Vaes Dothrak has two hundred rooms and doors of solid silver." There was more like that, so much more, what a handsome man the khal was, so tall and fierce, fearless in battle, the best rider ever to mount a horse, a demon archer.

Importantly, they misconceive of Drogo's wealth, imagining alongside other actual features of his status as a Dothraki Khal that he must also be more materially wealthy than he is. This misconception is due to the strength of their association of wealth with status.

Among the Dothraki, strength dictates status. The greatest warriors command the greatest respect and status. The weak and defeated are the lowly and not worthy of respect or status. Their society is quite literally built on this dynamic, as slaves are taken from peoples defeated in battle and forced to build the structures of Vaes Dothrak:

”... The buildings you see were made by slaves brought here from lands they've plundered, and they built each after the fashion of their own peoples."

Those incapable of fighting, while clearly essential to Dothraki life, are at the very bottom of Dothraki social order:

Drogo had called his khalasar to attend him and they had come, forty thousand Dothraki warriors and uncounted numbers of women, children, and slaves.

At the back of the long hall, in a corner by the wall, deep in shadow so better men would not need to look on them, sat the lowest of the low; raw unblooded boys, old men with clouded eyes and stiff joints, the dim-witted and the maimed. Far from the meat, and farther from honor.

When Drogo's khalasar comes to his wedding feast, non-warriors are not deemed worthy of counting. Those not old enough to fight, those apparently too stupid to fight, those who have been injured fighting, and even those who have grown too old to continue fighting are all considered dishonorable.

Khal Drogo had offered [Viserys] a place in a cart the next day, and Viserys had accepted. In his stubborn ignorance, he had not even known he was being mocked; the carts were for eunuchs, cripples, women giving birth, the very young and the very old.

Among the Dothraki, the man who does not ride was no man at all, the lowest of the low, without honor or pride.

The ability to ride a horse, not incidentally intimately related to the Dothraki method of waging war, is also a crucial signifier of strength and, therefore, status. Among the Dothraki, force is projected by making war on horseback, and so those who can do this well are those of the highest status.

Fine clothing and opulent structures are not valued, neither is blood relation placed at the center of Dothraki social order. Indeed, the ordering of bloodlines as socially important is flouted in the Dothraki practice of assigning 'bloodriders' to each Khal, men who are bound by custom to live and die for a Khal, attaching themselves not by familial relation, but by their duty to protect and avenge him.

In each model of status, women are largely marginalized, their positions defined in adjacence to men of status. Daenerys is a high-bred bargaining chip for Viserys, a rare and valuable commodity for Illyrio, and the hopeful bearer of strong sons for Drogo. Women may be granted token status and respect, but are seldom granted real power.

Social Structures in Daenerys' Understanding

Daenerys' understanding of these structures is, at turns, keenly observant and blithely unaware. Martin clearly plays with the absurdity of the social structures surrounding Daenerys, but it is, as yet, not always clear what insights Dany takes from these absurdities. Perhaps most importantly, Dany's understanding is quite fluid and still incomplete. Her evolving understanding of the world around her is only here beginning. However, broadly, over her first five chapters Dany moves from an identification with the traditional trappings of material wealth as expressions of social status, to an identification with social status as a feature of bloodlines and strength.

"A gift from the Magister Illyrio," Viserys said, smiling. Her brother was in a high mood tonight. "The color will bring out the violet in your eyes. And you shall have gold as well, and jewels of all sorts. Illyrio has promised. Tonight you must look like a princess."

A princess, Dany thought. She had forgotten what that was like. Perhaps she had never really known. "Why does he give us so much?" she asked. "What does he want from us?" For nigh on half a year, they had lived in the magister's house, eating his food, pampered by his servants. Dany was thirteen, old enough to know that such gifts seldom come without their price, here in the free city of Pentos.

She is initially skeptical of Viserys' view of her and himself, and demonstrates an awareness of the way power and class functions in the Free Cities. She understands she is being dressed to look like a princess, but does not claim any robust understanding of what is to be a princess- certainly she doesn't begin to approach Viserys' bold assertions of Kingship. She recognizes that the 'gifts' she is being given aren't because she is a princess, but are being given because something is wanted in return.

At first the magisters and archons and merchant princes were pleased to welcome the last Targaryens to their homes and tables, but as the years passed and the Usurper continued to sit upon the Iron Throne, doors closed and their lives grew meaner. Years past they had been forced to sell their last few treasures, and now even the coin they had gotten from Mother's crown had gone. In the alleys and wine sinks of Pentos, they called her brother "the beggar king." Dany did not want to know what they called her.

She tracks her and Viserys loss of status along a concurrent loss of wealth, symbolized by the literal subordination of the 'crown' to their financial needs. She acknowledges, while stopping short of ratifying, the opinion that her brother is a 'beggar king'- no true king at all.

There came a soft knock on her door. "Come," Dany said, turning away from the window. Illyrio's servants entered, bowed, and set about their business. They were slaves, a gift from one of the magister's many Dothraki friends. There was no slavery in the free city of Pentos. Nonetheless, they were slaves.

Similarly, she is able to see through the farce of slavery in a city where slavery is nominally outlawed. And she is able to understand her own position in a similar light.

The girl slid the gilded sandals onto her feet, while the old woman fixed the tiara in her hair, and slid golden bracelets crusted with amethysts around her wrists. Last of all came the collar, a heavy golden torc emblazoned with ancient Valyrian glyphs.

"Now you look all a princess," the girl said breathlessly when they were done. Dany glanced at her image in the silvered looking glass that Illyrio had so thoughtfully provided. A princess, she thought, but she remembered what the girl had said, how Khal Drogo was so rich even his slaves wore golden collars. She felt a sudden chill, and gooseflesh pimpled her bare arms.

Dany may look like a princess, but Drogo, she is told, is a man wealthy enough to fetter his slaves in golden collars. The irony here is clear, Dany herself is wearing a golden collar. She occupies a bizarre social position, at once a princess of a political dynasty, garbed in the finest clothing, but soon to be, essentially, sold. Whether Dany is aware of this irony or simply intimidated by Drogo's prospective wealth and, therefore, power, she does not say. Her thoughts as she arrives at Drogo's manse suggest that she is more focused on the material the collar is made of than the fact of what a collar signifies, she notes that Drogo's slave wears a collar made of “ordinary bronze.”

Later she fails to notice the similar shared history of her and her enslaved handmaidens, coupled with their quite dissimilar status and living condition:

Jhiqui and Irri were of an age with Dany, Dothraki girls taken as slaves when Drogo destroyed their father's khalasar. Doreah was older, almost twenty. Magister Illyrio had found her in a pleasure house in Lys.

Like Jhiqui and Irri, Dany finds herself married to Drogo because of her father's defeat. And like Doreah, Dany is sold, in part, as an object of sexual pleasure for Drogo. Unlike any of them, Dany is not considered a slave and has nominally high status. While she certainly lacked the power to refuse Drogo, and has little real power as Drogo's wife, she does have the luxury of enslaved servants, and she does not appear to notice the irony of her relationship with them.

Dany begins to see 'riches' differently as her time among the Dothraki goes on. She makes early note of the garments worn by Jorah Mormont when she first meets him:

Instead of silks and cottons, he wore wool and leather. His tunic was a dark green, embroidered with the likeness of a black bear standing on two legs.

And of Dothraki attire:

The horselords might put on rich fabrics and sweet perfumes when they visited the Free Cities, but out under the open sky they kept the old ways. Men and women alike wore painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings cinched by bronze medallion belts, and the warriors greased their long braids with fat from the rendering pits.

But as she spends more time among the Dothraki, she begins to understand clothing as objects of utility, and signifiers of wealth only contextually, not absolutely. Viserys challenges her on her appearance after she has grown comfortable among the Dothraki, marking a significant transition.

She was barefoot, with oiled hair, wearing Dothraki riding leathers and a painted vest given her as a bride gift. She looked as though she belonged here. Viserys was soiled and stained in city silks and ringmail.

Immediately after this insight Viserys threatens her and is then forced to walk behind the khalasar as punishment. Daenerys has lost respect for Viserys' finery- which lacks utility in the khalasar- and next loses respect for Viserys himself, she has decided that Viserys is weak, he is the lowest of the low for no longer riding, and particularly for taking a place in a cart, and earning the nickname Khal Rhaggat- 'Cart King' and adopted, in part, the Dothraki view on the subject:

"He could not lead an army even if my lord husband gave him one," Dany said. "He has no coin and the only knight who follows him reviles him as less than a snake. The Dothraki make mock of his weakness. He will never take us home."

But only in part:

While her handmaids prepared the meal, Dany laid out the clothing she'd had made to her brother's measure: a tunic and leggings of crisp white linen, leather sandals that laced up to the knee, a bronze medallion belt, a leather vest painted with fire-breathing dragons. The Dothraki would respect him more if he looked less a beggar, she hoped, and perhaps he would forgive her for shaming him that day in the grass. He was still her king, after all, and her brother. They were both blood of the dragon.

Even as Viserys loses status in Dany's mind for failing to conform to the Dothraki idea of strength, she is adopting a more malleable understanding of material wealth, and, even more interestingly, adopting Viserys' understanding of the importance of blood. She offers him Dothraki garments, clothing she would once have considered poor, and ironically hopes they will make him look less like a beggar to the Dothraki. She has not only subordinated her prior understanding of material riches to Dothraki beliefs about strength, but also gone on to shape that understanding to match her growing conviction that blood defines status. She tries to dress Viserys in clothing that would ill-befit a Westerosi King or Pentoshi Magister in order to make the Dothraki respect him in accordance with what she believes is his actual status.

So completely has she come to share his understanding of their blood as a signifier of status and power that she decides that her unborn son will one day sit the Iron Throne (interestingly, forgetting Viserys in the line of succession) and she decides that he is a true dragon. Rather than becoming alienated from Viserys' ideas about status as she becomes alienated from Viserys, she moves towards recognizing the importance of blood, and forgetting her earlier skepticism. Indeed, even when Viserys is killed by Drogo, she decides not that the idea of dragon's blood is farce or that the mere claim to being a King is feeble and hollow, but that Viserys was an outlier, unworthy, and not a true dragon. She is able to reject Viserys while holding onto his understanding of their bloodline.

[SeanF]

Many thanks for an excellent thread and excellent contributions.

I sympathised hugely with Daenerys at this point of the series, just as I sympathised hugely with Tyrion in his first chapters. It was only gradually that I became aware that both characters have a very dark side to them, and only after making excuses for them, as the story went on.

I thought Viserys deserved his crown of gold, and still do. I don't think that Dany was under any moral obligation to plead for him, given that he'd just threatened to cut out her unborn child, and given his years of abusing her. Nothing I've read subsequent to AGOT changes this.

But, having read Arianne's sample chapter, I can see how third parties might take a different view of the matter. And, that does make me wonder, in turn, if Dany's point of view is self-serving. From her conversations with Ser Jorah, it's clear that both of them had concluded that Viserys was useless, and had no chance of regaining the Iron Throne. Perhaps she had concluded, if only subconsciously, that Viserys had to go, if the Targaryens were to regain the Iron Throne.

[Silverin]

Extant Power Structures in Daenerys I-V

This summary, reminded me of how at the beginning to me Dany seemed more open minded and observant than later (like with slaves, or that Vis is not a true king).

I was one of those readers, that thought that she will be more open minded as the story progress and she goes through her eye-opening journey, so that one day she will be able to accept what actually happened during the Rebellion. I guess because with my previous reading experiences, I assumed that all the POVs in the first book will team up one day and save the word from the zombieapocalipce. (I now sincerely think that not all of them will be on the same sides from the original POVS, thinking about the Stark kids, Dany, tyrion)

It is quite interesting that in a way in more theme than other the opposite happened (at least to me that how it seems after five books). Dany's chapters are one of my favourite to discuss, as they for me at least turned out to be so different than I expected them.

[SeanF]

This summary, reminded me of how at the beginning to me Dany seemed more open minded and observant than later (like with slaves, or that Vis is not a true king).

I was one of those readers, that thought that she will be more open minded as the story progress and she goes through her eye-opening journey, so that one day she will be able to accept what actually happened during the Rebellion. I guess because with my previous reading experiences, I assumed that all the POVs in the first book will team up one day and save the word from the zombieapocalipce. (I now sincerely think that not all of them will be on the same sides from the original POVS, thinking about the Stark kids, Dany, tyrion)

It is quite interesting that in a way in more theme than other the opposite happened (at least to me that how it seems after five books). Dany's chapters are one of my favourite to discuss, as they for me at least turned out to be so different than I expected them.

Very, very much so. I think that Martin's "Bittersweet Ending" may well involve characters we've come to sympathise with dying at the hands of other characters we've come to sympathise with.