Daenerys Targaryen: Mad, Stupid or Inexperienced?

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

She's certainly not stupid. Since her first chapters in AGOT, she was actually quite smart and observant. She managed to come up with the Astapori con all by herself: she spotted an opportunity, asked the right questions, and finally executed it with full success. However, lately she contracted a very serious case of being a teenager, not unlike Robb Stark. While in his case the disease proved fatal, there's still hope for Dany.

Mad? No. Or, at least, she's no more mad than your average major character in the series.

Inexperienced? Hell yeah, that's really hard to argue about.

[Guest Thorrand]

Bolded part is critical.

Here's the thing about that. She is gone now. Whatever happens in the battle is done without her there. If somehow the battle goes well and doesn't completely destroy the area, it's no thanks to he leadership or battle prowess at this point.

[Dragon's Bane]

Since Danny is a major POV character we know that she is not dumb and not mad. Is she inexperienced, sure... she is a young girl about to do something that nobody has done before... how can she not be inexperienced???

She never interacts with other PoV characters, so we can't rule out madness. We only ever hear her side of the story, why should we believe her, when she clearly can't be trusted in her judgement? I am referring to the fact that at some point in the story, she somehow decided, that she has fled her whole life from 'the usurper's hired knives' eventough she earlier saw that that was some BS by Viserys and we can say with relative certainty, that there has only been a single incident where someone from Westeros threatened her life.

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

She never interacts with other PoV characters, so we can't rule out madness. We only ever hear her side of the story, why should we believe her, when she clearly can't be trusted in her judgement? I am referring to the fact that at some point in the story, she somehow decided, that she has fled her whole life from 'the usurper's hired knives' eventough she earlier saw that that was some BS by Viserys and we can say with relative certainty, that there has only been a single incident where someone from Westeros threatened her life.

You know, "biased" and "mad" aren't exactly synonyms. The former doesn't prove the latter.

[Ziggy Targdust]

Here's the thing about that. She is gone now. Whatever happens in the battle is done without her there. If somehow the battle goes well and doesn't completely destroy the area, it's no thanks to he leadership or battle prowess at this point.

Yes it is, there are people holding a seige for her, thanks to her leadership.

Selmy who hates the Game of thrones, started playing it for her, by arresting Hizguy

[ovis alba]

This is simply not true. She made several comprises in ADwD. She married Hizdahr, allowed those who wished to sell themselves back into slavery, reopened the fighting pit, etc.

But as you say it happens all in ADwD. I think it is part of her development that she becomes more pragmatic and realistic. She starts outs as the little girl that tries to save the world and thinks she can and slowly starts to see that it's not that easy.

[Nictarion]

She never interacts with other PoV characters, so we can't rule out madness. We only ever hear her side of the story, why should we believe her, when she clearly can't be trusted in her judgement? I am referring to the fact that at some point in the story, she somehow decided, that she has fled her whole life from 'the usurper's hired knives' eventough she earlier saw that that was some BS by Viserys and we can say with relative certainty, that there has only been a single incident where someone from Westeros threatened her life.

Barristan is a POV character, we are in his head, he never thinks to himself "she was starting to remind of her father before she left". The whole point of the Artisan ruse was to make sure she wasn't mad.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Barristan is a POV character, we are in his head, he never thinks to himself "hmm she was starting to remind of her father before she left". The whole point of the Artisan ruse was to make sure she wasn't mad.

But while we are in his head, he never meets her.

[Nictarion]

But while we are in his head, he never meets her.

Like he couldn't have those thoughts without her around,? Why wouldn't he think, "why am I doing all this for some mad girl"?

[ovis alba]

The one thing that is yet missing for me is that she loses her dragons, I guess that will finally make her understand that life is not a pony farm (as we say here :D )

[Ziggy Targdust]

But while we are in his head, he never meets her.

????? so supposedly while he's talking to Dany, he's thinking - "this chick is nuts." Then during his POVs he forgets that he thought she was crazy?

So now Selmy is also insane, or is it just due to old age?

[Nictarion]

The one thing that is yet missing for me is that she loses her dragons, I guess that will finally make her understand that life is not a pony farm (as we say here :D )

She's already lost her only family member, her child, and her husband, she already knows that.

[Hippocras]

For someone who grew up with only her partially insane brother to teach her, she doesnt do all that bad.

I agree. She is learning about ruling and making some mistakes, but her actions are guided by particular values even when they turn out to be bad decisions. She is not crazy, but she IS badly educated, so is doing amazingly well considering.

However, I do not think the LIKES ruling. She grew up with Viserys, who was convinced he was entitled to the throne. So when he died she thought she was entitled to it as well. He sense of entitlement is being challenged and that is a good thing. Maybe when she gets to Westeros it will be less about the throne being her birthright, having realized she hates the day to day of ruling.

[Dragon's Bane]

The question is not wether he explicitly thinks that she's mad. It is about wether her assessments and her perceived reality actually match the reality perceived by other people.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Like he couldn't have those thoughts without her around,? Why wouldn't he think, "why am I doing all this for some mad girl"?

He could have those thoughts - but only if he had already admitted to himself that she is indeed mad.

What we don't see through his eyes are Dany's actions, be they mad or not, as objectively as possible. Remember the chapter Jon and Sam share? Totally different interpretations.

[ovis alba]

She's already lost her only family member, her child, and her husband, she already knows that.

I think she still takes certain things for granted. Most of all her dragons and second of all her right to the Iron Throne.

[ovis alba]

Is this a joke? Has any part of her life ever been easy? Her life has been as tough as most characters in the series.

Yes, of course. But somehow she still kept her naivety especially in regards to Westeros and people doing what is the right thing in her opinion once she tells them.

[Guard of the Rainking]

She is not mad... yet. She is inexperienced no one can dispute that. I wouldn't say, that she's stupid, but she definitely is naive. Some people say that she is similar to Stannis, but I actually think, that she's more similar to Robert. Wins people over with charisma, a gambler, likes to drink, likes to f*ck, has been in a loveless political marriage, shuts her/his eyes from things that she/he doesn't want to see, is fighting for the (morally) "right" reasons and causes a lot suffering doing it, has had a stillborn child, doesn't like her/his sibling(s), wants to be loved, has risen in power by conquest, has spent most of her/his life without parents...

[ovis alba]

Can you clarify what you mean in that second sentence?

Her freeing cities and expecting things automatically to get better and stay better, because she opened their eyes and that's all it needed.

Her still expecting that once she reaches Westeros many people will side with her.

Her expecting that her dragons will make her be able to take the Iron Throne although she really does not have much control over them.

[Lord Reaver]

Let's see: Massacring whole segments of a city's population, crucifying random victims, unelashing hordes of rapists and pillagers on a city. The dragon plants no trees.

Yep, that classifies as mad in my book.