Was Rhaegar becoming another Mad King?

[EggBlue]

On 10/29/2020 at 11:22 AM, Alyn Oakenfist said:

So everyone we know calls Rhaegar charming, fair and just. But here's the thing, from what we know of Aerys, he started out as a pretty swell King. His jealousy and narcissism did sour him a little, while the pregnancies put a strain on him, before finally breaking with Duskendale. So the question is, could Rhaegar have gone the way of his father? I mean call me crazy, but a man that runs away with Lyanna Stark without giving 2 shits about the fairly obvious clusterfuck that would create doesn't strike me as the most stable person, especially given the obsession with prophecy.

what a cool post and I really want do something other than working on my project... so I'm gonna answer it near a year too late!

 

NO! Rhaegar wasn't going to be mad. the maddest he could get was as mad as Aegon V at the end ...that is if Egg was actually partly responsible for Summerhall. 

first of all Rhaegar's personality is completely different from Aerys as other people have said above.

secondly, wouldn't you take prophecies and dragon dreams seriously if you were from an ancient magical family who have a special bond with dragons and the only reason of their survival from apocalypse was a prophetic dream 12 years before the doom? meanwhile the wisest person he knew (maestor Aemon) believed the Rhaegar himself was the promised one and seem to have told him in a very young age. on top of that the boy must have felt devastated that most of their dynasty had died on the spot he was born and left his parents who had married literally for that prophecy sad and depressed making him needing a reason to lift the sense of guilt off his shoulders.

moreover, we don't really know how the whole Lyanna thing happened. Rhaegar thought that he already had a son who was suppose to be the promised prince . he needed another in his mind but he wasn't in a hurry. if you ask me there is a chance (however slightly you might think) that he didn't intend to make Lyanna his baby-making machine and had actually carried her away (willingly of course) for other unknown reasons and then out of his sadness and desperation fell in her loving arms and had a fling with her which surely he must have taken responsibility of afterwards.

 

and finally, poor Jon Snow! NW was threatened too as long as he knew...probably if he thought about it more and it wasn't a sentimental issue to him , he would have realized that something there doesn't add up...or maybe not. he isn't the smartest lord commander but some people are way too harsh on him:(

[WhatAnArtist!]

4 hours ago, EggBlue said:

he isn't the smartest lord commander but some people are way too harsh on him:(

The fact that certain people on this board think Jon was at best stupid or at worst evil for responding to Ramsay's letter is absurd. The guy threatened to march an army to Castle Black and murder the Lord Commander if he didn't bow down to him and hand over political prisoners and innocent people, to almost certain torture or death. I simply can't comprehend the level of bitterness and maliciousness someone must have towards Jon to believe that he was out of line here. He's still a lord - the position of Lord Commander is absolutely as legitimate to any other lord in the Seven Kingdoms - and he has every right to take action to defend his land against threats of violence from other - unruly - lords.

[Terrorthatflapsinthenight9]

Rhaegar was certainely not like his father, and I reallt doubt that he would have turned into a paranoid and sadistic pyromaniac but he certainely was in his own bubble and didn't realize the consequences of his actions for having done the things he did at Harrenhal and at the begginning of the rebellion. 

Otherwise he would have realized that taking away Lyanna and insulting three great houses, including his wife's, and hidding away for months was never going to end well. 

I don't think he would have been a good or a great king like his supporters such as ser Barristan believed, they are clearly keeping delluding themselves with the idealized vision they have of him rather than acknowledge his faults and flaws that caused and worsened the rebellion. 

And it seems unfair to compare Jon to him, he has his flaws and made many mistakes indeed but he certainely couldn't keep the Night Watch's neutrality with them being indebted to Stannis, Stannis having far more men and Ramsay (if it was really him) threatening to come after him and the NW to get Jeyne back.