How sympathetic of a character Oberyn Martell ?

[Craving Peaches]

7 hours ago, EggBlue said:

Arya is on the verge of becoming an assassin , Rickon already attacks people with his wolf just because he is mad at something and Bran possesses a simpleton's mind . do you think Ned taught them so?

I don't think the situation is really comparable because none of Ned's children were doing those things while he was still alive, on the contrary Oberyn seems to have encouraged his daughters in their amoral pursuits, Tyene says he showed them how to take poison from a snake and stuff, so clearly he was taking an active hand in them becoming poisoners etc.

[Terrorthatflapsinthenight9]

38 minutes ago, Craving Peaches said:

I don't think the situation is really comparable because none of Ned's children were doing those things while he was still alive, on the contrary Oberyn seems to have encouraged his daughters in their amoral pursuits, Tyene says he showed them how to take poison from a snake and stuff, so clearly he was taking an active hand in them becoming poisoners etc.

Yes Oberyn is not a great father, he did raise and love his bastard daughters, which is far more than most parents in Westeros do with their bastard children, but he didn't really educate and disciplined them, with him having not taught them them proper morals and he influenced or even encouraged their more negative traits. 

[Craving Peaches]

To clarify I'm not trying to say he didn't love his daughters or anything, he clearly did, but he has not only failed to instill much in the way of morals in them, but also actively encourages them to pursue amoral and harmful activities which not only put innocents but also themselves at risk. If Nymeria's words are anything to go by he has also failed to teach them that innocent people are not to be targeted as part of your vengeance. If his daughters get their way it will be very bad for Dorne. They are incredibly bellicose and desire to drag Dorne and its people into a fight they cannot hope to win, which will cost thousands of lives on either side, all in their desire for vengeance for someone who wasn't even murdered.

[Raksha 2014]

On 9/6/2022 at 9:45 PM, Nevets said:

During his time in Kings Landing he seems too focused on fomenting conflict, generally causing trouble, and seeking revenge against the Lannisters for his long-dead sister for my liking.  I understand where he's coming from, but I can't bring myself to like him.  He's too focused on conflict and violence.  I will say he's a fascinating character to read about, though.

 

Oberyn does not, to his credit, seem focussed on hurting all the Lannisters; he doesn't seem to have any desire to harm Cersei or her children, or Tyrion - they had no part in the cruel destruction of Oberyn's beloved sister and her young children.  He is, justifiably focussed on getting vengeance on the killer of Elia and Elia's baby boy, and upon the Lannister who ordered it (the Lannister patriarch, Tywin). 

Sadly, once Oberyn is dead, and Tywin follows him, since Oberyn's daughters are unable to focus their anger over their father's death (and all the rage that he held for 17+ years since the slaughter of Elia and her little ones) in revenge on Tywin, they are turning their anger towards Tywin's descendants, most of whom had nothing to do with the deaths of Elia and her kids or even Oberyn's death since Oberyn pretty much chose his own demise.  There's a chance that Kevan Lannister might share culpability for the murders of Elia's babies; since he rubber-stamped everything Tywin did, but we don't know if he knew about it before or after the fact; and in any case, the older Sand Snakes (except for Sarella, who is apparently away at the Citadel) are saving Kevan for later, zeroing in on little Tommen and possibly Myrcella (we don't know what they plan for her short or long-term, or for Cersei).  I don't think that Oberyn had any interest in slaughtering Tommen or Myrcella - children - for their grandfather's crime.  I am less sure of Doran, though...