The only proof she's not mad

[Dreakonic]

It's not that she's insane, she was brought up thinking she was entitled to everything and everybody owed her everything. She and her brother survived through their name and what little treasure they had got left and through the machinations of Illyrio and Varys she ended up as a khaleesi and through luck she gained dragons which helped her gain a kingdom which will probably help her gain the IT. Did I mention she achieved all this before her 18th birthday? Most of the decisions she made is out of a false sense of entitlement, she basically should be happy she's still alive, Jorah saved her only because she was pretty (don't tell me he loved her cause Jorah's main weakness is pretty girls, not love) and Ned saved her ass long before that. She's just lucky, spoiled and has dragons, doesn't mean she's insane but it does mean she's way too overrated.

[JeepCSC]

She feels entitled and emboldened to force the rest of the world to bend to her will no matter the consequences, as she has the blood of the dragons. She is her brother's sister. She is also boring beyond belief, but that is a separate issue.

[repbypop]

She is basically Viserys with dragons. She differs because she is mostly moral, at least tries to be. But much of what led people to find Viserys 'mad' is there to see with Dany.

To be fair, Viserys loses his temper for anything, it has no control of these emotions and likes to brag about it. On the other hand, Dany become insane only when she feels threatening.

[Natasi]

Let's see. She basically forced a whole continent (or a good part of it) to give up it mayor income, and didn't replace it with anything, she frees a city, then leaves it to be conquered, refuses to help that same city, and in her eyes, she is still doing the right thing... when she most likely doomed those cities she conquer to generations and generations of death and hunger, if she doesn't leave fast or dies. And if she leaves, she will most likely arrive in westeros, burn cities and castles, and then claim that she is the rightful queen. All this, without a minimum interest in knowing the truth about his dad, without control of her dragons, being really a hypocrite, aaaaand most likely going to kill her nephew because he has a better claim.

Our savior ladies and gentleman... :bang:

Slavery is bad, she was naive and foolhardy for thinking she could eliminate it, but that doesn't make her mentally ill. She acted out of a place of justice and compassion. What followed after she left Yunkai shows she had bad foresight, a consequence of her youth and inexperience. She deeply regretted it even in her inaction. Not a sign of madness. The rest of your post is pure speculation. You can't use events that haven't happened yet to defend your assessment of her character.

[The Girl King]

I don't have the exact quote, but someone compared her to Aegon and the true blood of the dragon unlike her mad father and brother.

To me, Dany seems to have proved to herself and to others around her that she is capable of being a good leader. She takes her queenly duties seriously by holding court, listening and responding to the claims of smallfolk, making decisions for the good of her people and not for her own selfish purposes. She abhors slavery and eliminates those who have perpetuated it. She hatched the first dragons in centuries and knew instinctively in the pit how to cow Drogon, mount him and ride him to safety.

I don't see madness here. Perhaps someone can convince me?

Even if it were a male character most people wouldn't think highly of him for liberating a city of slaves and then having no back up plan afterwards. Then holding court just to see their paramour. They'd be badass for hatching three dragons and mounting the biggest and most feral of the three, but not heavy in the foresight department. Dany has good qualities like you listed but what she needed to do was train her fire breathing behemoths before conquering anything. Also it was the a member of the peasantry that came forward and claimed Drogon ate his daughter "Hazzea" . And Dany listened. Then chained up her true children. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[repbypop]

Agreed but it came from a desire to protect her people. She'd be mad to not care that her dragons were going around killing and eating anyone they pleased. She had to do something to prevent that. How is that mad?

As for Daario, so she fell for someone who was ultimately bad for her--but she didn't let it cloud her courtly responsibilities and she married Hizdahr despite her love for Daario--she constantly comes to the conclusion that her love cannot rule her actions. So she makes the choice to marry someone who supposedly will help bring peace and the end of the slaughtering of her people by the Harpy. That makes her naive, not mad.

In short, in everything that she's done... She has made mistakes and then very obviously admits to herself that she has done so. She then learns from those mistakes and grows as a character. She has flaws and we see her address those flaws and try to overcome them. That does not speak madness to me. Our definition of mad comes from Aerys... Clawing up his poor wife, getting rid of all those who oppose him, setting up dishonorable traps (fire as his champion), and of course, wanting to set fire to all of Kings Landing and the innocents living there. Compare those actions to Daenerys' path and the two are as different as fire and ice.

I agree with your analysis, people forget where she's from and her age, she never learned to be a queen, but she manage to do a much better job than Joffrey, Cersei, or Robert from what i can see. She's weak, naive sometimes but she's still learning.

[repbypop]

She feels entitled and emboldened to force the rest of the world to bend to her will no matter the consequences

Same for Stannis. All Westeros Nobles are no different from her, Stannis, Rob, Robert, they all think highly of themselves.

[Queen‍‍‍‍‍‍ Alysanne‍‍™]

Wow some of these comments are unexpected.

Anyways, I don't think Dany is mad, just because someone didn't rule well or is freeing slaves doesn't make her mad.

I fully support her decision to stay in Meereen because it was her duty to feed the slaves she freed.

[JeepCSC]

Stannis, Robb, and Robert never attempted to remake the world. Dany has. Why? Because she is a dragon. Again, i dont think she is crazy mad like dear old papa, just a delusional person detached from reality like Viserys. Of course we are ignoring the biggie. Her would-be, should-be, but neverwas suicide attempt.

[repbypop]

Stannis, Robb, and Robert never attempted to remake the world. Dany has. Why? Because she is a dragon. Again, i dont think she is crazy mad like dear old papa, just a delusional person detached from reality like Viserys. Of course we are ignoring the biggie. Her would-be, should-be, but neverwas suicide attempt.

She never intended to remake the world like you said, she just saw injustice and decided to do what she believe it right. Her heart is in the right place, not her mind, it doesn't mean she's spoiled or mad, and maybe history will give her right.

[The Ghost of Winter]

I don't really think she's mad, I just think she's a bit naive when it comes to politics and ruling. Unless someone can provide some text that she's been consistently crazy.

[Natasi]

Stannis, Robb, and Robert never attempted to remake the world.

Stannis introduced Westeros to Mel and her red god, denounced all other gods, claims to be a mythical figure with a flaming sword to save the world. Robb took up the retired mantle of King in the North in a land where one king of seven kingdoms had been ruling for a very long time. Robert lost the girl and headed a rebellion against the throne overthrowing a longstanding dynasty and changing the political landscape. Are those not examples of remaking the world?

Stannis, Robb, and Robert never attempted to remake the world. Dany has. Why? Because she is a dragon. Again, i dont think she is crazy mad like dear old papa, just a delusional person detached from reality like Viserys. Of course we are ignoring the biggie. Her would-be, should-be, but neverwas suicide attempt.

By remaking the world are you referring to her attempt to abolish slavery? If so, she is challenging the status quo. She is not the first to disagree with the practice but perhaps the first to challenge it in many years. She was unsuccessful but no one can fault her reason for trying. Lincoln challenged the status quo too to help end the civil war. We know the outcome of this was just as messy as Meereen and Yunkai and still hasn't been resolved in all respects. Was Lincoln mad? Delusional? Again, Dany's actions are not perfect but that doesn't make her crazy. If this is not the remaking of the world you were referring to, then my mistake.

As for the suicide attempt, do you mean Drogo's funeral pyre? Here is a girl who has lived through a lot already. She loses the one person who seemed to be her saviour. She is responsible for turning him into a vegetable and then has to put him out of that miserable existence with her own hands. Her son is stillborn, again her fault. Can you blame her for wanting to throw in the towel? Many people think about suicide or make attempts at it... But that is not definitively an indicator of insanity.

[Dany Girl]

Stannis, Robb, and Robert never attempted to remake the world. Dany has. Why? Because she is a dragon. Again, i dont think she is crazy mad like dear old papa, just a delusional person detached from reality like Viserys. Of course we are ignoring the biggie. Her would-be, should-be, but neverwas suicide attempt.

so Robert usurping a 300 year old dynasty didn't "remake" the world? Joffery dismissing Selmy from an ancient order that is for life didn't "remake" the world? Robb attempting to split the North from the rest of Westeros wasn't attempting to "remake" the world? Your argument is quite ridiculous IMO because every ruler remakes the world in ways. Abolishing slavery is not a mad act. Not having the foresight to understand the ramifications of overturning an ancient practice without a contingency plan is not madness. Foolish, of course, not crazy. As for refusing to learn about her father, who's reallu tried? She's spent the vast majority of her life having smoke blown up her ass about how "great" and "beloved" he was, how Robert is a tyrant and a usurper, that the Lords and smallfolk cry out for their rightful leaders. It's going to take more than 2-3 stories to undo all of that indoctrinated thinking.

[Dany Girl]

Stannis introduced Westeros to Mel and her red god, denounced all other gods, claims to be a mythical figure with a flaming sword to save the world. Robb took up the retired mantle of King in the North in a land where one king of seven kingdoms had been ruling for a very long time. Robert lost the girl and headed a rebellion against the throne overthrowing a longstanding dynasty and changing the political landscape. Are those not examples of remaking the world?

By remaking the world are you referring to her attempt to abolish slavery? If so, she is challenging the status quo. She is not the first to disagree with the practice but perhaps the first to challenge it in many years. She was unsuccessful but no one can fault her reason for trying. Lincoln challenged the status quo too to help end the civil war. We know the outcome of this was just as messy as Meereen and Yunkai and still hasn't been resolved in all respects. Was Lincoln mad? Delusional? Again, Dany's actions are not perfect but that doesn't make her crazy. If this is not the remaking of the world you were referring to, then my mistake.

As for the suicide attempt, do you mean Drogo's funeral pyre? Here is a girl who has lived through a lot already. She loses the one person who seemed to be her saviour. She is responsible for turning him into a vegetable and then has to put him out of that miserable existence with her own hands. Her son is stillborn, again her fault. Can you blame her for wanting to throw in the towel? Many people think about suicide or make attempts at it... But that is not definitively an indicator of insanity.

:grouphug: so nice to see another person that doesn't want to just unfairly crucify Dany and actually looks at her side of events. A lot of people seem to look at her from the reader's omnipotent perspective forgetting that she has such a small fraction of the truth and no one has tried to teach her the true truth or how to be a proper Queen. She's had to learn everything on the fly with some very questionable advisors. I think as of the end of aDwD she's clearly coming to realize her mistakes and I believe we'll see the old kick ass Dany back in full swing in WoW. I personally enjoyed the Meereen arc of her story because it has served as a great learning experience for her. I believe because of the mistakes she's made it will allow her to become a great ruler if she wins in Westros.

[SeanF]

that is proof she would be a terrible ruler. If anyone tried to off any of the kings in the books, Robb, Stannis, Robert, Renly they would all have executed him. Even Ned probably would have. It doesn't prove she is not mad it just shows weakness.

Actually, that seems like proof of being level-headed and humane to me. She knows that Ghael is a pathetic creature, who is no threat to her.

[Dragonstar]

She's naive and increasingly paranoid... Wouldn't call her mad yet. But her paranoia is a little too similar to that of her fathers. Aerys was not always mad, but his increasing paranoia coupled with generations of inbreeding and perhaps a Targaryen psychosis gene all combined to make him absolutely mad. And I could see Dany going down that path as well. The fact that she feels something aging to remorse and guilt and still feels empathy, to me says she's not mad yet.

[JeepCSC]

If Robb, Stannis, or Joffrey had tried to end feudalism because they are of the {direwolf, stag, lion}, then I'd agree they would be approaching Dany's level of sweeping grandiosity. Because that is literally what it would take to match ending slavery in Slavery Bay. I do think she is naivety personified (Lincoln has no place here, for a variety of reasons, not least of which because he didn't start the Civil War). But it isn't simply wanting to do a good thing that makes her delusional. It is the fact that she thinks she can do these things because she is Daenerys Targaryen, blood of the dragon. She has largely adopted the language Viserys adopted to further his goals. The difference is his goals were narrowly personal (he gets the Iron Throne) and Dany's broadly humanitarian (free slaves). But neither have the least clue how to accomplish what they want, and think simply repeating dragon lines will accomplish what they want. Dany infamously refuses to second-guess herself, for fear of what she might find. Is she crazy? No, she is short-sighted, naive, and anything else you want to throw at her. But at the heart of it, she is her brother. Her brother wasn't crazy, he was cruel yes, but not crazy. But both shared an awe for their house and their blood that bordered on delusional for two beggars. They saw what they wanted to see, and used whatever dragon quotes they could to cover up for any weakness. Delusional, not mad.

Except for the scene where she burned herself. She was quite mad there. Whether that Dany resurfaces, who is to say. For now, delusional fits best, with a madness streak that struck her at her most vulnerable.

[SeanF]

If Robb, Stannis, or Joffrey had tried to end feudalism because they are of the {direwolf, stag, lion}, then I'd agree they would be approaching Dany's level of sweeping grandiosity. Because that is literally what it would take to match ending slavery in Slavery Bay. I do think she is naivety personified (Lincoln has no place here, for a variety of reasons, not least of which because he didn't start the Civil War). But it isn't simply wanting to do a good thing that makes her delusional. It is the fact that she thinks she can do these things because she is Daenerys Targaryen, blood of the dragon. She has largely adopted the language Viserys adopted to further his goals. The difference is his goals were narrowly personal (he gets the Iron Throne) and Dany's broadly humanitarian (free slaves). But neither have the least clue how to accomplish what they want, and think simply repeating dragon lines will accomplish what they want. Dany infamously refuses to second-guess herself, for fear of what she might find. Is she crazy? No, she is short-sighted, naive, and anything else you want to throw at her. But at the heart of it, she is her brother. Her brother wasn't crazy, he was cruel yes, but not crazy. But both shared an awe for their house and their blood that bordered on delusional for two beggars. They saw what they wanted to see, and used whatever dragon quotes they could to cover up for any weakness. Delusional, not mad.

Except for the scene where she burned herself. She was quite mad there. Whether that Dany resurfaces, who is to say. For now, delusional fits best, with a madness streak that struck her at her most vulnerable.

Dany gambled that she could hatch the dragon eggs and remain unburnt when she walked into the fire. In our world, that would be an absurd thing to do. But, in a world where magic really does work, it isn't. Of course, if it hadn't worked, we would probably conclude that it was evidence of madness.

Dany certainly takes great pride in being a Targaryen, but pretty well all royals and nobles take the same pride in their birth.

Dany's cruelty is different to that of her brother and father. They were cruel to people who offended them. She's willing to forgive insults. She's cruel to people who she considers unjust.

[bloodsteel bitterraven]

She isn't crazy. Crazy people don't wonder if they are crazy. She's still well aware of who she is.

I think Dany is very idealistic, a little immature, and certainly has good intentions. She also wants to live up to her family's legacy while at the same time dealing with her raging hormones.

[SeanF]

The evidence for Dany's "madness" rests on three things. Her genetics. Her conversation with the invisible Qaithe. And, her behaviour out in the Dothraki Sea with Drogon.

I really don't know whether Qaithe was actually communicating with Dany or if this was a delusion on her part.

Her behaviour in her last chapter is bizarre. She thinks she can walk to Mereen, which is hundreds of miles away. She talks and giggles to herself, and has hallucinations. But, I'm inclined to put it down to sunstroke, thirst, hunger, and eating poisonous berries, rather than mental illness.