Is Melisandre good or Evil. (spoilers)

[SandSnakes82]

In ADWD Melisandre confess that even she at times, is reduced to using parlor trick, however, on the wall her powers are magnified exponentially and she can do things she never imagined. What is it about being on the wall that amplifies Melisandres power? Is it the wall itself, I know that it has been insinuated (or perhaps it was confirmed, I’m not sure) that Brandon the builder erected the wall through magic… and with the wall, being as vast as it is, it would have to be the case. So is it the wall? Is the wall acting as an amp or is it the location- being in such close proximity to all things evil. I guess i am having a hard time figuring out whether the red priestess is a force for good or evil, her magic seems to be shrouded in darkness. Also, with such a huge enhancement to her abilities, I wonder if she ever plans to leave the wall. I think she had something to do with the assault on Jon snow. If she plans to stay, it would be in her best interest to have a Crow she can pet. With so many people believing Melisandre to be the key to Jons revival (I for one would like to think he is gravely wounded and not necessarily dead) it would be humorous if she actually tried to kill him.

[elementaru]

i am having a hard time figuring out whether the red priestess is a force for good or evil

as GRRM has told in several interviews, and as every character in the book shows - there's no such things as absolute good or absolute evil. she has her own agenda, her god, which she worships. maybe that Great Other of whom they dear not speak is the "good" god in North (for children of the forest f.e.) and Red God is "good" for wherever Melisandre came.

as for her powers, I believe that wall does have it's effects, however it was mentioned that other sorceries also grow stronger due the fact that dragons were reborn.

[silentwanderer]

She's a force of R'hllor and that's good enough for me.

Whether she's good or evil, she wants to put an end to the long night so they might as well let her.

[StormRhage]

Human sacrifices aside I don't think we know enough to say.

[Montey14]

The fact that Ghost takes a liking to her leads me to believe that she is not completely evil person....she may have good intentions....but we all know what the road to ruin is paved with....as for her magic....she even says that her powers are stronger because of the magics imbued within the wall....I guess to keep the Others out ....

[Atropis the Elf]

With so many people believing Melisandre to be the key to Jons revival (I for one would like to think he is gravely wounded and not necessarily dead) it would be humorous if she actually tried to kill him.

I believe he is dead and Melisandre will resurrect him, though several theories exist as to what Jon will be after his revival. Previous posters pointed out that she's neither good nor evil, while we ought to reminded of her story of the rotted onion to Davos (there's no middle ground). Her ultimate goal is to fight the "polar opposite" of the Lord of Light and I think her magic will help towards the Others' invasion.

My question is if ever Melisandre starts to realise that Stannis is not AA (supposedly he's not), will she change her plans? WIll she abandon Stannis' cause? While what we have right now is mere assumptions, if she ever does that, she can be viewed as serving the good.

[Luthien Targaryen]

She thinks she's good, that's probably what's important. She thinks she's doing her bit to save the world from the forces of darkness. I see her as being a bit like a deluded charity worker or a well intentioned but pig headed Victorian missionary, you know the sort, the ones who went off to Africa or India or other far flung places to bring true religion, education and civilisation to the poor godless barbarians but in hindsight did more harm than good.

[Ice and fire freak]

Hard to say there's an interview somewhere with GRRM where he says she is the most misunderstood character in the books.

[silentwanderer]

Hard to say there's an interview somewhere with GRRM where he says she is the most misunderstood character in the books.

Like every character in this saga, Mel has her own agenda, and she's most determined when it comes it,

[Charlie Hustle]

peeked in and closed the page. not finished with this book just yet...

[Beathag]

The fact that Ghost takes a liking to her leads me to believe that she is not completely evil person....she may have good intentions....but we all know what the road to ruin is paved with....as for her magic....she even says that her powers are stronger because of the magics imbued within the wall....I guess to keep the Others out ....

The fact that Ghost seems to like her troubled me. I thought it would be comforting at first, then I thought is might be a spell. I really have no real understanding of her. She worships the light, but treats with shadows that kill. Is the Red God something else entirely? What do you think about the other priests? And how they are obtained? I don't want to reveal too.

[pistol44]

Well i know he's fund of japes , and eventhough she got some magical powers shes not that Holy : she's kind of a pyromancer , she got powders under her dress to colour or explode the fire .

I assume the series named after White Walkers and Red God ( a song of ice and fire ) , so eventhough i dont really like her , i dont think her intentions are bad.

I also strongly dissagree that Stannis is Azor Azhai

[JLE]

I suspect Melisandre is both misunderstood and misunderstanding. At first, when we see her from outside, she seems a fanatic, with the worship of R'hllor appearing like some of the more extremist of our own monotheistic faiths - the burning people alive looks like a parallel to the Spanish Inquisition to me.

But then, several books later, she finally gets a POV of her own - in a chapter, and a location, where there was already the established POV of Jon Snow. What reason was there to give that chapter from *her* viewpoint rather than Jon's, other than to show that there is far more to her? And we do indeed see that - not least that, she may present things as a certainty to the rest of the world, but she is far from that certainty and knows it, and in fact is beginning to doubt herself more and more, even as she sees her actual powers increasing, she is less sure of her direction. In fact she may well be, in the near future, running into major doubts that even she will be no longer able to hide.

And if she becomes convinced that she has been on the wrong track all along... well, being on the wrong track in a religion, particularly an absolutist one such as R'hllor seems to be, ends up calling not just for repentance but, well, atonement of some kind.

Which is why I have a standing prediction that, at some point - having been the one behind burning others alive, and if she comes to the belief that it was a terrible mistake - in the end Melisandre will walk into a fire herself. Of her own free will. And, unlike Dany, not come out of it alive. For whatever the reason.

(and the saving or resurrection of Jon Snow seems to me a likely reason if she comes to the conclusion that he is the most important person in the region.)

[Tony Stark of Winterfell]

Well there's this http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/96824-sbm-mel-the-red-star-bleeding-melony-seastar-part-2-has-been-added-on-pg9/?p=4956519

melisandre seems confused in her pov,unsure of what to do next. perhaps br will guide her

[King Pellinore]

Either Melisandre is misreading the signs and visions or I am. I think she is mistaken but, does not have ill intent. That doesn't mean she isn't being misused by some dark power she believes to be good.

[Livus]

I agree, I think she is mistaken and allows her wishful thinking to affect her perception. What I have a problem with is when she acts like she is certain when really she isn't. People like that annoy me, it's like they let their ego get in the way of being reasonable towards others.

[Ashara's daughter]

I think she has good intentions (or at least ones that are good in her head). She's got a thick skull sort of say as in she's far from a fast learner and misunderstands things numerous times. I don't agree with her human sacrifice and don't understand why her god demands human sacrifices. Anyway, we know the great other wants to destroy life while her god wants to protect it so as far as that goes she should be considered good

[Hippocras]

She is grey. Like pretty much everyone in these books.

Good/evil is not so much GRRM's thing.

[The Chocolate Chips]

I think she sees herself as good. And as others have said; the idea with Martin seems to be to get away from that kind of white & black thinking. I don't think there are many people who really see themselves as being "evil" ... most see themselves in the right.

Look at US history. We see ourselves as in the right for nuking Japan when it was totally unnecessary. Well a lot of us see ourselves as in the right for that (not me ... or Dwight Eisenhower - "...the Japanese were ready to surrender and it wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing.") ... well I guess that's slightly off subject. But the point is... goodness/evilness is often nothing more than perspective.

That said; some of the things she does are not so good from my perspective (what comes to mind for me is her part in killing Renly ... I'd say that's what bugs me most about her and Stannis)

[The Lord of Corpses]

She is grey. Like pretty much everyone in these books.

Good/evil is not so much GRRM's thing.

Agreed.