(note: This obviously contains spoilers for the book and show and everything a song of Ice and fire in general. It’s also unbeta’d and english is not my first language, so prepare for some mistakes…sorry. Also, I am neither a stan nor a hater of Daenerys, I’m simply trying to understand her character arc. And why do I believe that it is even necessary to mention this.)
The sanity of Deanerys Targaryen is certainly one of the most debated subjects after watching the final episodes of the show. She suddenly burned a lot of people after making a considerable effort to spare the city before this point. Some may argue that this is not their Dany. Others may state that the signs of Daenerys being a mad queen are all over the series, and they certainly have many good points.
I don’t think that walking into your husband’s burning pyre is considered to be a sign of good judgment or mental stability by anyone’s standards. You may say that she somehow “knew” that the Dragons would hatch and that she might be some type of chosen one hero, but then I’d have to state that seeing signs and believing yourself to be divinely chosen are also not great indicators of sanity either. (Though to be fair, if I continue with this line of argumentation, I will probably end up declaring any person with a strong spirituality or religious faith insane, and I’d rather not go there.) As her husband and child died shortly before her walk into the fire, the possibility of a complete mental breakdown should be considered. Depressed and with no idea how to go on, a miracle may have been her only hope. If so, this does not mean that she is generally insane, but rather that she’ll break under specific circumstances.
Her increasing obsession with prophecy and betrayal is another concern, of course.
Her mental health is not the only issue to consider, though. The Daenerys Targaryen that we meet at the beginning of the series is still a frightened girl and not the far-traveled city sacking queen she will become. She continues to learn, grow and evolve all throughout the series. The show actually repeatedly has Daenerys thank her enemies (Mirri Maz Dur and Ducksauce) for the lessons they taught her. There is such an odd emphasis on these scenes…
So, I must wonder, what did she learn in these moments? Who are her teachers? What is her education in general..? GRRM has once stated that Dany would benefit greatly from reading Fire and Blood, his fictional history book, and to me that indicates that she has no access to any information inside this book…and that this lack of information is very important for her future.
Level of education
Well, Daenerys astutely summarizes it herself:
“I know less than I should of the history of my father’s kingdom. I never had a maester growing up.” Only a brother. -AdwD -Daenerys VIII
Though, there is one thing we definitely know for sure:
Whitebeard had been teaching her how best to count the numbers of a foe. “Five thousand,” she said after a moment. -ASOS Daenerys IV
…she can count reasonably well (despite what some TV producers may say).
When I think of Daenerys formal education, the first question I have to ask is: By what standards shall I measure it? There is no official lesson plan in Westeros, in fact most of its population is illiterate. So, I need someone to compare her to, ideally someone in a similar position. Someone who intends to rule. The first choice is obviously Aegon. We do know something of his education, at least.
The lesson began with languages. Young Griff spoke the Common Tongue as if he had been born to it, and was fluent in High Valyrian, the low dialects of Pentos, Tyrosh, Myr, and Lys, and the trade talk of sailors. The Volantene dialect was as new to him as it was to Tyrion, so every day they learned a few more words whilst Haldon corrected their mistakes. Meereenese was harder; its roots were Valyrian as well, but the tree had been grafted onto the harsh, ugly tongue of Old Ghis. “You need a bee up your nose to speak Ghiscari properly,” Tyrion complained. Young Griff laughed, but the Halfmaester only said, “Again.” The boy obeyed, though he rolled his eyes along with his zzzs this time. He has a better ear than me, Tyrion was forced to admit, though I’ll wager my tongue is still more nimble.
Geometry followed languages. There the boy was less adroit, but Haldon was a patient teacher, and Tyrion was able to make himself of use as well. He had learned the mysteries of squares and circles and triangles from his father’s maesters at Casterly Rock, and they came back more quickly than he would have thought. -ADwD -Tyrion IV
“The boy is bright. You have done well by him. Half the lords in Westeros are not so learned, sad to say. Languages, history, songs, sums … a heady stew for some sellsword’s son.” -ADwD Tyrion IV
That boys’ teachers and sponsors sure were overachievers. It would be unfair to compare his level of education to Daenerys, who unlike him actually lived in poverty, had no reliable protectors, and really was on the run (even if the Usurper’s knifes only existed in her brother’s head). Comparing her to somewhat more average young Westerosi nobles might be more appropriate.
While Jon Snow has never shown the great passion for scholarly learning that is exhibited by characters such as Tyrion and Sam Tarly, he has nonetheless experienced the same maesterly education that was passed unto his trueborn half-brother, the future Lord of Winterfell. We may therefore assume has he possesses all the information and skills that the Westerosi society expects to find in their leaders.
This includes reading and writing in the common tongue of Westeros as well as some knowledge of High Valyrian. An overall overview of Westerosi history and its most important figures and events (though without the details and analyses that a true scholar might indulge in). Numbers, accounting, some very basic economic insight and basic facts about religion. He may not be a follower of the faith, but he likely spent enough time with his siblings to have a basic grasp on the seven gods and their tenets. Laws, customs and military strategies would all have been a part of his curriculum. Beyond that we have the martial training that is a crucial part of a Westerosi nobles’ education.
For Daenerys the level of her formal education is hard to pinpoint, and this part requires a great deal of guesswork and reading behind the lines. We know she has lived an unsteady life moving from one city to another. Logically, her education should have been equally disjointed. Viserys, her unstable brother, would have been her primary teacher for the simple reason that he was always there. His own formal education was interrupted at the age of eight as he fled into exile. It is very likely that Darry’s chief concerns in exile were the protection of his charges and the acquisition of future allies. Although combat training is considered to be a crucial part of male noble education in Westerosi culture, we’ve been told that Viserys has no significant proficiency in this area.
His fingers toyed with the hilt of his borrowed blade, though Dany knew he had never used a sword in earnest. -Deanerys I AGOT
This indicates that his education certainly deviated from the norm. Another relevant question would be how much of his own knowledge Viserys would have passed on to Daenerys, who was after all only a young girl in a very misogynistic society. Beyond looking pretty and having babies, very little would have ever been expected of her.
When Daenerys is wed to Khal Drogo, she is given a particular gift:
“These are no common servants, sweet sister” her brother told her as they were brought forth one by one. Illyrio and I selected them personally for you. Irri will teach you riding, Jhiqui the Dothraki tongue, and Doreah will instruct you in the womanly arts of love.(GoT p.98)
There is one notable conclusion this gift leads to: according to Illyrio and Viserys, she would only need three skills for her future life. Nothing else was expected from her. If this is any indication for her overall education, it would mean that there was never a formal schedule to her learning. Whenever one of the nobles who sheltered Viserys and Dany throughout the years thought that she needed a particular skill, they would send someone to teach her. Their priority would have been her acclimatization with the language and customs of whichever city she resided in at that time. Her diverse language skills are likely the strong -point of her education.
When she was alone on the road with her brother, his half-knowledge and deluded fairy tales would be her sole intellectual nourishment.
Viserys had told her all the tales when she was little. He loved to talk of dragons. She knew how Harrenhal had fallen. She knew about the Field of Fire and the Dance of the Dragons. One of her forebears, the third Aegon, had seen his own mother devoured by his uncle’s dragon. And there were songs beyond count of villages and kingdoms that lived in dread of dragons till some brave dragonslayer rescued them.-ADwD-Daenerys II
Considering the age at which Viserys education was disrupted, his (and therefor Dany’s) education level may be closer to Bran than Jon.
But even if Daenerys was given no formal training by others, there is still the possibility of educating herself with books:
“Ser Jorah Mormont apologized for his gift. “It is a small thing, my princess, but all a poor exile could afford,” he said as he laid a small stack of old books before her. They were histories and songs of the Seven Kingdoms, she saw, written in the Common Tongue. She thanked him with all her heart.”-AGoT Daenerys II
“A queen must listen to all,” she reminded him. “The highborn and the low, the strong and the weak, the noble and the venal. One voice may speak you false, but in many there is always truth to be found.” She had read that in a book. ASoSDaenerys I
“Bring me the book I was reading last night.” She wanted to lose herself in the words, in other times and other places. The fat leather-bound volume was full of songs and stories from the Seven Kingdoms. Children’s stories, if truth be told; too simple and fanciful to be true history. All the heroes were tall and handsome, and you could tell the traitors by their shifty eyes. Yet she loved them all the same. Last night she had been reading of the three princesses in the red tower, locked away by the king for the crime of being beautiful. -ASoS Daenerys IV
Dragons are fire made flesh. She had read that in one of the books Ser Jorah had given her as a wedding gift. – ADwD-Daenerys I
“One of them. All I know of dragons is what my brother told me when I was a girl, and some I read in books, but it is said that even Aegon the Conqueror never dared mount Vhagar or Meraxes, nor did his sisters ride Balerion the Black Dread -ADwD Daenerys VIII
The quotes above give us a few hints in that regard.
1. Daenerys is very willing to learn and therefor likes books
2. Her happiness at being given a bunch of old fairy-tale books indicates that she never actually owned any books and regards them as precious. (Viserys surely would have sold any books before his mother’s crown)
3. She shows a preference for fairy-tale books.
4. It is possible that all her book knowledge comes from Ser Jorah’s books. The “a queen must listen to all” quote definitely sounds like something that belongs into a kid’s story about Queen Alysanne the Good.
5. She considers her brother to be of equal value as a source of information, probably because she lacks alternatives.
6. She treats all her book knowledge as highly factual, even when it comes from kid’s books.
Another skill set whose lack should be considered includes all the abilities Sansa is known for. Sewing, singing, dancing, poetry and courtesies. I’d argue that she is a very polite and respectful person, however most of these skills are never mentioned in any Dany chapter. A lack of competence in these areas may seem completely unimportant for a ruler, but for her integration into Westerosi noble society these soft skills can be vital. Daenerys often maintains a strong facade as she fills the typically masculine role of a sole ruler. While this is understandable considering her background, it will also isolate her even further from her noble peers.
The real question is, of course, what’ll be the consequences of her lack of historical knowledge. Well, there are some possibilities here. She might not know what and how important guest right is. She may not understand how influential the faith of the seven is. She may truly believe herself to be immune to disease, even though the history of house Targaryen has disproven that. One could say that all those who don’t understand history will be condemned to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors.
Life experience
A character might live through an event that changes their perspective or teaches them a lesson. Daenerys has seen a lot more of these events than other people of her age. I will go through some examples and try to examine how these occurrences may have shaped her perspective.
1. Protecting the weak
For Daenerys, her failed attempt to save the slave girl Eroeh was likely a pivotal experience. She was temporarily successful by appealing to her husband for the girl’s protection. Khal Drogo agreed that she was not to be harmed. Whether he did so because Dany convinced him of the value of mercy or because he simply wanted to please his hot young wife is unknown to us. However, she did not convince the whole Khalasar and thus when Khal Drogo died the girl was raped to death, anyway.
How could this tragedy have affected her world view? She never directly tells us, so we must consider the options.
– She might have come to realize that the Dothraki culture is inherently brutal and cannot be changed by a few simple commands. A great deal of time and education may be necessary for them to understand her morality. If this were the lesson that she learned here, she would distance herself from her Dothraki companions or consistently try to educate them at least. She also would not recruit a Dothraki army for her future conquests as she knows they are overly violent and hard to control, or at the very least she wouldn’t let near any vulnerable civilians. (Remember, the Dothraki will leave their leaders to die if they cannot ride on their own, so if Daenerys should ever be severely injured or otherwise bedridden while the Dothraki are in Westeros, they will leave her behind and go on a rampage of vengeance. Their culture will not be changed that quickly.) -It is very unlikely that this was her takeaway message in this instance.
What other lessons could she have learned here:
– There is no mercy for the weak in this world. So Deanerys must always be strong, shed no tears and let no one see her fear, lest she end like Eroeh.
– The world is cruel and full of savages who cannot make good decisions. So, Daenerys will have to be the one that makes all the decisions for them in the future, in order to protect the innocent.
– Power that does not belong directly to her can easily be taken from her. Without her husband’s authority, she was nothing to his people. If this was the lesson she learned here, her future self will be unwilling to depend on the claims and authority of her future husbands and allies. She will have to rule in her own right.
All in all, it is unlikely that she has learned anything positive here.
It would like to note that this event directly parallels Jon saving Sam from being beaten and tormented to his eventual potential death by Alliser Thorne. Jon Snow does the opposite of Daenerys though, and appeals to the mercy and sense of his companions; convincing, bribing or intimidating them one by one and actively working around the people in a position of authority.
One reason Jon Snow succeeds while Deanerys doesn’t is a shared sense of morality and culture between him and his companions. While Westeros is large and the north and south are often at odds in their history, all the Night’s watch men were raised on the same stories. Songs of knightly valor and courage. The strong protect the weak, and so on. Though many of these men are criminals, they none the less share the same basic concept of wrong and right with Jon Snow, which is why his arguments are heard and understood. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s very well spoken and persuasive.
What could Jon Snow have learned on this occasion?
-The vast majority of people, no matter how questionable or lowly their upbringing may be, can be reasoned with.
-People are capable of making good choices for themselves, even when the authority figures can’t.
-How to subvert authorities
2. The Birth of her Dragons
While most onlookers believed that Daenerys had gone mad and would burn in her dead husband’s pyre, she somehow knew that this was not the case. How could this event affect her future decisions?
– She was rewarded for following her dreams and instincts, ignoring all those who doubted her, and is therefore more likely to continue doing so in the future.
– Her belief in supernatural forces and her own special nature was likely reinforced. She may think of herself as a chosen one. Though, in truth, we have no idea what happened in that pyre, and neither does Daenerys.
– She has seen that magic can work. Despite her lack of understanding or the unpredictable nature of magic, she may be very willing to consider magical solutions, even if they include blood sacrifice and alienate her allies in the future.
3. Failed peace in Meereen
All throughout her stay in Meereen we see Daenerys make numerous sacrifices to maintain the peace. She locks up her Dragons because they endanger her people; she delays her return to Westeros indefinitely because she will not leave her freedmen vulnerable; she reopens the fighting pits to keep them entertained; she marries a guy who bores her to restore peace. Even the slavetrade is allowed to return, though that was everything she fought against.
And it was all for nothing.
We do not yet know what situation will await Daenerys when/if she returns to Meereen but we do know that she will see that her hard-won peace has failed despite her best efforts.
So, what could be the lesson she takes away from all this:
“The Wise Masters should follow their example. I spared Yunkai before, but I will not make that mistake again. If they should dare attack me, this time I shall raze their Yellow City to the ground.” -ADwD Daenerys III
“Yes, make it so.” Westeros. Home. But if she left, what would happen to her city? Meereen was never your city, her brother’s voice seemed to whisper. Your cities are across the sea. Your Seven Kingdoms, where your enemies await you. You were born to serve them blood and fire -ADwD Daenerys III
Well, here are some suggestions:
– Dany’s desires to protect her people and avoid destruction were exploited to pressure her into a marriage and many unhappy compromises. Future her might be unwilling to show any care or kindness for her people, so that they cannot be used against her.
– She could be a lot less willing to seek peaceful solutions if she believes them likely to fail and backfire.
– Daenerys spared the city of Yunkai before. She’ll regret having done so. In the future, she’ll leave no enemies alive because she’ll think that they’ll attack her the moment her back is turned.
– As her counselors and husband failed to maintain the peace in her absence, she may have less faith in her future allies and advisors. The fact that she will probably never truly know what exactly happened in Meereen (the survivors will accuse each other) could exacerbate this.
– She may realize that the Meereenese were never her people anyway, so it’s best not to get involved in the struggles of strangers. In this case, future her will be indifferent to the fate of uninvolved third parties.
– Daenerys may even consider Daario’s suggestion to kill off all the slavers at a summit to be an efficient solution, in retrospective.
Role models (or the lack thereof)
Dany would not lack for counsel -ADwD Daenerys III
…but she does lack for good counsel.
All human beings are shaped by their social environment to some degree. For better or for worse. So, the question is who are her role models, her counselors, her friends and her teachers.
Jorah Mormont: A Westerosi slaver in exile. He remains unrepentant and justifies his crime by having been a fool in love. His loyalty is built on his physical attraction to her. As a seasoned warrior and mostly rational thinker, he is one of her more reliable sources of advice and information. He is also a creep that has tried to manipulate her into a sexual relationship more than once. A desire to see her become a good and well-educated queen is clearly not his main motivation Considering his background, freeing slaves also isn’t that relevant to him. And then there is this great piece of advice:
“The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends,” Ser Jorah told her. “It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace.” He gave a shrug. “They never are.” -AGoT Daenerys III
He has successfully convinced her that Viserys hopes are delusional. So far, so good. But this stands in stark contrast to the fact that we know that there is a peasant rebellion/ uprising of the faith going on in Westeros. If Daenerys will not try to win the favor of the small-folk, due to the advice of a man so carelessly arrogant and elitist that he’d enslave poachers without regrets, then she is going to have a big problem.
Barristan Selmy: A highly capable knight with a great reputation. Unlike most of the queen’s court, he is not outright perving on her, but he’s still comparing her to his onetime love-interest Ashara Dayne (which is a little creepy). Daenerys thinks of him as a grandfather-like figure and often asks him to tell her stories about her family. She also tells him to shut up every-time he tells her too much truth about said family. Despite the great value he places on honor and loyalty (which usually means serve until death in Westeros) he has switched sides repeatedly while simultaneously being unable to gainsay or criticize his kings (because that is not his duty). Even if he survives the battle for Meereen he’ll probably never complete his stories about house Targaryen because Dany does not want to hear them. But if Aegon seems like a better king, he might switch sides again.
Daario Naharis: Amoral, but pretty and deadly. Another man whose (questionable) loyalty to Daenerys is built on his attraction to her. He has proven himself to be very capable of turning against his closest allies, and if his allegiance to her is truly based on her looks, and not some other hidden motive, then he’d logically leave her the moment he meets someone prettier. He consistently advises Dany to embrace her most violent inclinations and win her battles through violence and cunning. Definitely not a good influence.
Grey Worm: Loyal, devoted, and a competent soldier. He was enslaved as a child, forced to endure a training regime that killed the many of its participants. Mindless obedience has been drilled into him all his life. He will likely be a loyal and unquestioning follower to the woman who freed him. Outside of combat situations he has little experience, though.
Missandei: Her scribe and translator. Clever and (probably) loyal. As a former slave she is highly deferential and unwilling to criticize Dany, who views her as a child and will easily set her concerns aside.
Irri, Jhiqui and Doreah: These young girls who were given to Daenerys Targaryan as a wedding gift and have been serving as her handmaids and teachers ever since. Though Doreah died, the other two still remain in Dany’s service and have joined the search parties send out for her and Drogon. It should be noted that while they are young girls her own age, and Dany has freed them from slavery, they never function as her equals or confidantes. They are not well educated and filled with superstition.
Reznak mo Reznak: He represents a member of Meereens old elite whose presence helps to facilitate the transition between regimes. At least in theory, that is what he appears to be. His talent for staying in power and surviving the various regime changes that occur must be noted. Depending on what theory you prefer, he may be exactly as he seems to be, the Harpy or her co-conspirator, or simply a Littlefinger-like opportunist that plays all sides.
Skahaz mo Kandaq aka. The Shavepate: A Ghiscari noble who shaved off his hair as a sign of loyalty to Daenerys. He advises Daenerys to use violence, intimidation, and torture. After Hizdahr removed him from his post, he conspired with Barristan to remove him from power, thereby breaking the peace Daenerys sacrificed so much for. As for his true intentions,…who knows.
Galazza Galare aka the Green Grace: A Meereneese priestess whom Dany considers to be a valued adviser and a “voice for peace” in Meereen. According to numerous, highly believable, fan theories, she may the Harpy herself. It is suspicious that the attacks on the freedmen stop when Daenerys agrees to consider marriage to her chosen candidate, Hizdahr zo Loraq.
Quaithe: The mysterious, masked shadowbinder who was a part of Dany’s welcoming committee in Quarth. While Dany quickly saw through the overly helpful facades of her other hosts ( Xaro Xhoan Daxos and Pyat Pree), she was never able to determine Quaithe’s motivations or allegiances. She has repeatedly appeared to Daenerys (sometimes via. dreams or visions) and given her cryptic warnings about anyone who could be her potential ally, as well as nonsensical directions. I do believe that if Quaithe truly meant to help her, she’d speak plainly and explain herself. But if her intentions are less benign, she is doing a great job at confusing Daenerys and increasing her distrust towards advisors and allies.
Mirri maz Dur: A Lhazarene priestess and healer enslaved by the Dothraki horde. Dany prevents the Khalasar from murdering her and immediately has a great deal of respect for her advice and wisdom. That trust is quickly betrayed when her husband is turned into vegetable and her unborn child dies. Despite the fact that Mirri maz Dur lied to her, Dany nonetheless believes in her nonsensical curse/prophecy. It appears to me that Daenerys is especially vulnerable to these wise, mysterious mother-like figures. Her own lack of a mother, or any female role model, could be the cause of that.
Some may hope that Tyrion Lannister will arrive at her court and set things right, but I doubt this. Given his vengeance obsessed mentality all throughout ADwD it is improbable that he’ll be very focused on helping Dany to further her education or improve her skills at ruler-ship. He has a vendetta in Westeros, and that’ll overrule his concern for the stability of Slavers Bay. Whatever advice he gives her will be meant to move her to Westeros quickly.
While there are a lot of shady people at her court, there are some influences that are completely absent. There is no Donal Noye who will tell she is an idiot, when she is an idiot. There is no competent ruler by whom she could be inspired. There is no aspirational female role model for her anywhere in her life. Furthermore, there are no equals. She has experienced life as an agency-less almost slave, and as a revered queen above all, but never been part of a group.
Her personal mantra
If I look back, I am doomed, Dany told herself … over and over
On the one hand, this sounds like an attempt to build confidence, to focus on the future and not on the pain and loss of the past. On the other hand, she denies herself the opportunity to reflect on her mistakes and misgivings or to question the path she is following. Does she really want to be the queen of Westeros or is she simply following the path of her mad brother’s dreams? How did the peace at Meereen fail, truly? Could she have foreseen the betrayal of Mirri maz Dur?
Without careful analysis of her past mistakes, she may repeat them.
It is known vs. You know nothing, Jon Snow
It is known, that is a recurring sentence in Dany’s chapters, and it is often associated with superstitious nonsense. One may assume that it indicates a certain mentality within certain characters.
“You are foolish strawhead slave,” Irri said. “Moon is no egg. Moon is god, woman wife of sun. It is known.”
“It is known,” Jhiqui agreed-Daenerys III AGoT
I mention the Dunning-Kruger effect at this point because while it is usually associated with intelligence (or rather with the fact that unintelligent people constantly overestimate their intelligence) it is also associated with skill and competence. This means that an individual who knows only a little about a specific subject/skill (math, logic, knitting) will overestimate their skill-level. As their experience grows, they’ll usually realize how little they know and give a more appropriate estimation of their own skill. So essentially you need to know at least a bit about something in order to know that you know nothing.
With this in mind, Jon Snows personal mantra of cluelessness could actually show a certain level of experience and a willingness to question one’s beliefs and gather further knowledge.
And of course, I have to contrast this with Danys “It is known” theme. Because that would indicate the exact opposite, namely confidence in one’s own beliefs, even if true knowledge is absent.
Now, to be fair, it is usually Dany’s Dothraki companions who make that remark, and not her. She constantly questions herself and is very self-aware. This is her reason for staying in Meereen -to learn how to be a ruler, because (unlike many other nobles) she knows that nobody is born with that innate competence (though she still believes she was born with that innate right).
And yet Dany spends years living with her Dothraki companions, feels at home amongst them. She cannot help but absorb parts of their culture and worldview. Anyone would, Jon Snow certainly embraces the wildling perspective more and more.
GRRM has repeatedly been criticized for the creation of the one-dimensional Dothraki culture (and their amazingly hot soup), they appear as violent and ignorant, and not much else. But I think we have to consider the option that this was done somewhat intentionally. Being bad teachers and providing a negative cultural influence may be part of their purpose within the narrative. Supplying Dany with a convenient army is the other part of their job, of course.
We are all shaped by our environment to some degree -that cannot be helped. But even if Dany managed to resist the cultural influences that surround her — her own self- image would still be built in comparison and contrast to the people around her. This means as long as she less ignorant and narrow-minded than her Dothraki handmaids, she can consider herself to be reasonably well educated. As long as she is not as cruel or callous as the slavers and Dothraki, she can maintain the self-image of herself as a kind person. If she proves herself capable of defeating the wise masters and their allies, she can consider herself an accomplished leader. And yet, in Tyrion’s chapters, the leaders of Yunkai are treated as a joke due to their sheer incompetence. Not only is she surrounded by negative influences-they also set an incredibly low bar when it comes to the standards Daenerys can use to evaluate her own character.
Daenerys has proven herself to be to be an extremely determined leader all throughout the series. Neither her allies nor her enemies truly understood her desire to free the slaves. She has repeatedly ignored them and followed her own instincts. And we cheered for her when she did so. Considering the overall quality of her counselors, we can’t really judge her for ignoring them. That does not mean that their advice was always bad, Jorah Mormont certainly had good reasons to try to stop her from marching into a funeral pyre. It also does not mean that all her future nay-Sayers will be wrong.
When the Dragonqueen finally arrives in Westeros, she’ll be an experienced warlady, and her own mental self-image will reflect that. She will furthermore believe that she is coming home, when in reality Westeros, with its history and traditions, is just as foreign to her as slavers bay. But I believe she may not adapt to the change in her cultural and political environment as quickly and willingly as she did before.
Conclusion
In theory, many of her problems could still be remedied before her arrival in Westeros. She could still find a library of dry and factual history books. A trustworthy and competent counselor may still come to her court. And yet, considering everything that has happened to her so far, that seems unlikely.
If an author who is focused on character development continues to surround one (or several) of his characters with bad teachers and negative role models, and furthermore rewards them for irrational or violent choices (walking into pyres and city sacking), I have to assume that this is intentional. And I have to assume that he’s trying to make a point and will therefor continue to do so.
If you look at crime statistics or the background of prison inmates in real life, a large part of them were shaped by certain factors in their upbringing. They were often raised in poverty, are poorly educated and surrounded by negative role models. Many were the victims or witnesses to abuse, which has led them to normalize violence. A violent upbringing often results in violent adults. Of course, many of these factors also contribute to mental trauma, and can ultimately cause mental illness. If one can commit crimes in the real world without being truly mad or evil, I don’t see why Dany would have to be either of these in order to bring war and devastation to Westeros.
Daenerys Targaryen began her story as an abuse survivor who determinedly tried to help others like her:
Dany handed the slaver the end of Drogon’s chain. In return he presented her with the whip. The handle was black dragonbone, elaborately carved and inlaid with gold. Nine long thin leather lashes trailed from it, each one tipped by a gilded claw. The gold pommel was a woman’s head, with pointed ivory teeth. “The harpy’s fingers,” Kraznys named the scourge.
Dany turned the whip in her hand. Such a light thing, to bear such weight.-ASOS Daenerys III
“Unsullied!” Dany galloped before them, her silver-gold braid flying behind her, her bell chiming with every stride. “Slay the Good Masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who wears a tokar or holds a whip, but harm no child under twelve, and strike the chains off every slave you see.” She raised the harpy’s fingers in the air . . . and then she flung the scourge aside. “Freedom!” she sang out. “Dracarys! Dracarys!” .-ASOS Daenerys III
But all her idealistic attempts to avoid unnecessary bloodshed failed. The Wise men she installed as rulers in Astapor did not last long, the Wise Masters thanked her for sparing Yunkai by attacking Meereen, and the Meereneese peace, built on painful compromise, resulted in chaos and war. Ultimately, only one method will bring Daenerys her victory over Slaver’s Bay.
In the smoldering red pits of Drogon’s eyes, Dany saw her own reflection. How small she looked, how weak and frail and scared. I cannot let him see my fear. She scrabbled in the sand, pushing against the pitmaster’s corpse, and her fingers brushed against the handle of his whip. Touching it made her feel braver. The leather was warm, alive. Drogon roared again, the sound so loud that she almost dropped the whip. His teeth snapped at her.
Dany hit him. “No,” she screamed, swinging the lash with all the strength that she had in her. The dragon jerked his head back. “No,” she screamed again. “NO!” -ADWD Daenerys IX
And that is violence.
By the time she arrives in Westeros she will have learned how hopeless peaceful solutions are because she has always failed in this regard (though the reasons for this failure are complicated and manifold, but Daenerys won’t know this because she does not look back, and her counselors cannot be relied on when it comes to an objective error analysis), so why would she try it again in Westeros. And she’ll have learned how effective and inevitable violence is because she has always succeeded in her conquests (and earned the devotion of countless slaves while at it). She’ll furthermore rely even less on her advisors (whose opinions she already ignored a lot before) and follow her own instincts, for better or worse, she has been hardened to abuse and criticism.
She wanted to be a good ruler, but all her life has taught her is how to be a force of destruction. I cannot tell if she is insane or not, but I can tell that with all that has happened to her, she is very likely mislearned.
If her character arc was meant to show us the vicious cycle of violence (the abused becoming the abuser) it would still be painful to watch, but it would be a great deal more meaningful than spontaneous madness.
(or at the very least that’s what I think about this subject.)