With the release of House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, we’re republishing Robert Brockway’s article on Daenerys Targaryen and why her actions in the final episode were not out of character. –Ed
SPOILER WARNING. It is strongly recommended to only read this article after having completed watching the HBO series Game of Thrones. This article contains spoilers and also presumes knowledge of the Game of Thrones storyline.
Daenerys Targaryen, first of her name, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons and… Destroyer of King’s Landing. Viewers of Game of Thrones should know by now that Daenerys Targaryen chose to have her last remaining dragon destroy King’s Landing even after it had effectively fallen to her forces. All that was left were a few remnants of the armies defending the city. Most opposition had capitulated and it was just a matter of mopping up any remaining pockets of resistance. But that wasn’t enough. Daenerys Targaryen destroyed a defenceless city, killing countless civilians – ostensibly her own subjects.
Like father like daughter. In fact, it’s better than that. Her father Aerys Targaryen, second of his name, famously said:
“The traitors want my city, but I’ll give them naught but ashes. Let Robert be king over charred bones and cooked meat.”
Aerys never did destroy King’s Landing thanks to the intervention of The Kingslayer, but 24 years later his daughter Daenerys succeeded where he had failed.
Not everyone is happy with this turns of events. Quite a lot of people were looking forward to Daenerys sitting on the Iron Throne it seems.
Over the years feminists have had a love-hate relationship with Game of Thrones. They were decrying depictions of violence against women in the show, despite the fact that there were far more depictions of violence against men. And then they crowed loudly that for the last couple of seasons the two main contenders for the Iron Throne have both been women – Cercei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen. For a while Game of Thrones was widely proclaimed to be a feminist TV show. The reality is that both major houses were led by women because they’d each run out of men – most of whom were dead. Yes, very feminist.
And so Game of Thrones remained close to the heart of feminists until that now infamous episode, The Bells in which Daenerys destroyed a city that had already fallen to her. Feminists cried out! They proclaimed that this was a sudden and unexpected change of character for Daenerys Targaryen. They could only come to this conclusion, of course, if they were wearing rose coloured glasses.
Daenerys had always been ruthless and willing to use violence to achieve her aims. This we had seen many times.
During Season 4 Daenerys crucified 163 masters of Meereen in response to the masters having previously crucified slaves in the same manner. She cared not for the culpability of the individuals involved and there is evidence that at least some of the masters crucified had spoken out against the practice. Later she has another, potentially innocent, master immolated in a crypt below the city in an effort to intimidate the rest.
In Season 6 she burns all of the Khals alive before seizing power over the remaining Dothraki.
Season 7 saw Daenerys burn Randyll and Dickon Tarly alive after they refused to bend the knee to her.
And of course in Season 8 Daenerys has Varys summarily executed by dragon fire for allegedly betraying her. There is no evidence that she investigated these allegations before passing sentence.
Daenerys destroyed King’s Landing because she had concluded that the people of Westeros could never love her so they would have to fear her. She said as much in the preceding episode:
I don’t have love here. I only have fear.
The destruction of King’s Landing was entirely in character for Daenerys. Feminists could not cope with this as they continue to infantilise women. Feminists wanted Daenerys sitting on the Iron Throne and ruling over a new golden age of Westeros as an allegory for a feminist utopia in the real world. Typical feminist tosh.
Daenerys is a fully fleshed out character, flaws and all. Those flaws led her to destroy a city and doom her own reign before it had begun.
And so we saw Daenerys killed in the final episode of Game of Thrones and John Snow effectively exiled for freeing Westeros of a tyrant.
Feminists might be placated by Sansa becoming queen of an independent North though. Nah, feminists are never placated.
