Dany's chapter was excellent. It's been so long since we've seen from her. I loved seeing her ruling as a queen. She has come such a long way from being the scared little sister of a megalomaniac-wannabe king.
She is such a drastically different type of ruler from any of the ones we've seen so far in the series. Even if you count the characters who declared themselves king, she is totally different from each of them.
Robert was fat, lazy, and a terrible king. He did what was easy regardless of the cost to those around him. He wasn't ever fit to rule.
Joffrey was twisted and cruel. He loved to rule only because he loved the power. He was nothing more than a terrible, spoiled child playing at being a real king.
Renly was the "lovely" king. He was only around for a short time, but it was clear that he had no idea what he was doing. He played king well. He looked the part, in fact. He reminded me of Isreal's king Saul. His royal parties would have been amazing, but a true king he was not.
Robb was my favorite of the kings if only because I love the Stark family. However, he was in over his head. He couldn't handle making the hard decisions and doing the difficult things that a king must do. When he slept with Jeyne Westerling and then married her, he signed his own death warrant because he was naive enough to think that Walder could be trusted.
Stannis is the most just of all the kings, but he is too hard and rigid. He is incapable of bending and flexing to the changing situations around him. It is this lack of flexibility that makes him a terrible and unloved king. He can never have the people. Therefore, he can never be the needed king.
Thommen isn't even worth mentioning as he is so young. Needless to say, calling Thommen a king is like calling Samwell Tarly a lady's man.
Balon Greyjoy and Euron Greyjoy are two characters who can never be king over anyone more than the sad excuse for a people in the Iron Islands. The people are tough and they can fight and sail, but they know nothing more than that and neither do either of these men. Neither of them are true kings because they are, at their essence, just pirates.
Daenerys Stormborn, however, is a true queen. She seeks to be loved, but she also seeks to rule and her word is law. She is not naive. She is not cruel. She is strong, but she can also bend to handle what comes her way. She is just, but she is also compassionate. These traits and more are clear from this chapter and I cannot wait to see what happens.
The end was fantastic, as well. When the man clutching the bag did not leave her court, I knew what was going to happen. It was only a matter of time before her dragons acted like the beasts they are. I cannot wait to see how she handles these new problems.
You may not care for comments, but I'm commenting anyway. It is almost like being able to talk to someone about the book I'm reading...since no one I know reads (what a shame!). I was so heartbroken for this man at the end of the chapter who brought the bones of the child. Dany is so compassionate that I hated to see that she will have to deal with something like this. I guess I assumed that dragons could live off animals.
ReplyDeleteActually, I love comments. I just don't get a lot of them. :) So, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the man and Dany. She has to rule and she can't lose her dragons regardless of what atrocities they commit because she needs them to rule. She is so compassionate though and I can only see things get worse for her.