Archived Abstracts
Daenerys Targaryen: God or Beast? A Feminist Analysis of Her Downfall
Location
Room 215, Schewel Hall
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Entry Number
58
Start Date
4-8-2020 3:45 PM
End Date
4-8-2020 4:00 PM
Department
English
Abstract
The release of the final episodes of Game of Thrones was met with uproar, particularly in response to David Benioff and Weiss’s ending for the beloved Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke. Her descent into madness has sparked controversy over whether she deserved this fate, with the unexplained slaughter of Kings Landing being yet another example of the showrunners rushing through the eighth and final season. Popular belief agrees either way that Dany’s downfall is attributed to the madness that runs through Targaryen bloodlines. I argue, however, that it is patriarchal impositions that lead to her demise. Jon Snow, as a male, is privileged in that his Targaryen roots enable him a claim to the throne, without any of the negative Targaryen associations being attached to him; society easily transfers the negative traits, such as being prone to madness, onto Daenerys, though, because women are already believed to harbor these characteristics. Despite the profuse evidence that counters Dany fitting into the stereotypes of Targaryens and women, society (both Westeros’s and ours) pushes her into them.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Prof. Rachel Willis Dr. Beth Savage
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Daenerys Targaryen: God or Beast? A Feminist Analysis of Her Downfall
Room 215, Schewel Hall
The release of the final episodes of Game of Thrones was met with uproar, particularly in response to David Benioff and Weiss’s ending for the beloved Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke. Her descent into madness has sparked controversy over whether she deserved this fate, with the unexplained slaughter of Kings Landing being yet another example of the showrunners rushing through the eighth and final season. Popular belief agrees either way that Dany’s downfall is attributed to the madness that runs through Targaryen bloodlines. I argue, however, that it is patriarchal impositions that lead to her demise. Jon Snow, as a male, is privileged in that his Targaryen roots enable him a claim to the throne, without any of the negative Targaryen associations being attached to him; society easily transfers the negative traits, such as being prone to madness, onto Daenerys, though, because women are already believed to harbor these characteristics. Despite the profuse evidence that counters Dany fitting into the stereotypes of Targaryens and women, society (both Westeros’s and ours) pushes her into them.