In the latest massive episode of Dragon HouseAnd the Buddy ConsidineKing Viserys I Targaryen has been given a true Shakespearean farewell, delivering some of the strongest and most compelling character drama to come out of Westeros since its heyday. Game of thrones. Widespread acclaim has been devoted to Considine’s incredible performance, with author and executive producer George RR Martin Text messages considered himself commending him for taking the character “more powerful, tragic, and fully embodied than my own version of fire and blood. ” Dragon House He was, until this last episode, stylistically consistent in portraying Viserys as a weak and vulnerable leader, making decisions that alienate his powerful allies, and showing a lax hand in enforcing order and holding others accountable.
In many ways, Viserys was introduced to audiences in the premiere by depicting his most horrific decision in the entire season: choosing to kill his beloved wife Aemma by ordering a medieval C-section in an effort to save the life of his coveted male heir. It was a horrific and brutal sequence that highlighted the dehumanization of female characters in this fantasy world in order to uphold traditional patriarchal values. Jump forward to the “lord of the tides” when bed-bound lepers Viserys defiantly step onto the Iron Throne in order to once again defend Rhaenyra’s inheritance and finally force the rival Greens and Blacks to make peace at the dinner table, before dying peacefully in bed. Viserys certainly tries to make adjustments with these actions; It must be considered whether these final acts are an act of salvation, or a reinforcement of why he failed as king in the first place.
Is Viserys a weak king?
Viserys’ alleged ‘vulnerability’ through Dragon House It can be described as a contradiction in conviction, and an increasingly weak double standard in the way he treats others, especially Rhinera. Rewatching episodes 3 (“The Second of His Name”) and 6 (“The Queen and the Princess”), these two episodes highlight two key moments in Viserys’ life when his willingness to defend Rhaenyra is seen as a weakness by others. When the leading lords assume that Viserys will name Aegon II heir to the throne, Viserys becomes increasingly intoxicated at the suggestion that he will replace Rhaenyra, before collapsing before Alicent over his uncertainty about naming Rhaenyra his heir. Then, when the birth of Rhaenyra’s sons was revealing an extramarital affair with Ser Harwin Strong, Viserys repeatedly denounced the rumors, with everyone believing that he was either blind to the truth or in complete denial. So, on the other hand, Viserys is seen as weak by the other characters when he chooses Rhaenyra’s interests over those of The Realm.
On the other hand, the masses are also encouraged to consider Viserys weak when he places his own interests above Rhaenyra. Not only does this have to do with his giving in to make Aemma open up (a scenario that also plays out in “Maester Conspiracy”), but also when he decides to marry Alicent Hightower for love, then later forced Rhaenyra to marry Laenor Velaryon for convenience. In one of the show’s less subtle moments, Viserys struggles to put out a bound buck with one spear stroke, while still receiving applause from his court. These moments, in which Viserys satisfy masculine values through performative patriarchy, are broken for the viewer by the views of Rhaenyra and Alicent, who consider these acts pathetic and selfish. Rhinera single-handedly defends herself from a wild boar attack, and later in the same episode, directly calls out her father’s hypocrisy in marrying Aliscent. When Aliscent is summoned to the King’s bedchamber, the scene remains on the footage that unambiguously conveys Aliscent’s disintegration and her utter lack of affection for her increasingly rickety husband.
Does Viserys’ last act in the throne room make up for everything else?
Throne room pivotal scene in “Lord of the tides“This is a massive transformation in Viserys’ character in that he refuses for his perceived weakness in the eyes of the other characters, expressly out of defense of Rhaenyra; in refusing to take poppy milk to relieve his pain; in making the effort to walk to the throne when the episode proves he was carried otherwise; in getting Daemon to help climb Scores (when Daemon first publicly scolds him as weak); the scene is essentially a final display of Viserys’ determination to protect his daughter from the naysayers and potential rapists. The reaction shots between Faymond and the Greens are deliberately made to show their shock and frustration, because they know the only reason to make Viserys all of this effort will be to discredit Otto’s authority.Viserys also makes his defense of Rhaenyra beyond the pronouncements, publicly calling Vaemond’s tongue moments before Daemon takes care of his affairs.Viserys defends Rhaenyra’s interest and displays m personal strength in doing so, laying the foundation for him to compel Aliscent. and Rinera for exchanging serious words over dinner, his emotional vulnerability in the eyes of the characters has greatly diminished.
However, does this show of strength for Rhaenyra transcend other aspects of Viserys’ weakness, as he has usually acted in his own interest at the expense of the women around him? This question has become more and more emotional Buddy Considine’s impromptu final line, “my love” which implies seeing Viserys Aemma at the moment of death. This concludes, from Viserys’ point of view, that his actions brought him peace, and he saw his wife again. Whether or not Viserys can be considered loyal is by the fact that his delirium has confirmed, moments before, Alicent’s desire to replace Rhaenyra with Aegon, while the younger Targaryens and Velaryons still hold a formidable grudge against each other. Viserys may have saved himself in his own eyes and the eyes of those around him, but the lasting consequences of the decisions he made will be the basis for the next Dance of Dragons. Inevitably, it’s Viserys’ earnest attempts to do what’s right for Rhaenyra, despite his inability to prevent the fallout from his other actions, that cements the character as among the most tragic fate seen yet of Westeros.
Dragon House He has two more episodes to wrap up the first season. As promised in the teaser, Episode 9 will deal with the direct aftermath of Viserys’ death in King’s Landing, confirming how his last words to Alicent renewed her assurance that Aegon would succeed on the Iron Throne. While book readers anticipate/dread the events to come and non-book readers eagerly await them, it will certainly take some time to come to terms with the absence of the Considine tragedy from Viserys I Targaryen.
