Well, it's been some time, but here we go again...
Okay, I’ve been away from the blog and tumblr in general for some time. I am Brazilian, and I do not know if you know, but we are currently facing a political problem in which we are focused on fighting against fascism in order not to allow our country to sink into another dictatorship. For this reason, I apologize for the little movement on the blog, and I hope you understand.
Anyway, I decided to take a look around and check if there was something new in the tags, and behold I find several supporters of Rhaegar justifying and relativizing their actions (once again). What I found most interesting was that the argument in question was that those who hold a negative view of Rhaegar do not understand the literary work. This was rather ironic, since the same argument can be used for those who refuse to see fault with their favorites, let’s face it, is the one that most occurs with Rhaegar. I do not speak for all of Elia’s fans here, but speaking for me, I do not think he was a monster. Not really. But that does not stop me from seeing your negative actions and your faults. The GRRM characters are, as he himself characterizes them, ashes. This means that everyone has both good and bad points. Deny any of them is ignore all the complexity of your writing. That said, let’s go to other issues.
Another point raised was that Dorne was “built around Elia”. This statement is very problematic because it stereotypes a whole nation. Being I a Brazilian woman, a Latina proud of my roots, this kind of argument makes me very bitter, since I grew up surrounded by these stereotypes that do not fit the reality with which I live. In this sense, we need only look at Dorne to realize that, despite the supposed liberalism by which the kingdom is known, the characters have very personal characteristics. Doran is not like Oberyn, just like Quentyn is not like Arianne. Therefore, to consider that Elia may be a liberal woman because she was Dorne’s is a rather shallow interpretation, and frankly, it is an issue that has been thoroughly discussed. (Note that I do not deny the possibility of she accepted what happened, I’m just pointing out that generalizing this is wrong and absurd.)
Now, since so many arguments have mixed things about the show and the books, I think it would be good to separate what the canon of books is and what the lore of the TV series is because they are very different things then.
The mentions about Elia in the books are few, and about their feelings/relationship are null. There is no mention of this issue in any of the five books of the Chronicles (or even in the spin-offs). What we know about Elia and Rhaegar’s relationship in books is very basic. Rhaegar needed to get married, Aerys ordered to find a wife for him. The best option found was Elia (the why is still an open question, but it is generally believed that she was chosen by herself to be a descendant of a Targaryen, in addition to being close to the prince’s age, doing what the marriage could occur immediately). An agreement was then made between the crown and the late Princess of Dorne. The ones involved in the issue seem to have had no say in the whole negotiation (this is what we know at the moment).
Yet their marriage was not a fiasco. According to Barristan Selmy, they did well and Rhaegar “quite liked the princess”, although he concluded that he was not sure if Rhaegar was capable of “feeling happiness”. Again, the feelings of Elia herself are not addressed. Even so, they had two children. Two children who almost cost the mother’s life, because the mother always had a health and a fragile constitution. It is from here that begins the controversy already much debated.
Elia was left in Dragostone with little Rhaenys and Aegon, at the time a newborn baby. Her husband could not be found anywhere, although somehow everyone knew he was with Lyanna Stark. In the meantime the Rebellion broke out, and Aerys, who no longer liked her daughter-in-law and did not even trust her family, decided made of her would become a hostage to the crown along with her children. Again, we have no accounts of her thoughts or feelings here, just the basics. Briefly, after this Rhaegar returns and departs again into battle, dying in the process.
When the news arrives at Port Royal, Aerys II then decides to declare his son Viserys as heir to the throne in place of his grandson, Aegon, and sends him to Dragon Stone with his Queen (then pregnant with Daenerys). It is only at this moment that we perceive the “voice” of Elia for the first time in the whole situation. She begs to go along with her children, but Aerys refuses to allow her to leave, and the prison continues.
The next time we hear her voice, it will be at the moment of her death. According to reports, the Princess would have called “by a certain name” when her door was broken open and the attack occurred. Her rape and her death are already known, so I will not dwell on it, but the main point here is the same. Elia’s relationship with Rhaegar, a question remains speculative.
Now, in the TV series, the arguments change drastically. Elia is mentioned in several episodes of the series, and still has its feelings described by its brother, Oberyn, both in the series itself, and in History and Lore.
But let’s start from the beginning. In the series, the search for the bride was similar to the book, with the crucial difference that in GOT, it was Rhaegar himself who chose Elia. It was also he who moved from the Capital to Dorne to ask for the Princess’s hand. According to Oberyn, they were initially not very willing to give in, but Rhaegar convinced them that she would be a good husband to her and that she would take care of her, and thus won not only the Princess but also her family. This is all told in the History and Lore of the series itself.
In the TV series, Rhaegar and Elia lived in the Red Keep itself, along with the prince’s parents. It is stated by Oberyn that Elia loved truely her husband. She give him children have wanted and struggled to be a good wife because she loved him. And in return for this love, Rhaegar abandoned her and ran away with Lyanna Stark. According to Oberyn, Rhaegar left his wife with his crazy father and ignored his feelings and his children.
As we know, to make matters worse, the show-Rhaegar not only abandoned his wife to the imminent danger of his father’s madness and war, but also annulled their marriage (we will dispense with comments about the impossibility and impracticability of this, since we ’re talking about the series and coherence is not the forte there). Finally, Elia, alone and frightened, ended up being raped and killed along with her children (in the series, she witnessed the murder of both before dying, whereas in the books, she only saw the death of Aegon).
That being said, we can see that the differences between the works are actually glaring. And I understand the fans book-Rhaegar, because he is quite complex. Already in the series? It is almost impossible for me to believe that someone is still trying to defend him. The Rhaegar of the series is a horrible personage, who was totally inconsequent in his actions.
I will not mention Lyanna here, because I have nothing against the character in the books, in fact, I think she is quite interesting, and in the series she did not have much prominence, appearing only to be the passionate girl who dies in childbirth . (We do not have her sensitive statements about Robert, or her defense of Howland Reed, or even her possible action as KoLT.) At the show, her only function was to be Jon’s mother, so there’s no lot of personality for be discussed
So, just for conclude, let’s combine it like this: Do not stereotype characters, defend Rhaegar in his tag and separate what is canon from the books and what is in the series at the time of making their defense. Do not presume to be superior by not accepting points of view divergent from yours, for each critic has an argument as well as every defense. Is for this what duality exists in the characters. And, please do not use the Elia Martell tag for this.
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