Doran Martell -one of the best players in the game-
Hi.
Under a cut for SPOILERS! (AFFC-ADWD)
I personally liked Doran from the very first moment he's mentioned on AFFC. The whole chapter of him at Water Gardens, the description of him, and the way Areo sees him, is just amazing. To me that's one of the best chapters GRRM ever wrote. Maybe that's why I like the character.
As a character, I just think that his personality and the way he acts, always so calmed, always so pensive, is a real strength. He's a mystery, we barely even know about his feelings towards the situations that are happening. He's smart, really smart, plans ahead, takes action without people noticing, and leaves the emotions for later, without actually being cold hearted. He's a good leader and takes good care of his people. He's probably one of the few good people, in the books, that has some brains and strategy.
Now to your question:
I think Doran is one of the best players because he planned and planned, and never let Dorne or his people be used for someone else's cause, if they were not gonna get something in return, and if he wasn't sure that it was not going to be in vain. He was smart enough not to help Viserys with his cause to take the throne publicly (at the moment he would have been the only one to support him, and that wouldn't have ended well for Dorne). But he came up with a deal, secretly, to take the throne for him later. Him and Oberyn were the ones that thought the best way to get revenge for Elia's death, was to marry Viserys with Arianne and go after the Lannisters and their bannermen. Of course them, Varys and Illyrio planned all of this.
But it was mainly Doran the one with patience enough to come up with this. And he was the one pulling his brother back, to wait, and get things done right. To actually keep a cold head and not act in a rage impulse, has kept him alive and tranquil, while others had to look over their shoulders.
To gather the dothraki army, Dorne's army, and the Golden Company, to support Viserys claim, would have been a real threat for anyone who might have opposed in Westeros . If we think about it, that's probably one of the best plots ever in the books. It was so well planned out, that not even Viserys or Dany knew about it. They were just pawns in the game, they had big parts to play, but never thought for a moment that all of this was planned out. And to think Dany was the one that frustrated the plans, by getting Viserys killed, and killing her husband, is somewhat tragic for her.
Of course even after this fell through, Doran continued to seek for revenge, without even showing weakness. Where DWD ends he reveals to his daughter, that he's still planning to help Daenerys. Don't know how that will fit into the Golden Company following Aegon at this point, but will see.
He's an amazing player. I don't think he wants the power that the throne might get him, but he just wants revenge, and dead Lannisters all over the place. And the best thing about it, is that the Lannister don't even know it. They don't really trust the Martells (Tyrion mostly), but they know little about them, and how much they wanted justice for their own. I think more often than not, the Martells are taken for granted, underestimated, and not even noticed. And that's a good thing, and is because of Doran and how he kept his people controlled for a long time, and even though the sand snakes tried to rebel and start a war, and Arianne tried to take matters into her own hands, he controlled them, he was able to keep his mind cold and aware, and plan for later. All I can say is, revenge is a plate best served cold.
Thank you! Sorry for the late answer. And I loved this asks btw.
