Season 2 of House of the Dragon hints at the saddest Targaryen death.
Viewers of HBO's popular prequel series, House Of The Dragon, are preparing for the terrible events of the Dance Of The Dragons, a conflict that will see the Targaryen dynasty disintegrate. Though many expect the epic battles and political intrigue, a minute scene in season 2, episode 6 suggests the most tragic death of all: the suicide of Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was.
Tragic End of Rhaenys Targaryen
Strong political figure and dragonrider Rhaenys gets caught in the crossfire of the civil war between her cousins Aegon II and Rhaenyra. She chooses to remain neutral despite her own assertions to the Iron Throne, hoping to stop the Targaryen dynasty from giving in to the same terrible forces that almost wiped off the family in the past.
Viewers of the sixth episode see Rhaenys's emotional struggle as she negotiates the terrible facts of war. She laments the death of her loved ones and the devastation all around Westeros. Her terrible end is exactly hinted at in her moving monologue on the devastation and the useless character of her efforts.
The Value of Rhaenys's Death
The suicide of Rhaenys offers a great comment on the terrible results of war. It emphasizes the terrible toll conflict takes on people caught in the crossfire as well as the personal cost of ambition. Her passing emphasizes the sorrow of a good woman who was finally overcome by the same powers she was seeking to evade.
The Death Foreshadowing of Rhaenys
Rhaenys's death has faint but significant foreshadowing. She muses over her path in the sixth episode, lamenting the terrible cost of the war. She says that her first indifference was driven by a need to protect her family, which emphasizes the great love and allegiance guiding her behavior.
Her comments convey a great degree of hopelessness and suggest the inner struggle she battles. She understands the pointlessness of her attempts to keep peace, a sobering insight that portends her ultimate choice to take her own life instead of facing the atrocities of a war-torn planet.
The Continuum of Rhaenys's Suicide
The death of Rhaenys reminds us very powerfully of the human cost of war. It emphasizes the psychological damage conflict causes to people, especially those in leadership roles. Her suicide marks the sad end of a conflict that split the Targaryen family apart, so affecting the realm as well as the family.
The narrative of Rhaenys reminds us gently of the complexity of war and the terrible results of human conflict. Her death is a sad monument to the power of love, loyalty, and the ongoing human cost of war even if she may not have taken the throne. Rhaenys's death reminds us soberly of the sacrifices people make in the name of peace and the terrible results of war as the Dance Of The Dragons plays out.
