Life of Rape

Life of Rape

After the first episode of Game of Thrones everyone was talking about the wedding night between Drogo and Daenerys. The conversation between everyone was whether or not Dany got raped. There were many factors playing in the role of confusion for people, except almost all points lead to rape. 

In future experiences, it is also arguable that Dany is raped even though she does not deny the sex. I mean, when you’re forced into a marriage by your own family is there ever really consent to anything? Dany’s brother, Viserys, forced poor Dany into this relationship for power. Viserys told Dany, “I would allow the whole army to rape you if it meant to get our home back” (Martin). A brother or naturally anyone should not be saying these things. I probably would’ve thrown the biggest temper tantrum if I ever heard those words come out of anyone’s mouth. At this point Dany had no power. 

Dany is also a young teenager. In the shows, she is about 14 years old, while in the book Dany is 11 years old, either way it is not right. In historical times this was okay since women were only seemed to be alive for the pleasure of men. Today, we are more constructed in that we have laws regulating and helping young women live a life how they are supposed to. A fun, adventurous life without the worries of a man interfering with their childhood. 

Can sex ever be consensual in Dany’s life? From the start Dany was forced into a relationship and a very physical one at that.  There was a scene in the first episode of Viserys fondling Dany’s breasts, as Dany is obviously uncomfortable. Her own brother took down her dress and faintly touched her. Viserys of course saw nothing wrong with this because that is his sister. Except that’s weird because that’s his sister. 

Viserys the whole time is sure that Dany is on the same page as him with trying to get their home back. He is not wrong except for in the way he wants to get it. Dany wants to “go home” but she wants to do it a different way, really any way except sacrificing her life for it. Can we blame her? Viserys is forcing this relationship upon her and offering up for sex. Not only does he do this but he hires 3 handmaids to teach Dany how to perform in the bedroom. Martin says in the text, “She was afraid of her brother, of what he might do if she failed him. Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars, when her brother gave her up to the hulking giant who sat drinking behind her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask”. Dany is living in fear of all the men she is surrounded by. Viserys is set on one thing and it is not protecting his sister, instead he is using her. Dany doesn’t have a say in anything that goes on with her body and it started with Viserys’s ideas and goals. An article by Goodqueenalydescribes Viserys as, “The man who tortured and abused his young sister Daenerys and rightly earned his death among the horselords of Vaes Dothrak.” And they are exactly right. Viersys would either die then or die when he became king. Viserys was never going to last with the way he treated people, with disrespect and annoyance. I mean, the Lanisters disrespect people but with confidence and ease. Viserys was crazy and whiney. 

Poor Dany is throwing her body to be used by men in order to get her home back. Viserys started the nonconsensual sex from home by finding Drogo and offering up Dany. Dany pleaded to Viserys she did not want to marry Drogo but did Viserys care? No. Viserys was pushing her out the door and whispering in her ear to make Drogo happy. Dany’s feelings or happiness did not matter in this scenario. 

Viserys did not give Dany a choice for anything. Leaving Dany to always say yes to the sex even though she does not want it, ever. I mean even when she apparently does want it and enforces first is it really consensual? Or is she just thinking I have to do this for my brother and I to get what we want. That is not a fair marriage or even a fair life for Dany to live throughout her time being with Drogo which essentially is forever.

The other action of rape is the obvious rape. Drogo forces Dany to have sex with him any time he wants which is every day at that. Dany cries the first few times Drogo rapes her but tries to keep it a secret. Dany knew before she got raped it was bound to happen, but she had to watch other women be raped at her own wedding. Like why? As Martin states for Dany, “The warriors were watching too. One of them finally stepped into the circle, grabbed a dancer by the arm, pushed her down to the ground, pushed her down to the ground, and mounted her right there, as a stallion mounts a mare. Dany looked away from the coupling, frightened when she realized what was happening, but a second warrior stepped forward, and a third, and soon there was no way to avert her eyes. Then two men seized the same woman”. There was no way of Dany not seeing or being around the rape. This was the Dothraki way and Dany saw it herself. 

Sex should be intimate and wanted, not the way Dany had to go through it. Although, Dany seemed to want the sex later on it is still rape. Dany may have thought it was consensual because she seemed to have wanted and instigated it first but it all stemmed from having no choice.

Game of Thrones exemplifies a historical reality of how women were treated or can say not treated. Women were seen as property and nothing more. Women had no rights or equal rights. Rape crime was not thought of, it was more considered damaged property and only to the relatives of the woman who got raped. Therefore, it is not a crime against an individual. Almost like when people get mad when squirrels chew up their trash cans. It’s just damaged property. Nothing happens to fix it except some duct tape to cover up the whole. Women and Dany had to find their own way to cover up the patches from the rape because no one cared enough to actually do anything about it. 

Dany is physically and mentally raped every time her and Drogo have sex. Jacob Stolworthyexplains to us Dany is raped because it is Dothraki ritual but also for us fans to feel sympathy for Dany. She is physically raped because Drogo is going to have sex with her whether she wants to have it or not. Dany is mentally raped because if she does not have sex with Drogo, Viserys is going to be furious at Dany and who knows what will happen to Dany if that ever was noticed by him. Something I never want to find out or think about for that matter. Dany doesn’t have control of her sex life at all but how she deals with it is good for her. She learned to deal with it in ways no woman ever could or should have to. She gains power from it. 

In conclusion, Dany’s life consisted of rape. No matter where she was she didn’t have control over what happened to her body. Her body didn’t belong to her anymore. Dany’s body was now Drogo’s and she had to live with that. Dany also had to live with the fact her own brother offered up Dany’s body to be raped. Viserys sees Dany’s body as property just like any other man who looks at her/ any other women. Women were treated unfairly basically until they got married. But men still have the right to do anything they want with their wife’s body’s. 

Game of thrones has a lot of rape scenes that are shown to all viewers. They do this possibly to make a statement to everyone to see how it affects women. Also, because historically that was how women were treated. Women had no respect from other people, they were just living to be used for sex to make babies, nothing more. Dany was born with confidence to get her far in life. She may have started her life with rape but she is making her life valuable unlike other women.