Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that answer the question.
Query: Who plays Daenerys Targaryen in the Game of Thrones TV series?
Daenerys Targaryen is a fictional character in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, as well as the television adaptation, Game of Thrones, where she is portrayed by English actress Emilia Clarke. In the novels, she is a prominent point of view character. She is one of the most popular characters in the series, and The New York Times cites her as one of the author's finest creations.[2][3]
Introduced in 1996's "A Game of Thrones", Viserys (along with his younger sister, Daenerys) is one of the last confirmed members of House Targaryen who, until fifteen years before the events of the first novel, ruled on the Iron Throne for nearly three hundred years.
Introduced in 1996's A Game of Thrones, Daenerys is one of the last two surviving members (along with her older brother, Viserys) of House Targaryen, who, until fourteen years before the events of the first novel, had ruled Westeros from the Iron Throne for nearly three hundred years. She subsequently appeared in A Clash of Kings (1998) and A Storm of Swords (2000). Daenerys was one of a few prominent characters not included in 2005's A Feast for Crows, but returned in the next novel A Dance with Dragons (2011).[4][5]
Varys and Tyrion arrive in Pentos, where he reveals his allegiance to House Targaryen and convinces Tyrion to travel with him to Meereen and aid Daenerys Targaryen in retaking the Iron Throne. While in Volantis, Tyrion is kidnapped by Daenerys' former advisor Jorah Mormont. Varys journeys on to Meereen, where he arrives to discover Tyrion in control of the city in Daenerys' absence. He offers Tyrion the use of his spy network to maintain order in the city.
Daenerys Targaryen portrayed by Emilia Clarke. Daenerys Targaryen is the exiled princess of the Targaryen dynasty. Also called "the Stormborn", she and her brother Viserys were smuggled to Essos during the end of Robert's Rebellion. For seventeen years, she has been under the care of Viserys, whom she fears, as he is abusive to her whenever she displeases him. In exchange for an army, Viserys marries her to the powerful Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo, making her a Khaleesi, a queen of the Dothraki.
Merchant played Daenerys Targaryen in the unaired pilot of the HBO series "Game of Thrones", based on George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of fantasy novels. The pilot was poorly received, and as a result the first episode was completely remade. Merchant was replaced in her role as Daenerys by Emilia Clarke.
In A Game of Thrones (1996), Daenerys is sold off by her brother Viserys and Illyrio Mopatis to marry Khal Drogo, a Dothraki warlord, in exchange for an army for Viserys.[6] At that time, Daenerys befriends Jorah Mormont, an exiled Westerosi knight, and is given three petrified dragon eggs as a wedding gift. Though initially terrified of Drogo, the marriage turns out to be a happy one, and Daenerys grew to love him and began to take to Dothraki customs, finding strength and determination for the first time. This leads her to stand up to Viserys's attempts to bully her into coercing Drogo. After Drogo kills Viserys by pouring molten gold atop his head for threatening his wife, Daenerys sees herself as the heir to the Targaryen dynasty, and responsible for reclaiming the throne for her family. Shortly thereafter, Drogo is wounded in a fight, and the cut festers. With Drogo ill, his warriors mutiny and abandon him. In desperation, Daenerys recruits an enslaved Lhazareen priestess, Mirri Maz Duur, to save Drogo with blood magic. However, despite being saved by Daenerys from being raped by the tribe's warriors, the priestess betrays her trust, and the magic ritual leads to the stillbirth of Daenerys's unborn child and leaves Drogo in a catatonic state. Daenerys does not want her husband to suffer any longer, and euthanizes him with a pillow. She burns the priestess in Drogo's funeral pyre and climbs into the flame with her three dragon eggs. When the pyre dies out the following morning, Daenerys emerges alive and unburnt from the ashes with three hatched dragons.
Viserys Targaryen (season 1) portrayed by Harry Lloyd. Viserys Targaryen is the exiled prince and heir of the Targaryen dynasty. Known as "The Beggar King" for his search for an army to recapture his throne. A narcissist, he is arrogant and self-centered, caring only about himself and looking down on others especially to his sister Daenerys. In exchange for an army to help regain the Iron Throne, Viserys marries off his sister to the powerful Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo and follows his horde's journey to the Dothraki capital to ensure Drogo will keep his end of the bargain. But as they journey, it becomes evident that Viserys does not have leadership skills to reclaim the throne as his arrogance and disrespect for the Dothraki does not win him any hearts. Furthermore, Daenerys, who he has always threatened throughout his life, starts to stand up to him. Realizing that Daenerys is loved by the Dothraki and her and Drogo's unborn son is prophesized to unite the world, Viserys realizes that it is not he but Daenerys who will reclaim the Iron Throne. In a fit of drunken rage, he threatens Drogo to give him his army now or he will kill his unborn son. Having enough of his behavior, Drogo kills Viserys by giving him a "Golden Crown"; molten gold poured over his head. Daenerys later names one of her dragons Viserion, as a tribute to Viserys.
Daenerys Targaryen is the daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen (also referred to as "The Mad King") and his sister-wife Queen Rhaella, and is one of the last survivors of House Targaryen.[6][7] She serves as the third-person narrator of thirty-one chapters throughout A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Dance with Dragons. She is the only monarch or claimant to a throne given point of view chapters in the novels.[8] Thirteen years before the events of the series (sixteen in the television series), after her father and eldest brother Rhaegar were killed during Robert's Rebellion, Daenerys was born in the midst of a great storm, earning her the nickname "Stormborn". Rhaella died in childbirth and Daenerys was whisked away to Braavos with her older brother Viserys by the Master of Arms of the Red Keep, Ser Willem Darry. Darry died when Daenerys was five and she and Viserys spent the following years wandering the Free Cities.[6] By the beginning of A Game of Thrones, Daenerys has been a guest of Illyrio Mopatis in Pentos for half a year. Game of Thrones creators D. B. Weiss and David Benioff described Daenerys as a combination of Joan of Arc, Lawrence of Arabia, and Napoleon.[9]
Rhaegar Targaryen, the 'Last Dragon', was the eldest son of King Aerys II and the heir apparent to the Iron Throne, and the older brother to Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen. He died 14 years before the events of "A Game of Thrones", and his life's tales are mainly narrated through the words of Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Barristan Selmy and Daenerys Targaryen (via visions of sorcery), as well as commentaries by Eddard Stark, Aemon Targaryen, Jorah Mormont, Meera Reed, Jon Connington and Gilly.
Across the Narrow Sea, siblings Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) – the exiled children of the last king of the original ruling dynasty, who was overthrown by Robert Baratheon – are running for their lives and trying to win back the throne. Daenerys becomes married to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), the leader of the nomadic Dothraki. Her retinue includes the exiled knight Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen), her aide Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel), and the sellsword Daario Naharis (Michiel Huisman).
A Huffington Post book-extract titled " #WAR" in part says, "Fear is the strongest of emotions. And the strongest kind of fear can be manufactured by those who know that fear; real fear is that of the other. A man called Stephen Bannon knew it so well it was as if branded with a hot iron, or worse into his skull. Daenerys Targaryen, in "Game of Thrones" knows it well. So do all the pretenders to the Iron Throne in the HBO goldmine. It's a winning formula unlike any other. Tits, dragons, and BOOM! Fear of the other is what gave a monstrous contractor and reality TV star the real-life version of the Iron Throne—the presidency of the United States last year."
Viserys Targaryen is the exiled prince and heir of the Targaryen dynasty. Known as "The Beggar King" for his search for an army to recapture his throne. A narcissist, he is arrogant and self-centered, caring only about himself and looking down on others, especially his sister Daenerys. In exchange for an army to help regain the Iron Throne, Viserys marries off his sister to the powerful Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo in the first episode, "Winter Is Coming", and follows his horde's journey to the Dothraki capital to ensure Drogo will keep his end of the bargain. But as they journey, it becomes evident that Viserys does not have any leadership skills to reclaim the throne as his arrogance and disrespect for the Dothraki does not win him any hearts. Furthermore, Daenerys, whom he has always threatened throughout his life, starts to stand up to him. Realizing that Daenerys is loved by the Dothraki and that her and Drogo's unborn son are prophesied to unite the world, Viserys realizes that it is not he but Daenerys who will reclaim the Iron Throne. In the sixth episode, "A Golden Crown", he gets in a fit of drunken rage, threatens Drogo to give him his army and crown or he will kill his sister and her unborn son. Having had enough of his behavior, Drogo kills Viserys by giving him a "Golden Crown"; molten gold poured over his head. Daenerys watches her brother's agonizing death, proclaiming that he wasn't a true dragon, as "fire cannot kill a dragon".
In Pentos, a city-state of Essos, a continent to the east of Westeros, Viserys Targaryen, son of the king overthrown by Robert Baratheon, betroths his sister Daenerys to Khal Drogo, a warlord of the nomadic Dothraki, in exchange for the use of Drogo's army to reclaim the throne of Westeros. Illyrio, a wealthy merchant who has been supporting the penniless Targaryens and brokered the marriage, gives Daenerys three petrified dragon eggs as a wedding gift. Jorah Mormont (son of Jeor Mormont), a knight exiled from Westeros, joins Viserys as an adviser. Daenerys is a 13 year old, dominated by her older brother, and is surprised when Jorah describes Viserys as a future tyrant. Jorah further tells Daenerys that the "common folk" do not long for a Targaryen restoration as believed by Viserys and are indifferent to the "game of thrones" played by the elite, just wanting to live in peace.
Daenerys Targaryen, the 'Mother of Dragons', is the youngest daughter and child of King Aerys II Targaryen and is one of the last surviving members of House Targaryen. She serves as the third-person narrator for thirty-one chapters throughout "A Game of Thrones", "A Clash of Kings", "A Storm of Swords", and "A Dance with Dragons".
Viserys Targaryen is the second born son of Aerys II Targaryen. Thirteen years before the events of the series, he and his sister Daenerys fled Westeros to escape death at the hands of rebel Robert Baratheon. Viserys is an arrogant, cruel and ambitious man given to violent mood swings. In "A Game of Thrones", he sells his sister as a wife to the Dothraki Khal Drogo, as a means to secure the allegiance of Drogo's army toward his goal of reclaiming the throne. Frustrated with Drogo, Viserys demands a crown and threatens Daenerys and her unborn child; Drogo kills him by pouring a pot of molten gold over his head.
In "A Game of Thrones", Viserys Targaryen and Illyrio Mopatis marry Daenerys Targaryen to "Khal" Drogo to get his support and warriors for the invasion of Westeros. He proves a kind, sensitive, and loving husband. After there is a failed attempt on Daenerys's life, he vows to invade Westeros, but is wounded in a subsequent battle. He begins developing a severe case of sepsis. Daenerys unwittingly sacrifices their unborn son to save him with blood magic. While this saves his life, he is left in a catatonic state. Daenerys smothers him with a pillow. At his funeral pyre, she walks with her dragon eggs into the flames and emerges unscathed with three baby dragons. He is the namesake of her favorite dragon, Drogon.
Illyrio Mopatis is a wealthy and powerful Magister in Pentos. He is a larger man, though in his youth he was a strong mercenary. He is a close friend of Varys, and the pair engineer a plot to place House Targaryen back on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms. Before the events of the series, he welcomed the exiled Viserys Targaryen and his sister Daenerys into his home as guests. In "A Game of Thrones", Illyrio brokers a marriage between Daenerys and Khal Drogo to buy Drogo's army of warriors. His plan to create an army to invade Westeros is ruined upon the deaths of Drogo and Viserys. He aids Daenerys in "A Clash of Kings" by sending her three ships and a disguised Barristan Selmy. He also smuggles Tyrion Lannister out of Westeros in "A Dance with Dragons" and sends him to accompany Aegon on his journey to aid Daenerys.
Clarke began her acting career with a small role in a 2009 BBC One series, Doctors. Since 2011, Clarke has gained international recognition, playing the character Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO series Game of Thrones, for which she has been nominated for an Emmy three times. In 2017, Clarke became one of the highest paid actors on television and earned £2 million per episode of "Game of Thrones".
The specific name "khaleesi" is named after the title "Khaleesi" used by the fictional character Daenerys Targaryen in the fantasy novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire". The discoverers chose the name because the silver-colored band on the back of the slug reminded them of the pale blond hair of the character as played by Emilia Clarke in the television adaptation "Game of Thrones".
Jorah Mormont portrayed by Iain Glen. Ser Jorah Mormont of House Mormont is an exiled knight in the service of Daenerys Targaryen and the son of Jeor Mormont of the Night's Watch. To fund his wife's extravagant lifestyle, he sold poachers on his land to slave traders, which is illegal in the Seven Kingdoms. Rather than face punishment by Lord Stark, he fled to Essos and learned the lifestyle of the Dothraki who embrace him as one of their own and know him as "Jorah The Andal". Jorah serves as an adviser to the Targaryens on both political and cultural matters of both the Seven Kingdoms and Essos. Jorah is actually spying on the Targaryens for Lord Varys in exchange for a pardon on his crimes. But after learning more about Daenerys, Jorah falls in love with her and decides to protect and help her regain the Iron Throne. After she is widowed, he remains with her and becomes the first knight of her Queensguard.
Daenerys is one of the most popular characters of the book series.[3] The New York Times called Daenerys, together with Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow, one of Martin's "finest creations".[2] Rolling Stone ranked Daenerys Targaryen at No. 1 on a list of "Top 40 Game of Thrones Characters", calling her story a "non-stop confrontation with complex ideas about sex, war, gender, race, politics and morality".[20] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe called her scenes "mesmerizing".[21] Salon's Andrew Leonard, in his review of A Dance with Dragons, called Daenerys one of the series' three strongest characters, and bemoaned her lack of inclusion in A Feast for Crows.[5] The website Mashable recognized her as one of the five most popular characters on the series,[22] while The Daily Beast referred to her as the "closest thing the series has to a protagonist".[23]
Jorah Mormont reveals his greyscale to Daenerys Targaryen. He admits his love for her, and Daenerys orders him to find a cure and return to her so he can be by her side when she conquers Westeros.
As of 2015, Sony Entertainment and Sony Max India were reported to develop a series inspired by "Game of Thrones". Titled "Rani Mahal" (Queen's Paradise), it is to be set in the real-world British India of 1857 and will focus on the story of Daenerys Targaryen, played by Sakshi Tanwar.
The themes may evolve over time in the series. The theme for Daenerys Targaryen started small, but became grander as she became more powerful. Her theme was initially played with a single instrument such as a processed cello, but later began incorporating more instruments, including Japanese taiko-inspired drums, Indonesian bedug drums, and an Armenian duduk flute. Syllables and words in Valyrian, a fictional language of "Game of Thrones", were also used in her theme music, although not as whole sentences. The instrumentations for her theme are also used for dragon attacks.