

Clarke's portrayal of Daenerys in the series garnered Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2019 and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2013, 20.

Her character arc from heroic to villainous at the end of the HBO series has been a source of controversy with critics and fans. She establishes herself as a powerful and relentless ruler. Despite her strong moral compass, she can deal ruthlessly with her enemies, particularly slave masters. She also acquires an army with which she conquers the cities of Yunkai, Astapor and Meereen, determined to end slavery and injustice. The dragons provide her with a tactical advantage and prestige. A pregnant Daenerys loses her husband and child, but soon helps to hatch three dragons from their eggs. She becomes the heir of the Targaryen dynasty after her brother's murder and plans to reclaim the Iron Throne herself, seeing it as her birthright. Daenerys adapts to life with the Dothraki, and her character emerges as strong, confident and courageous. She remains dependent on her abusive older brother, Viserys, and is forced to marry Dothraki horselord Khal Drogo in exchange for an army for Viserys, who wishes to return to Westeros and recapture the Iron Throne. In the story, Daenerys is in her early teens living in exile in Essos. 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). She subsequently appeared in A Clash of Kings (1998) and A Storm of Swords (2000). Introduced in 1996's A Game of Thrones, Daenerys is one of the last surviving members (along with her older brother, Viserys) of House Targaryen which, until 14 years before the events of the first novel, had ruled Westeros from the Iron Throne for nearly 300 years before being ousted.

She is one of the series' most popular characters, and The New York Times cites her as one of the author's finest creations. In the novels, she is a prominent point of view character. Martin, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones, in which English actress Emilia Clarke portrays her.
Daenerys Targaryen is a fictional character in the series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R.
