Your problem is... - Edit 1
Before modification by Shannow at 19/11/2009 10:24:20 PM
Semirhage was evil and did not deserve ANY respect or dignity. She was only terrifying or intimidating to cowards, who let the fear of pain dissuade them from what is right or true. Rand's order to ont torture her, no matter how misguided his reasoning, was the best command he could have given on that subject, becaused it forced Cadsuane to go outside the box and do what hurt Semirhage worst. I wouldn't have needed all that time to think on it, and I bet Egwene would not have either (assuming she could remember her first trip to the Heart of the Stone in Tel'Aran'Rhiod.
That you see the need for moral instruction as more important in a story than the need for suspense, drama and emotional gratification.
No one in their right minds would admire a person like Semirhage in real life, but in a fictional story it decreases the suspense if major protagonists are made to look ridiculous.
You get all uppity and indignant when people don't apply an iron moral compass while enjoying some light entertainment in the form of a book, set in a fictional world, involving fictional characters.
In the real world, we wouldn't want to see millions of people die in a World War either, but take that away from the Wot story, and you end up with a tale about a shepherd and an innkeeper's daughter involved in a love quadrangle with a blond haired princess and her pretty, sword wielding brother.
Pretty exciting don't you think...