Game of Thrones Actor Shares Spicy Opinion on LOTR Knighthood
A central difference separating LOTR and Game of Thrones can be illustrated by a famous observation from George R.R. Martin. “How did Aragorn handle taxes?” Certainly, the King of Gondor reigned for 100 years after the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, but the details of his rule remain unexplored. This type of questioning drives Martin’s personal fantasy world, often dragging his characters into ethical gray areas in a way Aragorn avoided.
Delving into Knighthood in Two Realms
The upcoming Game of Thrones series, The Hedge Knight, aims to dive into these complexities through the beloved story of Dunk (Peter Claffey) and Aegon Targaryen (Dexter Sol Ansell). They face a series of perilous adventures in an era when the Targaryen dynasty still holds the throne but their fearsome dragons have gone extinct. During a recent panel, Claffey reflected on one significant contrast between Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings: the very definition of knighthood.
“This world that George has created, it contains a lot more dark and adult themes that are explored. A lot of betrayal and deceit, and it's hard to find your way,” he stated. “For a lot of people in Westeros, it works; it did for Littlefinger for a considerable period. For somebody to have the true knightly valor in that realm is a quality to really look up to, particularly in the world of Westeros. So I really adore Dunk’s commitment to uphold the ethics that knighthood has probably forgotten in Westeros on his quest in the tourney. I think it requires a lot more to be a knight than it does in Tolkien’s world.”
After the discussion, the actor tried to soften that comment, fearing it might ignite a conflict between the two fandoms and put him right in the crossfire. Naturally, this led to a follow-up interview to further explore his perspective on how chivalry varies between the universes of GOT and The Lord of the Rings.
Divergent Themes in Fantasy Worlds
As per the star, a significant part of the difference comes down to the contrasting tones between these two legendary fantasy worlds.
“There is so much more honor present [in Middle-earth] due to the adult themes in Game of Thrones and Martin’s creation,” Claffey explained. “People get so far in positions and rank by committing terrible acts and stabbing people in the back, both physically and metaphorically. With the glorious trilogy that is LOTR, you see so much more honor, and aside from the dark Vala or Sauron, those absolute villains, [LOTR] is a lot more like fairy tale evil.”
Rather than thinking knighthood is more difficult, the actor believes that in Westeros it’s more difficult to navigate while attempting to remain a decent warrior.
The Burden of Knighthood in Game of Thrones
“A warrior with some status must have mental confusion,” he remarked, referring to the ethically blurring anxiety that comes from attempting to survive the politics of the realm from the vantage point of a humble fighter. Audiences have seen the stress of knighthood throughout the franchise, with characters like Criston Cole in HotD and Jamie Lannister in Game of Thrones exploring how people bound by vows are compelled to betray their morals, and the impact to them psychologically.
However, although being a knight in the Seven Kingdoms may be harder than in Middle-earth, the actor is still willing to admit that his role in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is no match against the greatest that The Lord of the Rings has to offer.
“Aragorn beats Dunk’s ass any day of the year,” he said, “I’d say Martin would concur.”
