A sword expert has shared his praise for contenders for the Iron Throne. Set nearly 200 years before the events of the original show, House of the Dragon is based on the lore of George R. R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, which covers the so-called beginning of the end for House Targaryen.
Planting the seeds for potential conflict in episode 1, audiences are introduced to the reigning king, Viserys I Targaryen, as he plans for a grand tournament to celebrate the birth of his long-awaited son and heir. Commencing as his wife Aemma falls into labor, knights from across Westeros gather to compete in a series of jousting and sword contests, with the king’s younger brother and current heir, Daemon, among them. Though the latter fails to win the tournament after being outmatched by Ser Criston Cole, he later appears to celebrate the death of his nephew by naming him “The Heir for a Day.” Outraged by his brother’s apparent callousness towards his family, Viserys angrily declares that his daughter Rhaenyra will become heir to the Iron Throne in his place.
In a video for except for A Knight’s Tale.” Check out his full comments below:
“I love the way that was shot – that first impact. When I first saw this I thought, ‘That’s the best jousting we’ve seen on screen since A Knight’s Tale.’ And A Knight’s Tale is not historically accurate but the jousting action in it is great, great fun and very well filmed. I would say that this is the best jousting I have seen in anything, except for A Knight’s Tale.”
Is House of the Dragon Inspired By Real History?
While Martin’s work is grounded in pure fantasy, the author has itted to finding a great deal of inspiration from the history of the English monarchy. Previously stating that A Song of Ice and Fire was influenced by the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years’ War, Martin more recently revealed that House of the Dragon was influenced by a succession war known as The Anarchy. Though the story of the prequel remains entirely fictitious, showrunner Ryan Condal suggested that details from the 12th Century were studied and used to bring Westeros to life on screen.
While details derived from real history certainly help to make the world of House of the Dragon more believable, a show which boasts no less than 17 dragons is certain to be given more creative leeway from fans. Still, HBO undoubtedly helped to set the tone for its new show and heightened audience expectations in episode 1 with a carefully choreographed jousting scene that proved to be as exciting as any battle depicted in Game of Thrones. With a further 3 episodes to go, House of the Dragon fans should expect even more swords and violence to come.
Source: IGN