‘House of the Dragon’: Emma D’Arcy REVEALS how prequel disrupts ideas of ‘patriarchy, misogyny, and power’
Fans just can't wait for the ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ to premiere on August 21, 2022, on HBO and HBO Max. In an interview, Emma D'Arcy, who plays the older Rhaenyra Targaryen, opens up on how the series attempts to interrogate "patriarchy, misogyny and power."
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia dated August 8, D’Arcy spoke about the prequel being more focused on women with a much more multi-layered and nuanced portrayal. More importantly, she spoke about how the show directly interrogates the aforementioned traditional ideas, which was something that got her excited to be a part of the show.
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Speaking on the show exploring traditional themes through its narrative, D’Arcy said, "I think the fact that this is a show that directly interrogates patriarchy, misogyny, and power is really the reason that both Olivia Cooke and I felt excited to come on board."
She added, "We're in a context here where women get shafted at the start of the show. You have Princess Rhaenys who we are told had her claim to the throne taken from her and given to a younger man. In this context, womanhood is equated with motherhood with passivity, amenability—guidance and duty.”
Elaborating on a woman's struggle to rise and take the throne, she said, "I think one of the questions of the show is how do you start to undo and unravel those prejudicial labels? And if you are a woman looking to rule, how do you convince an electorate? How do you convince male subjects that you are not other?"
Co-showrunner Ryan Condal said, "Fire and Blood is about a woman getting named heir to the throne and the realm going to war, trying to install the man in her stead. That’s not particularly new. I think exploring that idea here is not suddenly making it about the modern landscape. These themes fit in a period setting, just as they did in the original show."
For those who don’t know, the show also explores themes of a dysfunctional family, patriarchy, misogyny, greed for power, hunger for ruling Westeros, the orthodox society’s fear of a woman ruling the dynasty and so on. However, at the core, it is the story of Rhaenyra who vows to get the iron throne and change the rules. Her grit and fierceness to not give up sparks a great war where loyalties are tested, friendships are broken and bonds are at stake with even dragons stepping in to fight each other which leads to the dramatic fall of House Targaryen. In this war, even her friendship with Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is broken since she wants her sons with King Viserys I Targaryen to inherit the iron throne and wants to cut off Rhaenyra’s chances of succession.