Dragon House Star Emma D’Arcy discusses their character navigating the patriarchal rulers of Westeros.
Like most medieval fantasy series, the world of A song of ice and fire is one that reflects medieval society which was largely patriarchal. Women did not have many choices about their marriage and were often married for reasons of political alliances, which is reflected both in game of thrones and now Dragon House. Additionally, women were often not seen as viable candidates to rule a country, and often civil wars broke out when a queen attempted to take a throne. The possible conflict that arises Dragon House emerges when Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra Targaryen attempts to succeed her father to the throne, despite having a male heir.
In Dragon House, older versions of the series’ two female leads, Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, are played by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. The two will make their first appearance on the show in its upcoming 6th episode. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, D’Arcy spoke about Rhenyra’s role in a patriarchal society and the power they really have within it:
“This character, due to patriarchal constraints, essentially has no power. They have privileges, but they don’t have power. It’s one thing to put two female characters at the center of a series like this, but it’s another when they’re positioned within a patriarchy. How do we pay attention to them, seeking at least to take control of their own lives? »
D’Arcy went on to say how this reflects society even to this day:
“We understand how otherness works. We see it every day in 2022. Simultaneously, Miguel and Ryan and the rest of the team have created a program where you have someone who is fundamentally different in a position of power, but you tell the story from their point of seen. This seems really unusual to me. How to convince an electorate that you are not different? How do you do that when the whole system is built on the belief and the rule that you are not the same? »
Here is the synopsis of Dragon House:
Based on the book Fire & Blood by George RR Martin, the series will tell the story of House Targaryen (aka the House that gave us the Mother of Dragons herself, Daenerys Targaryen) and will be set 300 years before the events of Game Of Thrones.
Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan J. Condal are co-showrunners on Dragon House and are executive producers alongside George RR Martin. The series features a star-studded cast that includes Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Paddy Considine, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best and Sonoya Mizuno.
New episodes of Dragon House premieres on HBO and HBO Max every Sunday at 9 ET. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the upcoming series and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
