Game of Thrones Actor Shares Controversial Take on Lord of the Rings Chivalry

One key distinction between The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones can be highlighted by an often-cited remark from George R.R. Martin. “How did Aragorn handle taxes?” Indeed, the King of Gondor reigned for 100 years after the events of Tolkien’s novels, but the details of his governance remain unexplored. Such questioning fuels Martin’s personal fantasy world, often dragging his protagonists into moral ambiguity in a way Aragorn never would.

Exploring Knighthood in Two Fantasy Worlds

HBO’s next GOT series, The Hedge Knight, aims to dive into these complexities through the fan-favorite tale of Dunk (Peter Claffey) and Aegon Targaryen (the young star). They encounter a series of dangerous exploits in an age when the Targaryen dynasty continues to occupy 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 chivalry.

“This world that Martin has built, it contains a lot more dark and mature subjects that are explored. A lot of treachery and backstabbing, and it's hard to navigate,” Claffey said. “For a lot of individuals in this world, it pays off; it did for Petyr Baelish for a long time. For somebody to have the true chivalric honor in that world is something to really look up to, particularly in the world of the Seven Kingdoms. I deeply appreciate Dunk’s commitment to maintain the ethics that chivalry has largely abandoned in this world through his journey in Ashford. I think it takes a lot more to be a knight than it does in Tolkien’s world.”

Following the panel, the actor tried to walk back that comment, concerned it might ignite a war between the two fandoms and place him right in the crossfire. Of course, it prompted a deeper interview to further explore his thoughts on how chivalry differs between the universes of Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings.

Clashing Tones in Fictional Realms

As per the actor, a significant part of the distinction comes down to the contrasting tones between these two legendary fictional settings.

“You find so much more integrity present [in Tolkien’s world] because of the mature content in Game of Thrones and Martin’s creation,” he explained. “People get so far in roles and status by committing hideous things and stabbing people in the back, literally and figuratively. In the glorious trilogy that is LOTR, you witness so much more honor, and other than the dark Vala or Sauron, those pure evils, [LOTR] is a lot more like fairy tale evil.”

Instead of thinking knighthood is harder, Claffey argues that in Westeros it’s tougher to navigate while trying to be a decent knight.

The Burden of Chivalry in Westeros

“A knight with a certain rank must have some head fog,” he said, referring to the morality-clouding stress that stems from trying to navigate the politics of Westeros from the perspective of a humble fighter. Viewers have seen the pressure of knighthood across the franchise, with characters like Ser Criston Cole in HotD and Jamie Lannister in Game of Thrones exploring how people under oath are compelled to betray their principles, and the impact to them psychologically.

That said, although serving as a warrior in Westeros may be harder than in Middle-earth, the actor is quick to concede that his role in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms wouldn’t stand a chance against the greatest that LOTR has to offer.

“The Ranger beats Dunk every time of the week,” Claffey said, “I believe Martin probably agrees.”