If there’s a character who is most reviled by House of the Dragon fans, then it’s Queen Alicent Hightower. She’s against the ‘protagonist’ of the show, Rhaenyra Targaryen, as she wants to usurp her throne for her son. So technically she’s the villain. But is she? We think she’s a complex character and labelling her as a villain without analysing her is a disservice. So let us explain why Queen Alicent is a misunderstood character.
Alicent Is A Victim Of Manipulation By Her Father
It’s interesting to see that she gets heavily manipulated by her father, Otto Hightower, from the beginning. Initially, Alicent Hightower isn’t interested in consoling the King after the Queen’s death. It is Otto who pushes her to do so and she does it with the kindness in her heart.
It’s obvious that she’s afraid of her father (and an anxious person too) because she keeps picking her nails to the point of almost bloodying them when she’s around him. But she does rebel against her father. When Rhaenyra promises her that she didn’t spend the night with her uncle and was still pure, Alicent actually goes against her father and plays a role in getting him evicted as The Hand of the King.
But before leaving, Otto plants the fear in her mind that Rhaenyra was going to kill her children when she becomes Queen. And later on, when she learns from Ser Criston Cole that she lied, this is the moment she turns from supporting Rhaenyra to being against her. Otto plays her like a fiddle and Rhaenyra’s lie further strengthens Otto’s words.
It’s also important to note that in the beginning she didn’t want the throne for Aegon. When Viserys Targaryen is troubled about succession, it is Alicent Hightower who says that she wouldn’t her son to usurp the throne from his sister. So she didn’t want the throne for her son in the beginning and wasn’t scheming for it.
This brings us to our next point:
Alicent Hightower Isn’t Cersei
Alicent Hightower is often compared with Cersei from the original Game of Thrones series. But this comparison isn’t justified. After all, Alicent isn’t unnecessarily cruel. She’s just an overprotective mother because she fears for her children’s lives.
She even slaps Aegon II when he defiles a serving maid. And offers kind words, monetary help as well as the pregnancy-prevention drink to the girl he assaulted. That’s not something Cersei would have done for a maid.
Cersei would probably have put the girl to death for besmirching Joffrey’s reputation! In fact, the only time Cersei slapped her son, Joffrey, was when he insulted her personally. Also, if Cersei was in Alicent’s position, she would have been way more vicious and cruel towards Rhaenyra and her children.
The Lack Of Support From Her Husband
Even though Viserys Targaryen wanted to marry Alicent Hightower in the beginning, but overtime as he began to be affected by the wasting disease, it became clear that he only loved his first wife, Aemma Targaryen. In episode 8, he mistakenly refers to Alicent as Aemma and doesn’t look sorry for it.
Alicent Hightower also quickly catches onto the King’s preference for Rhaenyra and subsequently to the fact that he doesn’t care for his children with her. This is made abundantly clear when he refers to Rhaenyra as his only child and also when he is unbothered by Aemond losing an eye because of Rhaenyra’s child. In fact, he takes his daughter’s side.
This is the first incident where we see Alicent lose her composure and attack Rhaenyra. And she only does so because her husband refuses to provide justice for their own son. So she has no one from the Targaryen family who actually cares for her and her children. As a result, this makes her pivot back to her father who actually trapped her. Thus, she isn’t able to escape the circle of manipulation.
Now, this isn’t to say that she’s a sage. But viewers should regard her as a complex character rather than a straight-up villain.
What do you think about Alicent Hightower? Let us know.
