‘A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ Shows The True Horror Of War
Dunk (Peter Claffey) in HBO’s ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’
HBO
HBO’s A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms shows that shining armor can be a very heavy burden.
Adapting George R. R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the prequel series has lower stakes (and more toilet humor) than Game of Thrones, but is full of unexpected gems, telling the tale of the hedge knight, Dunk (Peter Claffey), and his royal squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
Game of Thrones never skimped on epic battles, but A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms finds strength in small-scale conflict, giving viewers a harrowing glimpse under Dunk’s helmet.
Right before the memorable finale, Seven Kingdoms delivers a perfect fight scene that highlights the most important theme of the series.
‘A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ Is About Wealth Inequality
Dunk’s story is all about class, with the lowly hero emerging from Flea Bottom, the largest slum in Westeros, transcending into a great knight who gains the respect of the nobility.
King Joffrey even mentions Dunk’s name in Game of Thrones while taunting his older brother, Jaime, about his lack of knightly accomplishments—it’s revealed that several pages have been written about Ser Duncan the Tall.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is set to show us what’s written in those pages, but Dunk’s destiny is first sparked by friction between commoner and high-born.
Throughout the first few episodes, Dunk is a nobody, carefully navigating his way to compete in a tourney, his only chance to gain renown among men who do not care to remember his master.
Initially, Dunk is so innocent and deferential to the ruling class that he seems genuinely shocked to hear a rant about the incestuous evils of the royal family of Westeros.
Prince Aerion (Finn Bennett) is one of the most violent, entitled Targaryens of his time, to the point where he is willing to break the fingers of a travelling performer who dared depict the slaying of a dragon.
It speaks volumes that a Targaryen prince is enraged by a puppet show (at this point, the family’s best days are behind them), and Dunk can’t control his own anger after seeing Aerion strike his love, Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford).
Dunk easily overpowers Aerion, and is barely held back by the prince’s guards.
For the crime of striking a Targaryen, Dunk is owed a terrible punishment, but requests Trial by Combat, and the royals are forced to oblige.
Aerion is extensively trained and equipped with the finest equipment, but he is still a coward, and unwilling to face the brute strength of Dunk.
Hence, Aerion demands a “Trial of Seven,” an obscure rule that allows seven warriors for both sides. Dunk manages to scrape together a team, and the battle begins.
A Nightmare Faced By A Knight
The ensuing battle scene is masterfully crafted, deliberately disorientating the viewer with the view behind Dunk’s visor.
It’s all a blur of sensory overload and obscured vision—dirt, sweat and blood, set to the sound of men shouting and clashing metal as horses bolt in terror, all trying not to die.
Game of Thrones had many fantastic, memorable battle scenes, but Dunk’s ordeal places the viewer on the battlefield, forcing us to imagine how terrifying the experience would be.
Knights are expected to encase their soft, meaty bodies in metal and start hacking away at each other—one doesn’t have to imagine the vicious wounds that would emerge from such chaos, as the scene clearly shows us.
Dunk is immediately out of his depth, completely unprepared for a real battle, and takes one brutal strike after another from Aerion.
It’s not about elegant, perfectly choreographed moves, but opportunistic lunges and strikes.
While the fantasy genre loves swords, bladed weapons aren’t much good against steel plate—a heavy mace is a better bet, designed to dent strong armor and pulp the flesh within.
Hence, the scene shows Dunk and Aerion being strategically hit in the weakest points of their armor, the seams and chainmail patches punctured by blades, while the blunt strength of the mace is displayed several times.
The scene is a masterful depiction of a seasoned fighter facing a beginner, with Dunk’s only advantage being his size, and near-inhuman endurance.
Blow by blow, Aerion hits Dunk in the right places, but can’t quite topple the tall knight.
After a particularly brutal round, the prince believes he has killed Dunk, but Dunk forces himself to stand, inspired by Egg’s cries and the memory of his master.
Slowly, the dynamic between the two shifts, as Aerion’s confidence gives way to fear. When the fight ends up on the ground, Dunk uses his weight and brute strength to pin his opponent down and beat him.
Dunk’s hard-earned victory proves hugely important to the fate of Westeros, and demonstrates how A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms manages to do more with less.
In contrast to Throneswhich often shocked viewers by inverting popular fantasy tropes, Seven Kingdoms is a more traditional tale, showing an honorable knight triumph against an evil opponent.
It’s a well-worn narrative, but A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms makes the hero’s journey feel surprisingly refreshing.
