HouseoftheDragon's exploration of Alicent gives the character much-needed nuance she never received in the book.
Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Episodes 1-8 of House of the Dragon.Since the start of House of the Dragon, every character has been expanding from the source material the show is based upon. The series gave each character's motivations that were hinted at or simply non-existent in George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel.
In the novel, Alicent Hightower comes off as very one-note. While every character in the Dance of Dragons comes out pretty awful and has a very selfish motivation, Alicent is one of those characters who is never given proper motivation outside of wanting her son on the throne. She is selfish and cunning, but most of her desire is driven by her wanting power.
In the book, Rhaenyra and Alicent have no established friendship, and most of their hatred toward one another is driven by their ambition of having power. But, the show veered away from that and instead decided to make both of them the same age and established a deep connection between them from the first moments of the series. By linking them together and seeing their friendship implode as Alicent is thrown into this world by men who control her life, the show gives Alicent so much nuance.
Adult Alicent hides behind the facade of holding up righteousness and the values of the land. Of course, that was something that the book also explores, but more importantly, this facet now has much more context than before. Alicent’s point of view consistently returns to her youth and what happened to her. It’s a choice that makes her point of view so much more nuanced but also creates tension.
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