WARNING! This post contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1, episode 2!House of the Dragon episode 2’s marriage subplot reminds viewers just how messed up Game of Thrones’ society truly is. Game of Thrones was notable for many atrocious and agonizing moments, with very few characters voicing their objections to the realm’s more revolting social and political customs. House of the Dragon episode 2's characters similarly tackle the ethics of child brides being a largely accepted Westerosi practice.
In House of the Dragon episode 2, Corlys and Rhaenys propose that King Viserys take their daughter Laena as his new wife, thus uniting their families and continuing the Targaryen line with the blood of Old Valyria. However, Viserys is uncomfortable with the proposition – oddly enough for a Westerosi – as he not only doesn’t know Laena Velaryon, but realizes that she’s only 12 years old. King Viserys may have previously been married to his cousin Aemma Arryn as per the odd Targaryen tradition, but at least his moral compass keeps him from tolerating the act of taking a child bride.
Overwhelmingly, the backward customs and political arrangements in Westeros are accepted as they are. Princess Rhaenys Targaryen even tells Rhaenyra that while it bothers her that 12-year-old Laena Velaryon would be married to a man of Viserys Targaryen’s age, she doesn’t protest because “that’s the order of things.” Corlys doesn’t even think twice about marrying his daughter to Viserys, and is simply motivated by his desire to put his blood on the Iron Throne. The only figure in House of the Dragon who truly objects to this sickening idea is King Viserys himself, which counters the years that Game of Thrones spent numbing viewers into accepting that this is how the world works within this era, so time would be wasted by questioning it. After seeing children pushed out of windows, brother and sister laying together, continuous exploitations of women, a woman breastfeeding her 10-year-old son, and men sacrificing babies to White Walkers, Game of Thrones quickly taught viewers to not be shocked by its many repulsive or unethical acts.
How Game Of Thrones' Age Gaps Compare To House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon’s characters are largely presented as the ages they were in George R.R. Martin’s books, which reflected the real-life historical context of young girls and boys being married to lords and ladies much older than them. Game of Thrones, however, aged up the majority of its younger characters, particularly due to how much explicit content such characters would engage in. Daenerys Targaryen, for example, was only 13 years old in the A Song of Ice and Fire books when she was married to the much-older Khal Drogo, but Game of Thrones changed Dany's age to about 17. Similarly, Margaery Tyrell was around a decade older than Tommen Baratheon when the two married, but Game of Thrones abruptly aged him up to make the marriage just slightly less controversial.
While the series would occasionally address the fact that key characters were being married off to much older men without any objections, Game of Thrones generally tried to narrow the large age gaps instead, particularly by making the younger character closer to adulthood. House of the Dragon, on the other hand, tackles this societal problem in Westeros head-on, revealing there are at least some high lords and ladies who reject the notion of marrying children simply for political gains. For the most part, House of the Dragon's families still didn’t think twice about marrying a 12-year-old girl like Laena to a 40-year-old man like King Viserys, but at least the king himself was aware of how distasteful this is.
New episodes of House of the Dragon release Sundays on HBO/HBO Max.