EntertainmentTVFantasy ShowsHouse of the DragonAlicent’s lake scene in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7 reminds me of a very popular painting, and it tells us so much about her arcWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVFantasy ShowsHouse of the DragonAlicent’s lake scene in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7 reminds me of a very popular painting, and it tells us so much about her arcWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: HBO)
The penultimate episode ofHouse of the Dragon season 2saw Team Green remain divided as King Aegon painfully recovers from his injuries and Prince Aemond sits on his throne, all while Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower went missing from the castle to do some soul-searching. But despite only taking up a small amount of screen time this week, Alicent’s journey to the lake actually holds a lot of meaning and tells us a lot about her arc.
Warning, major spoilers forHouse of the Dragon season 2, episode 7follow, so make sure you are all caught up with the series before reading on.
The story of Ophelia
(Image credit: IFC Films)
alicent hightower our very own ophelia. #hotd pic.twitter.com/CeiH8SIGONJuly 25, 2024
alicent hightower our very own ophelia. #hotd pic.twitter.com/CeiH8SIGONJuly 25, 2024
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia is introduced as a young noblewoman from a neighboring state who falls in love with the heir to the Danish throne, Hamlet. However, she is torn between her father, her brother, and Hamlet, with all of them constantly telling her what to do and trying to control her. Remind you of anyone? However, after Hamlet mistakenly kills her father, she is driven to madness and runs to the woods where she drowns in a body of water. Some say she was standing on a branch and it snapped, plunging her into the lake, but others say she was driven to kill herself over Hamlet’s actions. Although this isn’t exactly how Alicent’s lake scene plays out, there are some undeniable parallels between the two that tell us a lot about the queen dowager’s state of mind at this point in the season.
What does this mean for Alicent?
(Image credit: Sky/HBO)
To make things worse, her daughter (Ageon’s wife) now lives out her same fate, and her other son Aemond has just kicked her out of the Small Council, reducing any power she had left. Oh, and the kick in the teeth came in last week’s episode, where her brother told her that her other sonDaeron Targaryen, the only child she didn’t raise, has grown into a kind and capable man, making her feel more incompetent as a mother, the only real purpose she has ever had. In hindsight, everything in her life has been leading to this moment.
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Just like Ophelia, Alicent heads to nature to cleanse herself of the filth of her own life. She even remarks “nothing is clean here,” while sitting in her castle before she heads out to the lake. This journey is much more meaningful than you’d think. The fact that she has left Kings Landing for the first time since season 1 episode 3 (when she last had her innocence) and chooses to strip herself of her green clothes, which symbolize her house and her responsibilities, and bathe in the clear water, is very powerful.
But, unlike Ophelia, I don’t think Alicent wants to die at the lake. As anyone who has read George R.R. Martins’s works will know this is not yet her time to go. But I do think a part of Alicent did die in episode 7, and that is her loyalty and duty towardsTeam Green. The way her family has treated her has completely killed her spirit, and she now has nothing left.
In my opinion, this is a huge turning point for Alicent, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see her supporting her family as fiercely anymore. She may even rekindle her friendship with Rhaenyra – or seek out a whole different life entirely. It remains to be seen, but what is clear is that, just like she was drifting in the water, Alicent is currently drifting in her life.
House of the Dragon season 2 continues weekly onHBOin the US and Sky and NOW in the UK. For more on the show, check out our deep dives on:
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