House of the Dragon is skeetering on the edge of a really fascinating conversation in its portrayal of Alicent and Rhaenyra — the promises of feudalism to women.
On the surface, Rhaenyra looks a bit like a feminist hero. She is a woman, demanding and asserting power in a patriarchal world that would deny her the crown on account of her gender. But if you look any deeper, it quickly becomes apparent Rhaenyra is not advocating for any real change. She is not reflecting any further on the oppressive nature of feudalism beyond how it affects her. She does not argue that succession changes should be widespread or shows no concern with the general treatment of women in the Seven Kingdoms, even the women directly before her, such as Rhaenys and Alicent.
The very nature of Rhaenyra’s “birthright” cannot be disentangled from the patriarchal system she supposedly is challenging. It assumes that the men who used force and subjugation were legitimate in claiming power. For Rhaenyra to be queen, it necessitates the belief that the passing over of Rhaenys was valid, and Viserys had the absolute authority to name his own heir, expanding the power imbalance between the king and his subjects.
And then we have Alicent Hightower, the embodiment of what a feudal noblewoman should be. Feudalism denies women direct access to power and, in exchange, promises them that if they are loyal and obedient, they will be given respect, dignity, and security. Their husbands will be their protectors. They are promised a safe, predictable transfer of power from their husband to their eldest son, ensuring them a place with the new generation.
Alicent does everything her society tells her she must, but she is denied the benefits. Her husband largely ignores her and her children. He is meant to be their protector, but when her son suffers a horrific injury, Viserys shows no concern, no interest in accountability. She is not even assured the one promise of security any other queen would be granted—namely, that her eldest son become king.
For Rhaenyra to gain direct access to the patriarchal, oppressive power held by feudalism, she has to rip away the security feudalism promises to Alicent. It’s a horrible, awful system, and goes to show how difficult changing things truly is in any meaningful sense.
No, not really "on the surface".
- LINK to @rhaenyragendereuphoria's post about feminism and Rhaenyra's story
- LINK TO @brideoffires 's post about the effect of Rhaenyra's loss on Westerosi women at large, since I do not intend to make this a long reblog.