House Of The Dragon Just Made Alicent Hightower Its Most Conflicted Character

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While Alicent Hightower does mirror Cersei Lannister in many ways, it’s hard to disagree that she’s a woman in an unsettling position. Alicent hasn’t been a good person for a long time — she obeys her power-hungry father, manipulates her aging husband, spoils her sons, and leverages her relationships with those around her to have power and security for herself. In the process, she loses the one relationship in her life that actually matters: Rhaenyra’s friendship.

It is evident that Alicent does not relish living under male dominance, but she accepts it as her fate regardless. She only talks about duty, sacrifice, and faith to use them to her advantage. Alicent genuinely believes she’s acting on the words of her dying husband, knowing it is fully wrong for her narcissistic, rapist son to rule as king. And yet, when she finds the men around her were plotting to achieve the same goal, but with dishonorable intentions, it angers her. She doesn’t want Rhaenyra dead — she wants Rhaenyra to make peace with her son stealing her birthright. 

Alicent does carry power, and as seen from her conversation with Rhaenys, she is self-aware and intelligent. The men in her life have caused her more harm than good — but dare she question their actions. So, she directs her frustration and rage toward the woman whose life she wishes she could have — who stands up for herself in a way she never could. Rhaenyra had a loving father who believed in her until the end, not to mention she had good men in her life (even if one of them is her uncle), something that Alicent never did. She is flabbergasted at how Rhaenyra’s life has turned out. The yearning has turned into hatred.

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