A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

“This is what it means to be a knight.”

Having been knighted, Dunk is technically a knight, yet he still feels unsure of what it entails. He repeats this mantra to strengthen his conviction, highlighting how Dunk is still living under Ser Arlan’s teachings, which remain untested by the real world. He is not yet sure what it means to be a knight, but his conviction helps shape an idealized version of knighthood that he—and a few others—strive to measure up to, establishing the ideals that underpin the theme of The Disparity Between Noble Heritage and Personal Virtue.

“It’s all the pavilion a true knight needs. I would sooner sleep under the stars than in some smoky tent.”

Dunk is coming to terms with his reality of being a hedge knight. In his mind, he has a romanticized version of this profession, in which the suffering and poverty of a hedge knight (compared to a knight in a castle or in service to a lord) is somehow more virtuous. This romanticization of the hedge knight is self-serving, as Dunk has no other choice, and his tone shows a hint of this rationalization. Yet his desire to romanticize the idea of the hedge knight shows how keen he is to make this his own identity.

“Dunk bit one of the gold coins and smiled. He had never tasted gold before, nor handled it.”

Dunk bites the coin to test its value, but the action is purely performative, as Dunk has no existing expectation of how the coin should feel or taste. He is performing the role of knight diligently in the hope that his performance will somehow become reality through repetition alone. Dunk does not yet feel like a true knight, but he has decided to act like one until he does.

“It had looked that way to him as well, but it was hard to accept that any knight could be so unchivalrous, least of all one who was blood of the dragon.”

Dunk is so invested in the notion of chivalry as a foundational aspect of knighthood that he is shocked to see a knight behave in an unchivalrous manner, the narrative’s first direct example of the disparity between noble heritage and personal virtue. His naivety is evident in that he—and seemingly he alone—believes in the idea of chivalry. That a Targaryen, a member of the most noble family in the Seven Kingdoms, would be able to act in this manner reveals the emptiness of the code into which Dunk has invested so much of himself.

“Yes, you from the top of Aegon’s Hill and me from the bottom.”

Dunk is surprised by the reveal of Egg’s true identity. He illustrates his shock in a neat point of comparison, using their relative origins to illustrate the class disparity between them: they are from the same city, but their experiences and perspectives within that city could not be more different. In a very literal sense, Egg is from the top, and he is from the bottom. Their worlds are separated not by geography, but by social class, and their developing relationship will become an important illustration of the collection’s exploration of Loyalty and Mentorship Across Class Divides.

“This shield is all painted up like death.”

The sigil painted on Dunk’s shield is not exactly what he wanted. Rather than being a symbol of optimism, he views the heraldry as pessimistic and ominous, like death. In spite of his unsophisticated worldview, Dunk understands the symbolism of the sigil under which he fights. The shield is painted “like death” (91), which he takes as a warning for his future, which has not turned out as he expected or hoped.

“The old man had taught him jousting and swordplay, but this sort of fighting he had learned earlier, in shadowy wynds and crooked alleys behind the city’s winesinks.”

As Dunk becomes more accustomed to life as a knight, his more authentic identity begins to emerge through his actions. In contrast to Aerion, who grew up in a privileged environment, Dunk grew up in abject poverty and was forced to fight for his life from a young age. When in danger, this memory comes to the fore, and he blends his identity as a knight with his identity as a product of Flea Bottom for “this sort of fighting.” Ser Arlan’s lessons meld with the lessons of his youth, creating a fighting style—and an identity—which is uniquely and authentically Dunk. By accepting the authenticity of this identity, Dunk can triumph.

“If Thunder were to break a leg, though…well, a knight without a horse was no knight at all.”

Dunk is still in the early days of his life as a knight. He is still not yet certain of himself as a knight, so he feels the need to rely on the exterior expressions of his knighthood to bolster his insecurities. A knight must have a horse, armor, and weapons; without these, Dunk cannot believe himself a knight. He is still relying on such external expressions of knighthood to form his identity.

“The Osgreys had not been lords for centuries, yet it pleased Ser Eustace to be styled so, echoing as it did the past glories of his house.”

The relationship between Ser Eustace and Dunk is built on Ser Eustace’s need to reinforce a fading status. As he has grown older, everything has been stripped from him, yet Dunk’s loyal service is a throwback to a time when he could consider himself important and worthy of a knight’s service. The “past glories” of the house are stirred through Dunk’s devotion to Ser Eustace (136), based on his now outdated notions of chivalry, as Dunk does not yet know the truth about why the Osgreys fell from grace.

“There are always more horses to be had, but it’s hard to lose a faithful friend.”

The naming of a horse implies an emotional connection, Dunk tells Egg, as their identity shifts from “horse” to “faithful friend.” Those knights who do not name their horse reveal the extent to which they view the horse as a disposable commodity, much like their sword or armor. Every one of Dunk’s horses is named, illustrating his capacity for emotional openness and his warmth in contrast to the more cynical knights.

“Then we shouldn’t have named them, ser. It will only make the grief harder for us when they die.”

Based on Dunk’s lessons about the naming of horses, Egg points out the way in which he and Dunk have given the villagers nicknames. These names foster identities and connections; Dunk and Egg will feel grief if the named villagers die. Egg’s comment not only points out the irony of Dunk’s actions but also shows the extent to which he is listening to Dunk’s lessons, further developing the collection’s exploration of loyalty and mentorship across class divides. He is genuinely listening to Dunk because he respects him as a friend and a mentor.

“A true knight, Ser Duncan. A true knight.”

Ser Eustace is manipulating Dunk for his own benefit: Not only has he allowed Dunk to mistakenly believe that he did not join the Blackfyre Rebellion but he also uses flattery to make Dunk do what he wants. He understands Dunk’s insecurity with his identity as a knight and his idealization of the vocation, so he makes sure to name Dunk a “true knight” (157), repeating the words for emphasis. Dunk is too naïve to understand the way in which Ser Eustace manipulates his ego.

“You swore your sword to a traitor, lunk. You ate a traitor’s bread and slept beneath a rebel’s roof.”

Dunk is faced with a crushing realization of his own foolishness. He knows that Ser Eustace has tricked him, which prompts him to castigate himself with the same taunt used earlier in the story. Bennis referred to Dunk as “lunk” (190), a slight shift of his name, to mock him; now, Dunk feels deserving of mockery, so he turns this insult on himself.

“Didn’t you ever think that I might be a bastard?”

As they ride together, Dunk’s casual question alters Egg’s worldview. Egg was raised in the aftermath of the Blackfyre Rebellion, a political moment that taught him the danger that children born outside of marriage pose to his family’s royal position. Dunk’s comment, however, shifts this consideration from a theoretical danger to a personal context. Egg must reappraise his instinctive mistrust and prejudice in light of what he knows about his friend and mentor.

“And when the battle’s done, the victors will be hailed as loyal men and true, whilst those who were defeated will be known forevermore as rebels and traitors. That was my fate.”

Ser Eustace’s comment illustrates the fine line between loyalty and treason. Had the Blackfyre Rebellion succeeded, he would have been hailed as a hero. Since a few people died at certain moments, his fate is sealed in the opposite direction. Ser Eustace’s weary acceptance of the fickleness of history demonstrates that there is no objective good or bad, simply fortune and circumstance.

“That green becomes you well, m’lady.”

Earlier in the story, Egg encouraged Dunk to pay compliments to his host to win her favor. Dunk struggled to do so, and his fumbled, awkward compliments marked him as an outsider at court. In private, however, his compliment to Lady Rohanne reveals his growing confidence in his sense of self. Dunk is at ease, growing and maturing, but still with much to learn; however, his interaction with Lady Rohanne, when compared to his interaction with Tanselle, shows his development.

“A head’s a head. They all look the same after a few days on a spike.”

Dunk’s naivety is beginning to fade, as is evident in the cynical lesson he teaches Egg about humanity. Regardless of status, he notes, every severed head eventually looks the same, highlighting how societal concerns like class are unimportant in death. This view of the world is informed by his upbringing, but he is growing accustomed to the great social leveler, violence. Dunk exists in a violent world, and this existence is hardening his naivety into cynicism.

“Old dead history.”

Dunk warns that the Blackfyre Rebellion is “dead history” (259), urging Egg to look more kindly on the rebel lords who betrayed his family. Dunk’s words are ironically prophetic, however, as Egg’s caution is justified by the emergence of a Second Blackfyre Rebellion. History is not as dead as Dunk would have it.

“The girl was fifteen and freshly flowered, her lord husband fifty and freshly widowed. She was pink and he was grey.”

The casual reference to the large age difference between the husband and wife at the wedding alludes to the brutal contrast in fortunes for men and women in this patriarchal society. Women in the nobility may grow up in castles, but they effectively become political pawns in their parents’ games as their innocence is traded for abuse in exchange for power. The husband is recently widowed, but he is already about to marry a teenage girl 35 years his junior as a cover for a rebellion, and Dunk’s observation that “she was pink and he was grey” puts their age gap in concrete visual terms.

“Without them he was no more than a beggar. A big beggar, but a beggar all the same. But his arms and armor belonged to Ser Uthor now. So did Thunder. Better a beggar than a thief.”

Dunk has a crisis of identity when he loses in the tournament and is forced to surrender his horse and armor. Without the horse and armor, he is no longer sure whether he can call himself a knight, as his still tenuous identity was in part based on the vocation’s trappings. Dunk is given the option of running away, but he does not, choosing the honorable sacrifice instead. Previously, the surrender of horse and armor would prompt Dunk to question himself as a knight, but his decision to act in the name of honor is slowly becoming the standard against which he judges himself. Whereas he once relied on external symbols of knighthood, he is beginning to view knighthood as an internal code of honor.

“I thought if I showed them all how good I was, they’d have no choice but to admit I was my father’s son. But they won’t. Even now. They just won’t.”

Ser Glendon’s fate functions as an analogy for the Second Blackfyre Rebellion. He sets out to prove himself to be his father’s son, just as Daemon II tries to win the respect of those who once backed his father’s rebellion. Ser Glendon defeats Daemon, but he is confronted with the reality that no feats of swordsmanship will ever allow the wealthy, powerful knights to approve of him. His campaign to achieve social equality was doomed from the start.

“You’ll do as I tell you, or you’ll get a good clout in the ear.”

Throughout The Mystery Knight, Dunk threatens Egg with a clout in the ear, a common act of violence from a knight to his squire and possibly one he himself received from Ser Arlan. This is meant as a disciplinary measure in defiance of their status: Dunk was once nearly executed for laying hands on a prince, but he feels like he can lay hands on a squire. Later, however, as Egg faces actual danger, the threat is repeated as a sign of friendship. Dunk warns Egg to do as he is told as a reminder that he has Egg’s best interests at heart and to reassure the youngster that they are in control of the situation. The threat of the clout in the ear undermines the actual threat posed to Egg.

“My father died for his. I would have been his man, and gladly. I would have fought for him, killed for him, died for him, but I could not lose for him.”

Ser Glendon notes the bitter irony of his fate, using anaphora to emphasize how far he would have followed his leader. His father died in the Blackfyre Rebellion, and he would happily have followed in his father’s footsteps, yet he could not bring himself to lose to Daemon II out of principle. His honor was impinged, so much so that Daemon II is punished for his mockery of Ser Glendon. An ally is turned into an enemy through the haughty arrogance of a rebel prince.