53 pages • 1-hour read
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
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Character Analysis
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of animal death and death.
Dunk (Ser Duncan the Tall)
Dunk is the protagonist and the titular knight in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The three novellas chart his coming of age from the moments after becoming a knight to the successful defeat of the Second Blackfyre Rebellion, with which he positions himself as a player in the history of Westeros. For Dunk to rise to such a relatively lofty position of significance, however, he must first be introduced in a position of weakness. The Hedge Knight begins with Dunk burying his mentor. He was plucked from poverty to be made a squire to a knight, only for his mentor to die before his training was complete. Dunk is left alone, without even the comfort of a recognized knighthood to ease his way into the world. Dunk is introduced to the audience at this moment of weakness, as he “miserably” digs a grave and tries to chart a course for his future.
Dunk is unsure of his identity at the outset, armed with his mentor’s weapons and lessons to guide him. Ser Arlan was a “true knight,” so the romanticized chivalry that his mentor taught becomes Dunk’s guiding principle. One of his main goals at the beginning of his journey is to measure up to Ser Arlan and pay tribute to the dead knight’s memory by living his life according to the code of chivalry that Ser Arlan taught him. Throughout the collection, Dunk is characterized by his nobility, rooted in the chivalric code he was taught.
Dunk’s quest to be a knight becomes a search for validation and identity. At his first tourney, he must find someone who can vouch for his dead master. Eventually, Prince Baelor unexpectedly vouches for Dunk but notes that Ser Arlan’s version of their meeting has grown “in the telling” (46). This exaggeration is one of Dunk’s first clues that his understanding of chivalry and his mentor may be idealized. This suspicion is supported by the behavior of Valarr and Aerion, which suggests that the richest, most powerful knights in the realm do not live according to knightly ideals. Their power and status protect them from repercussions, yet no one speaks ill of them as knights, whereas the chivalrous Dunk is threatened with execution for protecting Tanselle, exposing The Disparity Between Noble Heritage and Personal Virtue. He gradually realized that in Westeros, chivalry is an illusion, whereas social class is consequential. At the same time, the life of a knight presents Dunk with the opportunity for social mobility. On a very small scale, he can take part in tournaments to win money and esteem. Even this slight rise in his status, however, pales in comparison to the threat rendered to him by an infraction of the social order. Dunk searches for validation as a knight, only to learn that knighthood is an empty ideal.
Through his friendship with Egg, however, Dunk gains access to insight into aristocratic power. Whether Egg is teaching Dunk about heraldry or helping him to read, Egg’s friendship provides Dunk with a chance to navigate a complex world and overcome his own naivety, furthering Dunk’s growth and maturity. In turn, Dunk’s romantic idea of chivalry allows Egg to define himself in opposition to his unchivalrous relatives. Through his friendship with Egg, Dunk gains validation as a knight with a squire of his own, but his unique class position and romantic understanding of knighthood contribute to Dunk’s mentorship of Egg, who was raised in the utmost privilege. Dunk’s naivety is a reminder of just how young he is. He may be tall and strong, but he is, in effect, a child thrust into an impossible position, who must cast off the shackles of youthful naivety to find his way through a dangerous world. He is a dynamic character who, over the course of the collection, comes to a more realistic understanding of society as he grows into adulthood while still retaining his personal sense of chivalry.
Egg (Aegon Targaryen V)
Aegon Targaryen may be a young man, but his name means that he is one of the most powerful people in the Seven Kingdoms. When he is introduced to the audience, however, he has voluntarily dropped this privilege. Dunk dismisses the “naked boy,” believing him to be a stable hand. Egg’s nakedness at the beginning of the first novella reflects the extent to which he has stripped away his status: His rich clothes are cast aside, his head shaved in a deliberate attempt to distinguish himself from his brutish older brothers. For other people, belonging to the Targaryen family is a privilege. For Egg, it means being in constant proximity to the older brother who abused him and killed his cat. Egg strips himself bare in a literal and figurative sense, demonstrating his desire to break free from the confines of privilege. This radical shift highlights Egg’s desire to grow and change, which characterizes him throughout the novel.
In Dunk, he finds a means to form a new identity. Egg is drawn to Dunk precisely because the fledgling hedge knight seems so distinct from Aerion. Egg wants to be someone else, and Dunk offers a different model to emulate. Egg shows both independence and determination in his move to abandon his family in his quest to become a squire. Some of his lordly arrogance remains in his refusal to take no for an answer, yet he and Dunk quickly strike up a friendship that—Dunk presumes—is free from the class tensions that mark both their lives. The prince and the hedge knight find common ground at a moment when they are both unsure of their identities and at a moment when both are trying to define themselves as something new.
While Egg is squire to Dunk and tasked with the duties of a squire, he also offers talents that Dunk does not have, highlighting the strength of their partnership, which offers them both more than they could have accomplished on their own. Egg’s knowledge of heraldry serves them well during preparations for tournaments; that Egg notices the banners of so many “rebel lords” is an early indicator that something is amiss in The Mystery Knight. He is also literate, while Dunk is not, so they develop an unspoken system whereby Egg can read a document for Dunk. Through Egg, Dunk has access to the benefits of an aristocratic education, creating a mutually beneficial bond. The unconventional nature of their bond is also evident in their use of “the boot.” Tucked away in the toe of Egg’s boot is a ring that marks him as a Targaryen prince. This is only to be used in “dire need,” but it shows that Egg’s companionship also offers a degree of protection to Dunk. Later, however, Bloodraven reminds Dunk that this protection is a dual-edged sword: Should anything happen to Egg, Dunk will be punished. However, throughout the novellas, Egg also shows a deference to Dunk and a willingness to listen and learn that erases the class differences between them, highlighting his respect for the knight.
At first, Egg rejects his Targaryen identity, focusing only on his role as Dunk’s trusty squire. In The Mystery Knight, however, Egg becomes a dynamic character who grows and matures as he synthesizes these two identities. Noticing the brewing Blackfyre uprising, he attempts to use his ring to send a signal to his family, highlighting how invested he still is in protecting his family, despite his desire to distance himself. However, he also shows immense loyalty to Dunk, being unwilling to leave Dunk even when his own life is in danger. When Bloodraven arrives, Egg successfully negotiates for Dunk, and by this time, he is acting as Dunk’s squire yet wearing the Targaryen ring. He reiterates his desire to remain with Dunk while also embracing his Targaryen identity, completing his character arc, which, like Dunk’s, is about forming his own adult, independent identity. If A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms can be read as a narrative of how Dunk understands what it means to be a knight, then the novellas can also be read as Egg understanding what it means to be a Targaryen.
Lord Bryden Rivers/Bloodraven
Lord Bloodraven appears only once in person in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, yet his presence is felt throughout the novellas as a dark, mysterious figure. Although he is on the Targaryens’ side, his characterization marks him with some villainous and antagonistic qualities. He lurks on the periphery of the narrative, with his ominous presence taking on an increasing significance over the course of the three stories. He is not mentioned at all in The Hedge Knight, but his role as Hand of the King becomes a motivation for Targaryens who wish to prove their worth.
In The Sworn Sword, Bloodraven exists as shorthand for all manner of dark magic. Ser Eustace accuses him of settling battles with enchanted arrows, while Egg—who is related to Bloodraven—is convinced that he is a practitioner of “black arts.” By the time of The Mystery Knight, the invocation of Bloodraven is an illustration of Dunk’s increasing paranoia; he is convinced that Bloodraven has spies and informers throughout the kingdom. The third novella begins with a demonstration of Bloodraven’s power, as the duo comes across a man who has been executed for speaking against Bloodraven. The Hand has “a thousand eyes, and one” Dunk reminds himself (237), seemingly having become convinced by Egg’s insistence that Bloodraven wields magic.
Beyond being a byword for magic, Bloodraven embodies many of the themes in the novellas. As legitimized after being born outside of marriage, he is motivated by the same urge as the Blackfyres. Ironically, Bloodraven is responsible for ending the original Blackfyre Rebellion, meaning that—in a war of legitimate succession—the conflict was settled by one “bastard” killing another. Furthermore, the rumors that spread about Bloodraven’s influence over the disinterested king suggest that he is deeply enmeshed in the politicking and rivalry that operate behind the scenes in the Seven Kingdoms. Dunk, as a mere hedge knight, only gets occasional glimpses into this high-stakes game of thrones, but he recognizes that Bloodraven is an adept player. Through magic and politicking, Bloodraven has found a route to power that is far more successful than that of the Blackfyre Rebellion. Rather than a direct confrontation, he uses manipulation and subtlety.
The ominous rumors of Bloodraven’s power culminate in his arrival at Whitewalls to end the Second Blackfyre Rebellion. Though Egg credits himself with summoning his family’s army, and Dunk has played a key role in foiling the rebels’ plans, Bloodraven is revealed to have been operating independently all along. He had already stolen the dragon egg, for example, foiling a key element of the plot. Bloodraven’s appearance presents him as an all-knowing, all-powerful force that may not be constrained by conventional Westerosi power.
Tanselle
Tanselle is the young female puppet master who catches Dunk’s eye in The Hedge Knight. In a collection that often dwells on the actions of lords and princes, Tanselle is notable for her poverty. Like Dunk, she comes from a poor background, but unlike the powerfully built hedge knight, she lacks the means to defend herself, establishing her as a representative of the “lowborn,” and the aristocracy’s treatment of her establishes the power dynamic in Westeros. When Aerion takes offense to the content of her show, he feels fully entitled to torture her. As she is “pleading with him” (72), Aerion breaks one of her fingers. That Tanselle has no recourse speaks to the difference between the rich and poor in this world. After Dunk intervenes, Tanselle is offered a brief respite but must also deal with the practical reality of her situation. Dunk faces death, but Tanselle cannot linger long enough to thank him. She must flee, and in a single moment, Tanselle’s life is altered forever. That Aerion has the capacity to so viciously impose himself on others is an illustration of the importance of class hierarchy in this society.
Tanselle does not appear in the other stories, but her presence is felt in the way that Dunk cherishes his memory. At the end of The Hedge Knight, Egg smiles when Dunk proposes that they travel to Dorne, knowing that Dunk wants to find her. He thinks of her often, especially “the way she’d smiled at him at Ashford” (160), and Tanselle becomes an indication of Dunk’s growing interest in a romantic relationship, another element of his maturation and growth.
When Dunk meets Lady Rohanne, she reminds him of Tanselle. In this sense, Tanselle becomes a model for Dunk’s understanding of femininity. That he only has one woman to inform this understanding speaks to his youth and his naivety, but it is an understanding that gets increasingly complex and nuanced as he meets more women and as he matures. In this sense, Tanselle is a fading force in the novel. In the same way that Bloodraven becomes an increasing presence as Dunk rises in the social hierarchy, Tanselle is left behind as Dunk becomes further removed from his teenage years and his early self. The way in which Tanselle slips out of his thoughts and out of the novel becomes an illustration of Dunk’s increased maturity, as well as his removal from abject poverty.
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