In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 2, Peter Claffey’s Ser Duncan the Tall, aka Dunk, met the Targaryen princes. His first interaction with a Targaryen was not the most pleasant, to say the least. It stood in stark contrast to what Dunk had learned about lords and knights from his mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree. In a new interview, Claffey addressed Dunk’s crisis of faith as his hard-earned beliefs about honor, morality, and nobility begin to unravel.
Quick read:
- Peter Claffey spoke about how Dunk was having a crisis of faith after meeting the Targaryen princes.
- Dunk thought highly of knights and lords based on what Ser Arlan had told him.
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The hedge knight must discover for himself the kind of person he wants to become.
Peter Claffey addressed the shaking of Dunk’s beliefs about the Targaryen princes
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 2 shows Peter Claffey’s first interaction with Westerosi royalty. Neither Aerion Targaryen’s arrogant words nor the knights’ behaviour match the ideals Dunk had in his mind.
In the interview, Claffey said, “I suppose he has this conflicting thing inside him that he’s wondering, was his master right? Was he true? Is this– Are you supposed to be chivalrous? Are you supposed to be honorable? Or are you supposed to be more like these Targaryen princes that are not exactly the way that we look?”
Since the first episode, the knights Dunk encounters have consistently let him down. When he approached Ser Manfred, whom Ser Arlan once served, the knight claimed he remembered neither Arlan nor Dunk. The hedge knight’s interaction with Aerion only made it worse.
Peter Claffey believes Dunk’s journey at Ashford will shape the kind of knight he ultimately becomes
Aerion Targaryen and Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO (Image: HBO)
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on George R.R. Martin’s novella, The Hedge Knight. It follows Dunk as he transforms from an unknown hedge knight into a true knight. With his faith in chivalry of the knights shaken, he is yet to learn how to be one.
Reflecting on this, Claffey said, “I suppose he has to find that out through his journey in Ashford. And I mean, he has to go on a mental journey that he did not expect to find out what was the true way of living.” The saving grace for Dunk’s faith in Westerosi highborns came when Prince Baelor offered to vouch for him after learning of his service to Ser Arlan. So, perhaps, it is not that bleak after all.
Read next: “You’re not as chivalrous”: How Peter Claffey plays Dunk’s disappointment in the knights he idolized
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