Have any of you noticed a dash of fairy-tale enchantment embedded in the vast narrative of Ryan Condal & George R. R. Martin’s House of the Dragon? Well, prior to its majestic debut, the series was frequently likened to the Roy family saga Succession, which itself is a modern dance of power and betrayal. However, believe it or not, House of the Dragon seems to share its dragon fire not just with its famous predecessor, Game of Thrones, but also with the animated world of Shrek.
Consider this: the regal green gown of Queen Alicent Hightower that mirrors Princess Fiona’s iconic attire and the similarity between the demise of two kings, albeit one croaking quite literally as a frog. All this is laid bare in a comparison video (via Instagram) that could tickle the ribs of both kingdoms near and far.
Beyond Coincidence: The Eerie Resemblance Between House of the Dragon And Shrek
While House of the Dragon draws its lineage from George R.R. Martin’s tome A Song of Ice and Fire, spotlighting the fiery ‘Dance of the Dragons’ within Targaryen lore, our beloved Shrek film series was hatched from the pages of William Steig’s 1990 book. At first glance, the comparison may seem ludicrous, but upon further inspection, the parallels between the two are uncanny.
Just like Shrek, House of the Dragon follows the journey of royalty as they brave the dangerous world of power and politics. Princess Fiona and Queen Alicent Hightower both don green attire that exudes elegance and grace, while King Viserys and King Harold meet their unfortunate ends in a strikingly similar fashion (minus the whole frog transformation, of course).
The whimsical comparison between the two worlds doesn’t end there. From extravagant royal feasts featuring suckling pigs to the presence of ancient, fire-breathing dragons, it’s clear that both Shrek and House of the Dragon draw inspiration from classic fantasy themes.
To further emphasize the parallels, a thought-provoking comparison video was posted to Instagram, claiming “House of the Dragon is never beating the Shrek allegations”. Check out the video below:
The video draws attention to another resemblance: both feature royal feasts that feature the serving of suckling pigs. During royal feasts in the Middle Ages and the fantasy literature that followed, the pig was frequently served as a sign of the host’s wealth and hospitality.
Other archetypes found in both tales are the cruel ruler (Farquaad and Aegon) and the elderly, sickly king (Viserys and Harold).
Overall, what truly ties the two together is their use of fantasy archetypes. Both stories feature a beautiful queen or princess character, embodying the essence of regality and grace. Queen Alicent and Princess Fiona share not only a striking appearance but also a sense of courage and determination in the face of adversity.
Emma D’Arcy’s Honest Take on the Emotional Challenges of Filming House of the Dragon 2
As Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), and their Dragonstone forces battle against Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her kids for claim of the Iron Throne, the second season of House of the Dragon continues to chronicle the House Targaryen civil war. That implies, however, that the actors spent a lot of their time filming solo narratives rather than ensemble pieces.
While D’Arcy acknowledged to THR last month that filming the show without Smith and Cooke was “kind of lonely”, they also pointed out that “there’s so many beautiful actors on the show, it is an ever-mutating thing”. The Wanderlust actor, 32, further added:
Certainly, I think it’ll make the active viewership kind of more exciting because there are so many parts to the series that I’ve not had the chance to watch yet.
They also mentioned how much they missed their two co-stars:
So much of us making the first series, well for me, was falling in love with them — with Matt, with Liv, with other members of the cast — so anytime you get joy in that is a treat.
With House of the Dragon setting a record-breaking viewership for HBO (see Variety) and critics praising its unflinching portrayal of the Targaryen Civil War, we’re poised on the brink of television history.
House of the Dragon is streaming on Max, and Shrek is available on Netflix.
