House of the Dragon is four episodes in, and the mystery surrounding the unknown illness ailing King Viserys is finally answered. Paddy Considine, who plays King Viserys on the show, has disclosed the manner of the illness and what it signifies in the King’s story.
House of the Dragon has shown much pressure falling on the King’s shoulders. The loss of a child and a wife, threats following his daughter’s right as heir, Prince Daemon’s betrayal, and the usual political stress that comes with being King—all of it weighs heavily on Viserys.
With the upcoming episodes, things will only get worse for the King, but his mental exhaustion is coupled with an undisclosed disease.
Previous theories had stated that the curse of the Iron Throne seemed to be manifesting upon the unfit king. The illness has been pinpointed to be the cause of the death of King Viserys, an inevitable event scheduled to take place in Season 1.
In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly’s Games of Thrones podcast West of Westeros, Paddy Considine shone a light on the manner of the disease ailing the stressed-out king. The actor teased its eventual rise due to the “stress and strain” upon the crowned head and the hidden meaning behind it.
He’s actually suffering from a form of leprosy. His body is deteriorating, his bones are deteriorating. He is not old. He’s still a young man in there. He’s just, unfortunately, got this thing that’s taken over his body. It becomes a metaphor for being king, the stress and strain it puts on you, and what it does to you physically and mentally.
Of course, in the olden times, leprosy had no cure, and the king’s rising share of stress will only get worse. The upcoming episodes will only add more to Viserys’ plate, spelling an even worse condition for his festering disease.
The nature and meaning disclosed by the actor only support previous theories circling the King’s illness. Metaphorically, the King’s duties as the one residing on the Iron Throne are what is killing him.
As the show progresses, we will see exactly what brings King Viserys’ death, but this disease is definitely not finished with him yet.
About House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.
Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.
Source: Podcasts
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