Essay Questions

How is the theme of duty versus morals explored in the novel?

This theme is explored through both the main characters in the novel as well as the many other characters they come across during their journey of discovery. This theme is also a primary plot driver serving as a catalyst that sets events into motion for the titular characters. Ser Duncan upholding of the code of chivalry to defend Tanselle’s honor ends up with him punching the depraved Aerion Targaryen that set into motion events that affect the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms. The conflict between a knight’s moral code of and the fulfillment of his duties surfaces again when Ser Duncan, swears allegiance to Ser Eustace Osgrey to fight on his behalf against the Webbers. In doing this he unintentionally allies himself with participants of the Blackfyre Rebellion, effectively making him a rebel to the crown. In doing this, he also unwittingly earns the hate of Lady Rohanne as he now participates in a battle that had ultimately claimed the love of her life. Ser Duncan’s commitment to his knightly vow of protecting the weak is also tested in this support of Ser Eustace’s cause, as his dispute with Clan Webber will require an army---an army drafted from the peasantry---to fight in a war they didn’t start or want any participation in.

Why does Dunk keep holding off on Egg from using his sigil and considerable resources to pull them out of trouble they frequently find themselves in?

Ser Duncan is painfully aware that there are many problems that they encounter that cannot be solved by simply pulling rank and demanding that they treat Aegon/Egg with the respect due him as king. His also aware that revealing his true identity as one of the heirs to the Iron Throne will and can expose them to even more danger as events in the novel happen after a failed major political coup and the enemies of House Targaryen are manifold. In doing this Dunk is also training his young squire to solve problems using creativity and using resources around him---an education that will serve him well in the years to come when he finally ascends to the Iron Throne as King.

Why does Dunk hold on to chivalric ideals even if he sees that the knights he used to look up to don’t?

Though Duncan and Aegon seem to be the only one concerned with following the actual code of the knight, everyone else--knights and feudal lords included---seem to think that the code is simply a set of loose guidelines rather than a body of principles to follow strictly. Despite few people sticking to the code the Dunk does, he keeps to the code seeing it as a way of defining his identity and as well as an effective set of lenses he views his world through and uses to making sense of the world around him rather than seeing it as a list of restrictions that keep him from enjoying himself. The concept of chivalry and the chivalric code of ethics affects every decision and interaction that Ser Duncan makes and as such it also becomes instrumental in forming the mental, emotional, and social framework of Aegon who would become king in the years to come, affecting his decisions and actions many years into the future.