Fantasy Face-off: Rings of Power vs. House of the Dragon
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Two of this year's biggest shows, HBO’s House of the Dragon and Amazon Prime’s Rings of Power have recently premiered. But how do they compare? And how do they differ? Both of these shows happen to be prequels to two of the biggest fantasy powerhouses in history. Rings of Power is a prequel to the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series and takes place in the J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle Earth, and it tells the story of how the one ring was created. House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones takes place in George R.R. Martins, Westeros, and is the beginning of House Targaryen’s downfall.
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Both these universes have their distinct differences and similarities. Tolkien's Middle Earth is a lot more magical than what you'd find in Westeros. Magic is ingrained in the world in every way, and there are many more fantastical elements. There are many different races that live in middle earth, such as Men, Elves, Hobbits, and Dwarfs, which serve as the main protagonists. There are also evil Orcs, Uruk Hai, and Goblins. There are also fantastical animals and environments that you wouldn't find in Westeros. The original Lord of the Rings series is very influential, published in the 50s, essentially every fantasy series draws inspiration from it.
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Westeros is a lot more brutal than Middle-Earth. Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon is a lot more graphic and may be hard to stomach for some viewers. Westeros contains a lot less fantastical elements it focuses more on the politics of the world. Westeros is broken up into seven kingdoms, each ruled by a great house and united under House Targaryen who conquered all of Westeros about a hundred years before House of the Dragon. While it isn't as fantastical as Middle Earth, there are still some magic and mythical creatures such as dragons, however, they are not as prominent as in Middle Earth. In Westeros its all about who sits on the Iron Throne, which is the source of much of the conflict, especially in House of the Dragon. This world is a lot more morally gray while in Middle Earth the conflict is most often between defined sides of good and evil. It's also worth mentioning that House of the Dragon is adapted from a book written by George R.R. Martin while Rings of Power is an original story.
While much of their worlds sets them apart there are some similarities. One thing that makes these shows similar is that they both prominently feature women as their main characters and in positions of power. The original Lord of the Rings series had very few women in it overall and while Westeros is a male-dominated society, women play a major role in politics and are some of the main forces driving the plot. Rings of Power follows Galadriel, from the original series. This show reveals her background as a military leader and warrior. House of the Dragon follows Rhyneara Targaryan who is the only daughter of the king and is named his heir, despite there never being a ruling Queen before. Also, these more modern iterations of these classic series feature a lot more POC. Both of the original series didn't have any main characters who were POC, while these new series centered a lot on them.
So far, Rings of Power is a lot more action-packed, featuring a flashy fight scene in almost every episode. House of the Dragon is a lot slower, focused on politics, and features an amazing script. Both feature amazing visuals, great CGI, and an award-winning cast. While some viewers may prefer one or the other, both a worth watching for both new fans of these worlds and fans of the original series.
Strike Out
Writer: Dylan Kim
Editor: Raquel Gluckstern
Graphic Designer: Laura Pellini
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