A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 dropped early and set the stage for Ser Duncan’s trial by seven.
As Dunk struggles to gather six other knights to defend himself in the trial by combat, Raymun Fossoway, the squire of Ser Steffon Fossoway, offers to join his cause.
Despite a knight being capable of knighting another man, Dunk hesitates to bestow the honor upon Raymun. The scene is followed by one of the show’s signature cutaway scenes, which all but confirms the truth about Dunk’s knighthood.
Is Ser Duncan lying about being knighted by his master? Here’s every clue A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms provides, and what the showrunner has to say about it.
Spoilers ahead!
Why did Ser Duncan hesitate to knight Raymun Fossoway?
Image credits: HBO
Dunk clearly hesitates to knight Raymun in a scene that is lifted almost entirely from the source material. Although Dunk reaches out for his sword, he is summoned by Lord Ashford, and Ser Lyonel Baratheon steps in to knight Raymun instead.
Viewers gain insight into Dunk’s thoughts at this exact moment through a cutaway scene featuring his mentor Ser Arlan of Pennytree. Dunk, in his battle armor, on his knees, looks at Ser Arlan, who appears to shrug him off.
At the same time, Lyonel can be heard saying the knight’s oath, which Dunk presumably did not know. The moment strongly suggests that Ser Arlan did not perform the customary ceremony to bestow knighthood upon Dunk.
The source material also suggests Dunk may be lying, and the moment is described as:
“Dunk left them there, feeling as relieved as he was guilty.”
Hence, it is likely that he hesitated because he was unaware of the traditional oath and therefore couldn’t have knighted Raymun.
Is Dunk lying about being knighted by Ser Arlan of Pennytree?
Image credits: HBO
The previous episodes have indicated that Ser Arlan did not knight Dunk but instead simply decided to become a hedge knight after his mentor’s passing.
In a flashback, when a young Dunk asks whether he is meant to become a knight someday, Ser Arlan does not respond.
When Dunk is asked for proof of his knighthood, he replies that a robin on an oak tree was the only witness to the ceremony. However, Dunk is actually referring to the opening scene where a robin appears on the tree under which he is defecating.
The cutaway scene when Dunk is questioned about his knighthood features a flashback of him and Ser Arlan, but the latter clearly did not intend to make his squire a knight at the time of his passing.
Therefore, the series, like the source material, strongly implies that Dunk is lying about being officially knighted.
Showrunner Ira Parker explains the truth about Dunk’s knighthood
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During an appearance on The Official Game of Thrones Podcast, showrunner Ira Parker discussed the ambiguous nature of Dunk’s knighthood. He explained that ambiguity was intended to make viewers question what made a good knight.
“I think, hopefully, the bigger question we ask from that is, what does it really matter?” he said.
Parker also noted how being a knight during the era when Dunk’s story takes place wasn’t an easy feat.
“If he’s knighted, if he’s not knighted, that’s still one of the toughest things,” Parker added.
Image credits: HBO
While Parker refused to provide a clear answer, context clues from the series strongly suggest that Dunk wasn’t actually knighted.
Ultimately, the ambiguity only adds to the dichotomy of Dunk being a “true knight” who protects the innocent in contrast to the other knights he meets, who seem more interested in fame, fortune, and lordships.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is currently streaming on HBO Max.
