House of the Dragon
One of the things that stands out the most aboutHouse of the Dragonis its thrifty attention to character contingent . Each individual angling for more magnate is given their own motivation and personality . This is particularly true of Otto Hightower , the King ’s Hand and one of the most crucial and powerful men in the kingdom .
As he is present by Rhys Ifans , he is a consummate schemer and subtle thinker , and it ’s to the actor ’s credit that he keeps him from becoming nothing more than a stereotype . In fact , there are a number of crucial mannerism from the book Fire and stock that Ifans capture with special skill .
His Cunning
Just asGame of Throneshad its mediocre parcel ofvery smart characters , the same is true ofHouse of the Dragon . Rhys Ifans dead captures the intelligence that Otto Hightower repeatedly showed during his time as Hand .
He is the type of person who understands quite well how power works , and he is determined to verify that he baffle as much out of it as potential . Every time that he seem on the screen door , Ifans ’ carrying out makes it exculpated that the gears in his mind are always turn and looking for an advantage .
His Enmity Toward Daemon
Daemon is inarguably one ofMatt Smith ’s best roles , and he bring to the character a groovy stack of arrogance and ambition . For his part , Ifans also dead captures Otto Hightower ’s unplumbed antipathy toward the B. B. King ’s new chum .
However , Ifans makes it clear that the Hand does n’t just envy Daemon ’s topographic point in the monarch ’s esteem ; he sees him as a actual terror to the kingdom and to its constancy . With his gruff , gravelly voice , the actor allows the consultation to see Hightower as someone who , whatever his ambitions might be , is also looking out for the well - being of the realm as a whole .
His Family Loyalty
Otto Hightower belongs to one of themost important housesin the Seven Kingdoms . Like many of those belonging to magnanimousness , kinsfolk loyalty mean a great peck to him . Ifans lets the viewer sympathize this through the way that he interacts with both his daughter and his pal .
Through these exchanges , the actor makes it clear that , when it add up right down to it , Otto will always err on the side of his daughter and his descendants , particularly when it get to deciding who will one twenty-four hour period sit down on the Iron Throne .
How Methodical He Is
House of the Dragonis quickly shape up to be one of the great serial publication about political sympathies , and a circle of this can be ascribed to Otto Hightower . Because of the way that Ifans has decided to act him , he emerge as someone who is very methodical in his thinking .
He is always strategizing about how to get ahead and how to most effectively pull off the thing of the United States Department of State . Like his book similitude , Ifans ’ Otto Hightower is n’t someone who is going to make a move unless he is trusted how it is going to work out .
His Domineering Personality
One of the most notable aspects of Otto Hightower ’s personality is his bluff control . This is particularly pronounced in the novel , where he is always able-bodied to essentially bowl people over with his force of will . While Ifans is a bit more subtle than this , it ’s still become quite well-defined as the season unfolds that he is no less domineering than his novel counterpart .
He has a set of desires , and he will do whatever he can to accomplish them . And , as he evidence in his exchanges with Viserys , he is not afraid of telling his king the truth , even if it ’s not one that he care to hear .
His Haughtiness
From the very first episode ofHouse of the Dragon , Otto Hightower demonstrated the sort of haughty demeanor that would become his trademark and that was one of his most identifiable characteristics inFire and Blood . Rhys Ifans endow the character with just the correct amount of high-handedness .
It ’s there , for example , in the direction that he looks at some other members of the diminished council . It is particularly in grounds when he has anything to do with Daemon , for whom he has almost nothing but despite . Otto believe in his own rightness , and nothing will alter his head .
His Skill At Ruling
InFire and Blood , Otto has many flunk , but there ’s no question he ’s a capable executive , someone who get it on how to decree well and aptly . Rhyfs Ifans charm both of these elements of Hightower ’s personality .
Though he can be richly - handed with the Martin Luther King Jr. and with the other member of the council , there ’s a honorable reason for this . He , more than almost anyone else , know how power works in the Seven Kingdoms . It ’s for this reasonableness that , as Ifans has come to portray him , he seems to be such a more open leader of military personnel than Viserys could ever be ( he is , it has to be said , notone of the better kingsof the Seven Kingdoms ) .
His Persuasiveness
In the world ofHouse of the Dragon , battles are just as often won in council sleeping accommodation as they are on the battlefield . This is something that Otto Hightower knows very well , and Rhys Ifans excels at bringing out the persuasiveness that was such a key part of his personality in the book .
There ’s something about his soulful eyes , as well as his bass , gravelly vocalisation , that attain him into someone it is soft to consider and to want to obey . It ’s no wonder that even Viserys , who is presuppose to be the power , so often happen himself under the other gentleman’s gentleman ’s spell .
His Desire To Advance His Grandson’s Claim To The Throne
In the bookFire and Blood , Otto is very insistent that Viserys name his grandson Aegon as his heir . In Otto ’s nous , this is the only mode to preclude bloodbath and chaos from enveloping the kingdom should Rhaenyra , a char , ascend the Iron Throne .
Though Rhys Ifans ’ character is a bit more pernicious than in the book , it ’s still clear through his actions and through his attitude , that he believe his grandson is the one who should eventually deliver the goods his father . It remains somewhat ill-defined whether is actuate by family ambition , true concern for the kingdom , or some combination of the two .
His Ambiguous Relationship With Rhaenyra
Throughout time of year 1 , the moral force between Rhaenyra and her father ’s first counselor-at-law is one of the most pregnant . While he seems to have a niggardly esteem for her , he also sees her as a possible threat to his own family ’s fortunes .
Rhys Ifans brings out this duality quite skilfully , and this is in keeping with his portrayal in the books . Like his twin in Fire and Blood , once he comes to see Rhaenyra as more of a threat than an friend , he wastes no metre in ensuring that she is besmirched in the eyes of her father .
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