Historical chivalry reimagined: knightly codes represented in HBO's Game of Thrones

Chivalry is a societal idea from the Middle Ages that is still widely discussed and debated today. Medieval fantasies such as HBO’s Game of Thrones (2011-2019) are rife with examples of how historical elements and claims of “realism” come with flawed or warped perceptions of the past, and how these perceptions inform modern debates and discourses. This thesis assesses how historically inspired fantasies such as Game of Thrones handle past and present ideas about chivalry and gender in order to resonate with mass audiences and how the medievalist scholarly debate surrounding the series reflects this concern with aspects of medievalist historical representation. Through assessing the accuracy of historical portrayals and how concepts like chivalry are presented, I consider the relevance and nature of how we use historical ideas and settings to represent and recreate modern issues and conflicts.