Game of Thrones Is Back! But What Do Their Accents Mean?
For the uninitiated, Game of Thrones is an extremely popular American TV show broadcast on HBO, and for those that haven’t seen it yet: relax—this article is going to be spoiler free. Instead, we’re going to focus on the characters’ diverse array of accents which, with a good ear, can provide background on alliances and friendships in the land of Westeros.
The most obvious play to differentiate characters by accent comes between the people of Winterfell in the North, and the Lannisters in the South. Sean Bean—a native of Sheffield who uses his natural accent in the show—plays Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell. His best friend and King of Westeros, Robert Baratheon (played by Mark Addy), uses his native York accent. These two northern accents show the friendship and brotherhood between Robert and Eddard, and contrasts heavily with the more posh accent of the Lannisters, the main rivals of the Starks.
Game of Thrones isn’t exclusively British, though—some of the actors and actresses use their native accents from other European countries. For example, the actress who plays Melisandre—Carice van Houten—speaks her lines in her native Dutch accent. Several other German actors also use their native speech patterns, rather than taking on a fake British accent that could potentially ruin the illusion of the fantastical world of Westeros. For an American show, though, there’s a distinct lack of American accents…I guess Americans just associate non-American accents with legends and myths!
Despite all this effort to show camaraderie and tenuous alliances, sometimes the accents don’t match; the Stark children are a great example, as each of them speaks differently than their parents or one another. At that point though, it’s just nitpicking, and gets in the way of enjoying a great television series. Are you ready for the return? Only a few days more to wait! Winter Is Coming