Honor is held in high esteem in Westeros. Many have lived for it, and many others have died for it, as evidenced by one Eddard Stark and many other characters. This tragic Game of Thrones pattern of a virtue becoming a vice returns in House of the Dragon, where the idea of "honor" ultimately spells the end for a handful of characters.
Westeros politics often punish virtues and reward vices as the strong devour the weak, but that's never stopped the weak from trying to find their place in the world. Honor isn't a weakness but rather something that takes bravery to adhere to in the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately, that bravery rarely goes unpunished.
10 Aemma's Life Was Sacrificed For An Heir
One of the first deaths in House of the Dragon happens in the very first episode, "The Heirs of the Dragon." During a tournament celebrating his brother and soon-to-be newborn child, Viserys must choose between saving his wife, Aemma Arryn, and their baby. The king's desperation to produce a child that could inherit the Iron Throne forces his hand in choosing to save the newborn Baelon Targaryen.
Viserys's choice tragically spells Aemma's doom, as Westeros's ancient medical practices demand a brutal, lucid cesarean section which kills her slowly and painfully. As the king was getting up in the years, the chances to sire heirs were shrinking, and problems regarding succession would inevitably crop up without a trueborn son.
9 Joffrey Lonmouth Was A Hazard To Criston's Reputation
Before the final House of the Dragon episode preceding the ten-year time skip, Rhaenyra and Ser Criston engage in an impromptu tryst. As she was spotted in the city earlier, the details of her whereabouts are muddled, and rumors begin to spread. As a sworn knight of the Kingsguard, honor and strength are all the young Lord Commander has to his name, something he tarnished for a night of fun.
So it doesn't come as a surprise when Criston, in agony over his guilt, lashes out against Laenor's lover, Joffrey. When the latter insinuates that the cat is out of the bag, the former sees that he has no choice but to kill him to protect his secret and what pride he has left.
8 Laena Went Out In A Blaze Of Glory
Womanhood is a hard existence in Westeros, a fact that Laena Velaryon was all too aware of, yet it was a path she chose anyway. Being a dragonrider descended from Valyria's Lord of the Tides, she didn't want her story to end without ever knowing battle.
Laena's third and final pregnancy is when she realizes that her wish to "die a dragonrider's death" might not come true, dashed by complicated childbirth. And so, she marches onto the beach and commands a reluctant Vhagar to burn her alive. It may not have been on a battlefield, but Laena got the ending she wanted.
7 Harwin Had To Die To Keep The People Quiet
Harwin Strong, Captain of the City Watch, was a respected man and the true father of Rhaenyra's three sons, though no one would ever say that out loud. When the whispers about his progeny start getting louder, the royal family is desperate to silence them, which is where one Larys Strong comes into the picture.
Illegitimate children are the biggest shame a person can bring to their house in the Seven Kingdoms, especially the royal family. Harwin's death was only a matter of time, with so many suspects that even modern Westerosi scholars debate who could have orchestrated the Harrenhal fire.
6 The Crabfeeder Fell Victim To Daemon's Ambition
At the start of House of the Dragon, House Velaryon is caught in a violent struggle with the Triarchy of the Free Cities for control of the Stepstones. When Viserys withholds aid, Corlys Velaryon requests aid from the newly exiled Daemon. Daemon agrees, if only to prove himself to his brother. Craghas "Crabfeeder" Drahar, as general of the Triarchy's army, stands in the way of Daemon's path to redemption.
Then, when Viserys sends word that he's sending soldiers to help the war effort, Craghas's chances of winning are snuffed out entirely. The Crabfeeder's death was inevitable, but Daemon's determination to end the war without his brother's help only hastened the process.
5 Rhea Died To "Salvage" Rhaenyra's Virtue
Following the incident with Rhaenyra and Daemon in the pleasure house, the prince brings up the idea of marrying him to his niece to preserve her chastity, which many believe him to have taken. An angry Viserys banishes him yet again, this time to the Vale, where Lady Rhea Royce waits for him. The king goes through with this punishment, all while knowing the prince and his official wife didn't separate on good terms.
Their troubled relationship comes to a head when Daemon and Rhea reunite for the first time in what must have been years, and she immediately insults his manhood. Between the slight and standing in the way of him and Rhaenyra, Daemon is driven into a rage and kills her.
4 Several Tourney Knights Let Pride Cloud Their Judgment
What better way to earn honor and prestige for one's house than winning at a royal tournament? Bloodshed at a tourney during times of peace is rare, but anything can happen when combatants who have spent their lives training for combat finally have the chance to test their abilities. That doesn't mean it never happens, as shown by the chaotic melee that ensued in the first episode.
There's no doubt that many knights lost their lives at the tourney from their pride and hubris, but that's to be expected. Whether it was on the battlefield or at a tourney, death was coming the day they picked up and donned armor.
3 Jerrel Bracken Lost A Duel To A Child
During Rhaenyra's tour to find suitors, one notable candidate is a boy named Willem Blackwood from Storm's End. He makes an eager pitch to the princess despite his stature and age, but the princess remains unimpressed, and another man named Jerrel Bracken mocks the younger lord. The situation escalates when Willem draws his sword, unable to abide the slight to him and his house.
The younger lord ultimately proves victorious, dealing a fatal blow to Bracken. A duel between two nobles is only natural when one's honor is called into question or insulted, so it stands to reason that Blackwood's honor would spur him to issue the deadly challenge.
2 Vaemond Insulted The Princess And Her Sons
In any setting, fictional or nonfictional, insulting the successor to the monarchy is often tantamount to high treason. Vaemond Valeryon does just this in Episode Eight of House of the Dragon. As for why he did it, the motive is clear as day: he foresaw the end of his proud, ancient bloodline. With the kingdom so blatantly willing to hand his family's property and legacy to a boy who isn't trueborn, Vaemond decides that if he can't have Driftmark, no one can.
Unfortunately for him, Princess Rhaenys shuts the issue down before it can escalate. Dejected and furious, he lashes out one last time, calling Rhaenyra's children bastards and insulting the princess's virtue at the cost of his head.
1 Viserys Held On To See His Family United
Many viewers expected Viserys I's death to come far sooner than it did; many were confident that the aging king died back in "We Light the Way." The king only wanted one thing: to see his family set aside their grievances and coexist in harmony like in the old days. So when he finally passes away, satisfied and content, it has more of an impact than any murders or battles in House of the Dragon so far.
Viserys constantly ponders concepts like lineage throughout the show, something reflected in many of his actions. To him, his honor shaped his identity and how he would be remembered as a king and a person. He is the rare case of a character not dying in the course of defending his honor, but after seeing it cemented.