Why Did Aemond Kiss Alicent In 'House Of The Dragon' Season 3?

[Spoiler Alert] Everyone who is connected to the world of George R.R. Martin (which includes the readers of his books, the viewers of his shows, and his characters) is familiar with the topic of incest. Sure, it did shock us when we learnt that Cersei and Jamie were romantically involved despite being siblings. We were uncomfortable when Jon and Daenerys became a couple even though Jon was Daenerys’ nephew. So, by the time Uncle Daemon got into his niece Rhaenyra’s robes on that beach, nobody was all that surprised. Maybe the lack of surprise was scary, because it meant that we had become desensitized to this taboo topic. So, I suppose the showrunners of House of the Dragon Season 3 decided to jolt us to our senses by giving us a scene where Aemond kissed his mother, Alicent. And, kudos to them, because they were successful in their endeavor. I felt all the same emotions that I had experienced when I saw Cersei and Jamie exploring each other’s bodies up on that tower. Now, as soon as folks saw that unholy interaction between Aemond and Alicent, they brought out the term Oedipus complex and called it a day. But what is this Oedipus complex, and how does it apply to Aemond and Alicent? Does it apply at all? Or is it a moment that exists just for the sake of shocking us? Allow me to decipher.

Let’s start things off with the myth of Oedipus. Oedipus was the son of the king and queen of Thebes, Laius and Jocasta. But since the oracle of Delphi had told Laius that his son would kill him, the king crippled him, and the queen told her servant to abandon him on the mountain. But the servant gave the baby to a shepherd, who then gave it to Polybus and Merope, who lived in Corinth. Due to his mangled ankles and feet, the baby got the name Oedipus (it literally translates to “swollen foot”). Several years passed by, and then, one fine day, Oedipus got accused of being a bastard. Unable to tolerate that allegation, Oedipus went to that same oracle in Delphi and asked her what the hell was the truth about his lineage. The oracle didn’t give him a straight answer (because where’s the fun in that); she simply said that Oedipus was fated to kill his dad and marry his mother. Oedipus assumed that the oracle was referring to Polybus and Merope, and that scared him a lot, because he didn’t want to kill the people he loved so dearly. Hence, he left Corinth and began making his way to Thebes. He encountered Laius at a literal crossroads, and they got into a fight over who should be allowed to go first. Laius died and Oedipus continued his journey to Thebes. He came across a Sphinx and solved a riddle that she gave him, which prompted the Sphinx to die by suicide. Since the Sphinx was a major source of trouble for Thebes, and given how Oedipus had killed her, he got to marry Jacosta and became the ruler of the kingdom.

Several years into Oedipus’ rule, Thebes was struck with a plague of infertility, which, as per the aforementioned oracle, could be solved by punishing the one who had murdered Laius. There was a lot of confusion after that because, well, Oedipus himself was Laius’ killer. The investigation into that murder led Jacosta to the revelation that Oedipus was actually her son, and that supposedly prompted her to kill herself. When Oedipus learnt the truth about his lineage, he blinded and then exiled himself. That whole part (Jacosta’s death and Oedipus’ blinding) varies according to the source you’re reading; so, you are free to take your pick. Which brings us to Sigmund Freud’s Oedipus complex theory. Freud said that a boy’s sexual impulses towards his mother usually begin when he becomes aware of the concept of prostitution. The concept of sexual love becomes muddled and the line between a mother and a sex worker seemingly becomes blurred. It triggers the boy’s sexual fantasies about his mother while viewing his father as a thorn in his path. There’s also some resentment towards the mother, because how dare she provide sexual favors to his father instead of her son. As per Freud, one of the ways of resolving this conflict is if the son understands his social position in relation to his father (it’s important that he’s not bullied into realizing that), stops seeing his father as competition, regulates his sexual attraction towards his mother, and becomes mature enough to find partners on their own (hopefully not related by blood). If that transformation doesn’t happen, the son might end up arrogant, pretentious, and hostile. Now, how does this all apply to Aemond?

One way to look at it is that Viserys, Aemond’s father, was king, which made Alicent the queen. After Viserys’ death, Aegon was next in line, making Alicent the queen dowager. After Aegon fled King’s Landing, Aemond sat on the throne. So, you can see Aemond as Oedipus and Alicent as Jacosta. The eye-blinding incident happened a little too early in Aemond’s case, but sure, the shoe kinda fits. But what about the “seeing your father as your competition” part? When Aemond lost his eye, it was Alicent who came to his defence, while Viserys constantly questioned him for irking Jacaerys and Lucerys regarding their true lineage. Viserys was the king, while Aemond was a prince. Hence, yeah, you could say that he saw his father as competition when it came to being Alicent’s romantic partner. However, given how neither Viserys nor Aegon posed a physical danger to Aemond, that theory doesn’t really work. That said, if you bring Criston into the equation, things start to make sense. For starters, Criston is the one who trained Aemond in the way of the sword, thereby making him a physical threat. Aemond definitely has an inkling about Alicent’s affair with Criston. While searching for Aegon, Criston was the one who introduced Aemond to Sylvi (the name of the brothel was apparently Mother’s). Aemond didn’t derive sexual satisfaction from Sylvi, but a sort of weird motherly love from her; thereby blurring the line between sex worker and mother. Meanwhile, said mother was getting intimate with Criston and keeping Aemond away from the throne. That’s how you end up with your mixture of resentment, emasculation, and psychosexual obsession brewing inside Aemond.

For the most part, Aemond had an amicable relationship with Criston; he almost treated him as his equal as they discussed battle plans and strategies. But, based on recent actions, I don’t think Aemond did so because he loved Criston’s company or respected his advice. I suppose it was a “keep your enemies closer” kinda situation; you know, because he saw Criston as his opponent in his endeavor to be the “man of the house.” As long as Criston, Alicent, and Aemond were under the same roof, Aemond kept himself in check. On top of that, when Criston was around, Alicent didn’t treat him like someone who would become king one day. When Criston was posted in the Riverlands, Alicent bowed down to Aemond in order to get him to board Vhagar and fly to Harrenhal. Of course, she did that as a part of her plan to usher Rhaenyra into King’s Landing, but I think Aemond interpreted it as a sign of subservience. He thought that Alicent had finally prioritized him over Criston; which meant that he had won the battle for Alicent’s attention, and Criston was the loser, a common soldier who would never have what he truly wants. Yes, Alicent wanted Aemond to think that she was being subservient; what she didn’t expect was for Aemond to react to it in such an incestuous way. In the Inside the Episode video for House of the Dragon Season 3 episode 1, Ewan Mitchell basically said that Aemond wasn’t actually listening to Alicent; he was hearing what he wanted to hear. Olivia Cooke said that that was the only way Aemond knew how to express his love for his mother. She said that it was like his first kiss, but maybe that actually was Aemond’s first kiss, something that he had reserved for the woman he “truly loved.”

So, yeah, in my opinion, Aemond’s Oedipal complex wasn’t triggered by his biological father, Viserys, but by Alicent’s “daddy,” Criston. In that case, it’s possible that the rivalry between Aemond and Criston is gonna end with the latter’s death. As for Aemond and Alicent, I’m not sure if that’s a relationship that’s meant to be or if it will end in death. Either way, this taboo relationship is gonna have a psychological impact on both of them, because it’s too bizarre for anyone to digest. Oedipus and Jocasta remained a couple for several years because nobody knew that they were blood relatives. Once they did, the situation spiralled out of control. In Aemond and Alicent’s case, everyone knows their dynamic, which is probably why it won’t happen. Yes, the Targaryens (and later on, the Lannisters) have a history of marrying their own. But that’s limited to uncles marrying their nieces or aunts romancing their nephews. Not mother and son stuff, right? Based on that, I will say that there’s a good chance that Aemond is basically echoing the incestuous romance between Rhaenyra and Daemon. He probably thinks that if the union of that uncle and niece can be celebrated by their supporters, why can’t the union of a son and mother? To you and I, that concept will seem weird, but to Aemond, a boy whose ideas of love, violence, and power have been twisted since the very beginning, it might be normal. As for Alicent not resisting Aemond’s advances, despite knowing what’s taboo and what’s not, she probably treated it as a fleeting moment or something that wouldn’t matter once Rhaenyra takes the throne. Had she resisted Aemond in that moment, he might’ve gotten too aggressive for her to control. She was clearly not reciprocating Aemond’s feelings for her. Anyway, those are the thoughts that have spun out of my mind after witnessing Aemond and Alicent kiss. If you have any opinions on the same, let me know in the comments section below.