The Significance of Alicent Hightower’s Green Dress in ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 5

The fifth episode of House of the Dragon promises to be the most consequential yet in the season. At the welcome feast for the royal wedding celebrations between Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and Ser Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan), Queen Alicent (Emily Carey) shows up late.

And not only does she show up lateshe enters during her husband King Viserys (Paddy Considine)’s speech, and she wears a green dress.

The significance of Alicent’s green dress does not go unnotified. As she walks in, Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), the son of the new hand of the king, says to his brother, Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr), “The beacon on the Hightower. Do you know what color it glows when old town calls its banners to war?” The reply? “Green.”

Alicent’s dress, then, can be understood as a declaration of civil war foreshadowing the Targaryen civil to come. Before this, she had dressed in Targaryen colors in public.

In Fire & Bloodthe George RR Martin book that House of the Dragon is based on, Alicent first wears a green dress for a different occasion on her fifth wedding anniversary. Martin explains, “In 111 AC, a great tourney was held at King’s Landing on the fifth anniversary of the king’s marriage to Queen Alicent. At the opening feast, the queen wore a green gown, whilst the princess dressed dramatically in Targaryen red and black. Note was taken, and thereafter it became custom to refer to ‘greens’ and ‘blacks’ when talking of the queen’s party and the party of the princess, respectively.”