It’s no secret that The Lord of the Rings (LoTR) and Game of Thrones (GoT) are two of the most popular fantasy series ever made. Both are in the fantasy realm of magic, enchanted objects, dark forces, and mythical creatures, and utilize popular fantasy elements to tell their stories. Most people, though, perceive the two as very different from each other; this is a good thing, since both are quality series that don’t try to copy one another.
It's easy to see why they're considered appealing to two very different audiences. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy is much more family-friendly and doesn’t have the harsh violence or graphic nudity that the Game of Thrones television series has. In addition, LoTR celebrates friendship and the power of working together. Perhaps its most meaningful message is that even the smallest of creatures, a hobbit, can make a difference.
Opposite that, GoT is known for its shocking betrayals and executions. No character is safe in a show that loves to take drastic twists and turns. GoT is known for its incestuous relationships, extreme sex scenes, and bloody violence. However, despite being on opposite sides of the fantasy genre, both utilize genre tropes in ways that are much more similar than you'd initially think.
Similar Evil Forces and End Goals to Destroy Them
When you look at LoTR and GoT, both series have similarly structured protagonists and antagonists (even if it’s difficult to tell at times who is who in GoT). Additionally, both series have similar evil forces at work and goals to destroy them. For LoTR, Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship want to destroy the ring of power, the one ring to rule them all by casting it into the fires of Mount Doom. The ring of power possesses the dark magic of Sauron and its bearer starts to slowly lose control to its evil force until eventually, its bearer is completely under the control of Sauron, who wants to rule the whole of Middle-earth.
While many of the characters in GoT fight over control of the Iron Throne to rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the underlining theme (which has become a very popular meme) is that winter is coming, foreshadowing something bad – the White Walkers. The White Walkers are a horde of ice zombies hellbent on destroying mankind. They are ruled by the supreme commander, The Night King, who possesses the ability to directly control anyone in his army. They dwell in the far North, deep beyond The Wall, but during the series, they slowly make their way south to Westeros.
Essentially, both shows are about power struggles. Sauron wants to dominate Middle-earth, The Night King wants to destroy Westeros, and the various characters in GoT fight over the Iron Throne and command of The Seven Kingdoms. Basically, everyone wants to rule the world.
Intertwining Stories
Another aspect that LoTR and GoT have in common are their complicated, intertwined stories and massive ensemble casts. This is almost a must if you want a fantasy series to be successful. Audiences love deep, thought-out, complex tales that involve multiple facets that work together to tell the big picture. While things are very straightforward in the first LoTR film, The Fellowship of The Ring, things get complicated in the second and third films as the Fellowship splits and each party goes on a side quest, each having their own role to play in the destruction of the one ring.
In GoT, many of the characters work against one another, forming flimsy alliances that are bound to break when convenient. With nine main different houses in Westeros (House Stark, Targaryen, Lannister, Greyjoy, Tyrell, Baratheon, Martell, Arryn, and Tully), things easily get complicated when it comes to loyalty. However, all these different houses mean that something is always going on and throughout the series, there are always multiple schemes playing out before our eyes. Therefore, the plot is never dull. Finally, we can’t forget that both series had characters played by Sean Bean, and unfortunately, both of those characters, Boromir and Eddard “Ned” Stark perished.
A Dash of Romance
Hollywood seems to think that no movie or television series is complete without a romance or two mixed in. This is evident in both LoTR and GoT, as both have romance. In LoTR, the main romantic relationship on display is the love between Aragorn and half-elf Arwen of Rivendell. Plus, we can’t forget about the marriage of Samwise Gamgee and Rosie Cotton which happens towards the end of the third film.
Both of these two relationships are very traditional and innocent, compared to the orgies and sexual assault we see happening quite frequently in GoT. There are one too many relationships to name in the HBO show, as it seems its creator, George R.R. Martin, wanted to really amp up the lovemaking in both his novels and the television show for which he served as executive producer.
Tolkien and Martin
Born in 1892, English writer and philologist John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, commonly known by his pen name J.R.R. Tolkien, has been called the father of fantasy and is world-renowned for his works such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. For many, both his books and his films are the best fantasy has to offer, and even almost 20 years later, there is still a big cult following around the Peter Jackson films. J.R.R. Tolkien has inspired many fantasy writers, including George Raymond Richard Martin, otherwise known as George R.R. Martin, who took inspiration from Tolkien to create his famous A Song of Ice and Fire book series.
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Now, George R.R. Martin has been dubbed “the American Tolkien” as it seems he is the new father of fantasy. Lastly, while the two “R’s” stand for the authors’ middle and chosen confirmation names, it still seems like a strong coincidence that they both are two “R’s." Is it just a coincidence that G.R.R. Martin chose to use an acronym so similar to J.R.R. Tolkien? Or was he perhaps paying homage to the late and great father of fantasy himself?
Same Genre, Different Audiences
While LoTR and GoT have a lot in common, they also appeal to two very different audiences. That’s because GoT has branded itself as being an adult fantasy, with nearly nothing being off limits while LoTR is much more family-friendly and nothing shown on screen is past the PG-13 realm. Although some viewers prefer one over the other, many are fans of both series.
Luckily, LoTR and GoT don’t try to compete with one another. While both are fantasy, there are very different styles. GoT is very political, while LoTR is considered to be high, epic fantasy and its world is very whimsical.