Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) from Game of Thrones is one of the most despicable characters ever to grace the television screen. Born to privilege as the son of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), he refused to believe rumblings that he actually was the love child of his mother and her biological twin brother, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and thus wasn’t the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. More important than his lineage, however, is that he was bratty, cruel, and entitled, which is why his gruesome death was actually a celebratory moment for fans.
Some who glazed over the death scene, however, and who might have missed a later admission, may not have realized that it was Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) who was responsible for his death, not Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), and even those who know may not understand how she did it. It required contributions from several people, one of whom didn’t even know they were involved in the plan, and another who was all too willing to help.
What Really Happened to Joffrey in Game of Thrones
After Joffrey is wedded to Margaery (Natalie Dormer), they enjoy a show put on by dwarfs at their reception. Being the awful person that he is, Joffrey mocks his uncle Tyrion, suggesting he should put on a costume and join them on stage. Tyrion’s response is a passive-aggressive insult to his nephew, suggesting he might be more suitable up there instead, alluding to Joffrey’s cowardly behavior at the Battle of the Blackwater.
Not one to be embarrassed, Joffrey pours his wine on Tyrion, throws his wine goblet, and orders his uncle to pick it up and bring him a new glass. While drinking this new glass of wine, Joffrey begins to choke violently. He gasps for air, blood flowing from his eyes and nose, his face turning purple. It’s not long before he perishes in one of the best plot twists in Game of Thrones, using his last breath to point accusingly at Tyrion, who is inspecting the wine glass in bewilderment.
How did it happen? Earlier on, Sansa (Sophie Turner) is gifted an amethyst necklace from Olenna, one of the most badass women in the series. But one of the amethysts in the necklace was replaced with a crystallized version of the poison known as the Strangler. Olenna had Petyr Baelish, a.k.a. Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen), smuggle it in for her. Petyr was able to ensure that Sansa was sitting close enough to Joffrey. At the dinner, Olenna pretended to adjust the necklace on Sansa’s neck, as if it had twisted, but discreetly grabbed the poison from it. She then waited for the perfect opportunity and dropped it into Joffrey’s wine, where it dissolved before he took a sip.
Following the death, all signs pointed to Tyrion being the killer. It isn’t until Season 7, right before her death, that Olenna confesses to what she had done. She tells Jaime, Joffrey’s biological father, about hiding the toxin in Sansa’s necklace. She chides him in describing how awful it must have been to see his son die that way. “It was horrible enough for me,” she says, “a shocking scene, not at all what I intended. You see, I’d never seen the poison work before.” Olenna orchestrated the perfect plan and kept it a secret until divulging the truth served her.
Why Did Olenna Conspire to Kill Joffrey?
The reason for Olenna wanting to get rid of Joffrey, one of the best of the worst characters, is obvious. She knew how much of a tyrant he was and heard even worse stories than she could imagine about him from Sansa. She didn’t want her granddaughter to have to endure him. She wanted to protect Margaery from his wrath but also ensure her family remained in a position of strength.
With Joffrey out of the picture, Margaery would be able to court Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) instead, the softer, kinder brother who could be easily manipulated. She could then retain her status as queen without having to put up with Joffrey and his tyrannical antics. Of the two brothers, Tommen was a much more suitable prospect, and Olenna knew it. In fact, she even encouraged Margaery to seduce Tommen shortly after Joffrey’s death. Olenna was willing to make this risky move to get Joffrey out of the way. A pleasant byproduct of this move was also helping Sansa break free of the Lannisters by framing Tyrion for the murder.
When Olenna admitted to Jaime that she killed Joffrey, she wasn’t doing it to clear her conscience. She wanted to remind the Lannisters that the Tyrells were powerful people, and they weren’t to be messed with. Though Cersei murdered her family, Olenna wanted to make sure that the Tyrells got the last laugh. So, she enjoyed a final moment of boasting to watch them suffer in the revelation. “Tell Cersei,” she advises Jaime in one of her best quotes. “I want her to know it was me.”
What Did Petyr Get Out of the Deal?
Littlefinger, of course, simply loved to cause chaos and make power moves that would help him move up the ranks, positioning himself in a favorable way since he had no real claim to the Iron Throne. If he could prove invaluable to a family that did, he wouldn’t need to be part of a royal bloodline to have power. In helping Olenna, he would prove himself worthy and resourceful. Helping her family get closer to the throne also meant he would get closer as a trusted confidante.
No one liked Joffrey anyway, and with him gone, everyone else who felt they were deserving of the Iron Throne was one step closer. Joffrey’s death would cause chaos, and Petyr thrived on that. Along with causing a ruckus and ingratiating himself with the Tyrells, he also had it out for Tyrion due to his manipulation in Season 2. So, being able to frame him was the icing on the cake. He arranged the show with dwarf performers for the wedding reception with the sole purpose of humiliating Tyrion.
Knowing what Joffrey was like, Petyr likely knew Joffrey would not be able to resist taking a jab at his uncle with the opportunity presented to him. He also knew Tyrion well enough to know that the man wouldn’t be able to remain quiet, and it would likely have resulted in some type of altercation between them. It would be enough of a distraction to give Olenna time to drop the poison into the wine.
Of course, we also can’t forget that Sansa was set to wed Tyrion and Petyr was in love with her. So getting rid of both Joffrey and Tyrion would open the door for him and make him look like a hero. This was yet another incentive for Petyr to help set up what would be one of the most memorable scenes of the show, smirking as he watched it all go down and blame flew in every direction but his. Petyr was despicable, but he was undoubtedly crafty and one of the smartest characters in Game of Thrones. With this move alongside Olenna, another fiercely powerful character on the show who didn’t get the credit she deserved, the king was officially slain.
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