Game of Thrones - Joffrey Baratheon / Characters

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King Joffrey Baratheon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/joffrey_baratheon.png

"The king can do as he likes!"

Played By: Jack Gleeson

Voiced By: Alan Prieto (Latin American Spanish), Javier Balas (European Spanish), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese)

"We've had vicious kings, and we've had idiot kings, but I don't know if we've ever been cursed with a vicious idiot for a king!"

— Tyrion Lannister

The eldest son of King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister. Officially, at least. The truth is that Jaime Lannister, the queen's own twin brother, is his biological father, and also of his siblings. He is a spoiled, sadistic bully, who couldn't care less about the kingdom's problems and only thinks about his privileges. He becomes King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm after the death of Robert Baratheon. Impulsive and with low intelligence, even insulting and threatening his own allies, Joffrey orders the death of Ned Stark, and ends up destroying any chance of the conflict between the Lannisters and Starks ending peacefully. But Joffrey will soon find out that his actions have consequences that could end up turning against him...

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0% Approval Rating: A Puppet King variation. Nevertheless, nobody likes Joffrey. Not the nobility, not the smallfolk, not the people in between. He's so hated that the mere sight of him riding through the streets is enough to provoke a full-blown riot. Even his own family members are no exception, except maybe his mother Cersei and even she wouldn't mind him being subjected to some of his grandfather's "discipline." Overall, it seems like the only people who don't have something nasty to say about it are either trying to curry favor with him for their own ends or simply aren't in a position to say what they think without risking execution for it.
Abusive Offspring: Joffrey Baratheon has zero qualms about mistreating his own mother, Cersei Lannister, despite or maybe because of the fact that she's the one that always enabled his worst impulses. Even though he had first appeared close to her and was made King of the kingdom because of her, he has shown that he has no respect for her and is willing to ignore her advice to act on his cruel, impulsive actions, which she enabled. When Cersei tries to put her foot down and get him to listen to her, Joffrey makes it clear that he has no qualms about executing his own mother, getting her too afraid to control him anymore. This is very contrasted with the book series, where Cersei was the one person Joffrey loved, never threatened and listened to, even if he wasn't above ignoring and moving around her advice to do cruel, impulsive actions. The main problem was that Cersei never had a problem with most of Joffrey's brutal actions, and the things she did have a problem with, she chose never to bring up to Joffrey.
Adaptation Expansion: Similar to Robb Stark, Joffrey is another character who benefitted from having a more direct presence in the Live Action adaptation. In the novels, most of Joffrey's role is limited to the perspectives offered by Tyrion and Sansa, who were both POV characters. Live Action Joffrey meanwhile is treated as a main character in his own right and gets a more expanded role, such as his relationship with Margaery and mulitude of examples listed under Adaptational Villainy.
Adaptational Intelligence: While still Stupid Evil of the highest degree, Joffrey in the show has extensive knowledge of Westerosi history and has, on occasion, made some valid points. Book Joffrey has none of these moments of insight and is shown to disdain reading in general.
Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Joffrey's engagement to Margaery is given more prominence in the show than it was in the books, by virtue of the two actually becoming POV characters in their own right in the show versus the book. In the show, Margaery is the one character Joffrey is actually shown to be affectionate towards, as she actually manages to appeal to his ego. She uses his eagerness to impress her to her advantage to try and mold him into becoming a better king.
Adaptational Villainy: He's already a vile monster in the books but the TV series makes him worse. In the television series, Joffrey is the one who orders both the massacre of Robert's bastards and the assassination attempt on Tyrion during the battle of the Blackwater, whereas in the books it was Cersei who was responsible for both orders. He also treats Cersei horribly, has Ros beat another prostitute and flat-out murders Ros by hogtying her to a bedpost and riddling her with crossbow bolts because he simply wanted to explore what it feels like to murder someone yourself.
Adaptational Wimp: Surprisingly, Joffrey was not as much a Boisterous Weakling in the books—he's still a coward, but he's said to be tall and strong for his age, even taller than both Jon and Robb who are three years Joffrey's senior. And when King Robert Baratheon visits Winterfell, he spars on equal footing with Robb despite the age difference. Joffrey also volunteers to fight during the Battle of Blackwater, and actually contributes to the battle. He only leaves the battle when browbeaten into doing so by Cersei, and still expresses desire to command the crossbowmen. In the TV show, he does none of these things.
Adapted Out: Some of his more vicious moments in the books are given to someone else (and replaced with new vicious moments);
- It was Littlefinger rather than Joffrey who arranged the attack on Bran after Jaime pushed him off the tower.
- In the books, Joffrey kills peasants with a crossbow, nails antlers on the heads of Stannis's supporters and tries to convince Tywin to exterminate three Houses. The show version never commits these crimes.
- In the books, Joffrey murdered a pregnant cat as a child to show he was a monster from the start. Here, he's mentioned as having been a happy child who showed no signs of what he would become.
Age Lift: 12 in the books, mid-to-late teens in the show. This is something of a case of Pragmatic Adaptation, as there is a clear limit as to how far you can push it when your actor is 20 years old.
Authority in Name Only: He may have his arse plonked firmly on the Iron Throne, but it's obvious to everyone that Tywin is the sole reason he continues to keep it.
Ax-Crazy: In one of his first scenes without the supervision of another Lannister, the sweet prince begins to cut Mycah with his sword and threatens to gut Arya before Nymeria intervenes. He proceeds to get much, much worse.
Bad "Bad Acting": During the ceremony in which he dismisses Sansa and takes Margaery as his betrothed, it is clear he's putting on a show for the court. He even turns to his mother in anticipation for her line before she starts speaking.
Badass Boast: Subverted; he's fond of reminding everyone that he's the King in a fashion that suggests he expects them to be so overcome by his otherworldly awesomeness that they start bowing and scraping to him instinctively. In truth, whenever he does so, it only really seems to underscore how ultimately petty, inadequate and out of his depth he really is. After all, as his grandfather points out to him, a 'powerful' man who constantly feels the need to remind everyone how powerful he is doesn't really have that much power at all.
Joffrey: You are talking to the King!
Tyrion: [Gives him a smack] And now I've struck a King! Did my hand fall from my wrist?
Bad Boss: He's rude, abrasive and thinks nothing of ordering people killed for minor slights.
Bad People Abuse Animals: Tommen relates that Joffrey periodically threatened to kill and skin his pet cat, then mix the cat's remains up into Tommen's food. ^{From The Books}
Bait the Dog: In "The Kingsroad", he seems to act decently enough in front of Sansa. Then he gets to bullying the butcher's son...
Bastard Bastard: It's revealed that he's not Robert's son, but the product of Jaime and Cersei's incest. In the second season, he learns of it through Stannis' pronouncement and asks his mother about the terrible rumor he's heard about her and "Uncle Jaime". Though he outwardly denies it, he might believe it deep down, given that he orders the murder of Robert's illegitimate children as a form of insurance.
Believing Their Own Lies: He thinks of himself as The Hero who single-handedly protected King's Landing from Evil Overlord Stannis Baratheon and triumphed over the Starks. The competence displayed by his grandfather Tywin and uncle Tyrion don't figure in this vision at all, let alone the fact that he was a Dirty Coward whose Ax-Crazy nature started the war in the first place.
Berserk Button: He hates having his authority challenged and will often punish someone cruelly if they do so. When someone beyond his power to punish undermines his authority, such as Tywin or Tyrion, it typically results in a temper tantrum.
Big Bad Wannabe:
- Despite being an undeniably monstrous character, Joffrey is only a threat because his title allows him to make frequent stupid and sadistic decisions without fear of repercussion. It's clear that if not for the cunning machinations of his uncle, Tyrion, and grandfather, Tywin, Joffrey would have ended up a head on a pike a long time ago.
- He later expresses the belief that he was the sole individual responsible for ending the War of the Five Kings, despite Stannis still being alive to return to fight another day, the on-going Greyjoy Rebellion, as well as the Riverlands and the entire North still not being under any semblance of control.
  Joffrey: They know I won the war!
  Jaime: The war's not won. Not while Stannis lives.
  Joffrey: I broke Stannis at the Blackwater!
Big Brother Bully: He tormented Tommen by threatening to have his cat Ser Pounce skinned and the meat then served to him in his food.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Briefly pretends to be a decent guy in front of Sansa. He puts up the same charade for Margaery.
Blood from Every Orifice: The sure visual sign, after his poisoning, that he's completely and utterly screwed is blood coming out of his mouth, his nose, and his eyes.
Blood Lust: Not only does he love to see people get killed or maimed like his counterpart in the books, but it's taken further as being a sexual fetish for him, seeing as how he enjoyed one whore beating another and later putting arrows in said whore.
Boisterous Weakling: He tries to live up to Robert's standards of jovial badassery, but his disastrous upbringing turned him into an arrogant, unpredictable and sadistic coward.
The Bully: Joffrey takes immense pleasure in using his power and status to inflict pain on others. Ultimately, when you cut through all the trappings of privilege and royalty and sadism, he's just what happens when a bully is given too much power and too little pushback.
Butt-Monkey: Despite being the king, he is definitely one of these as no one in his inner circle respects or even likes him, his grandfather and uncle boss him around and insult him easily and every scene where he tries to assert his authority ends with him being humiliated. You'd almost feel sorry for him if he weren't such a reprehensible little brat that easily gets slapped around by Tyrion a few times.
Bratty Teenage Son: Cersei raised and encouraged her son's despicable behavior before he became king. Joffrey is a spiteful, impulsive, egotistical, short-tempered and whiny sadist who abuses and takes advantage of almost anyone he meets.
The Caligula: Quickly shapes up into this after taking the throne and even bears some resemblance to the real one. Joffrey just seems to want to inflict pain and death. One of his lines from the Season 3 finale is rather telling:
Joffrey: Everyone is mine to torment!
Can't Take Criticism: Disagreements, undermining his authority and insulting him are a good way to send Joffrey into a rage.
Card-Carrying Villain: When Tyrion tells the sadistic Joffrey that now that Sansa is no longer his wife so she's no longer his to torment, he arrogantly responds by saying
Joffrey: Everyone is mine to torment. You'd do well to remember that you little monster.
Cassandra Truth: He, of all people, was one of the few Westerosi to seriously consider Daenerys and her dragons a credible threat, demanding that something be done about them before an apple could grow into a carriage. Long after his death, Dany conquers King's Landing in a crushing Curb-Stomp Battle whose staggering death toll includes both of Joffrey's biological parents; this was only made possible due to the sheer power of Dany's fully-matured dragon, Drogon.
Character Death: He's poisoned at his own wedding and the poison makes him choke on his own vomit before dying.
Character Development:
- In a rather horrible way: Joffrey quickly develops from a bullying weakling that nobody has much nice to say about to a Caligula-esque psychotic whom everybody hates after he obtains the Iron Throne — to the point that he's compared to another famous monster in Westerosi history (Aerys II) unfavourably.
- By Season 3, Joffrey's learned a bit more about being a Villain with Good Publicity and using Stealth Insults instead, largely thanks to the influence of Margaery.
Character Tics: He has a habit of shifting his weight from side to side when he's agitated or excited, making him look like he's swinging from left to right. It may or may not have something to do with his being inbred and mentally unstable.
The Conspiracy: He's killed by a conspiracy between Olenna Tyrell, Petyr Baelish, Ser Dontos Hollard and (unintentionally) Sansa Stark at his own wedding.
Crown of Horns: His crown has stylized stag antlers.
Cruel and Unusual Death: It would be little exaggeration to label Joffrey's death — suffocating painfully on his own blood and vomit — as quite possibly, and quite fittingly, the most brutal death in the entire show up until Oberyn's death at the hands of Gregor Clegane, which says a lot; he gets assassinated by a fittingly brutal poison and is left choking on his own vomit and seizing up at his own wedding celebration. Furthermore, in a fantastic twist of cosmic irony, he dies in the exact same manner as Robb Stark: brutally betrayed and butchered at a wedding while his mother is forced to watch.
Deadly Nosebleed: Happens during his final minutes, clearly indicating that the poison has claimed his life.
Death by Irony: Joffrey ends up dying much in the same way as Robb Stark, the man whose death he so thoroughly mocked. Killed by treachery at a wedding whilst his mother is forced to watch as he dies a painful death. For additional irony, "The Rains of Castamere" is being played shortly before his death. Also, as open as his misogynistic behavior and distaste for "the wailing of women" is, he dies listening to his mother's cries as he slowly suffocates thanks to Olenna Tyrell, a woman. Despite thinking "everyone is mine to torment," his treatment of his favorite target Sansa directly leads to the motive of his assassination.
Devil in Plain Sight: Sansa ignores most of his faults because she is love with him in Season 1. She wakes up to what sort of person he is once he has her father executed.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: Dies with both his biological parents at his side.
Didn't Think This Through: He gave no thought at all to how his executing Ned Stark would utterly destroy the already fragile alliance with the North. His only focus on what was satisfying to him in the moment.
Dirty Coward: He acts tough, particularly when he is certain of being in a position of authority, but when Arya points a sword at him he cries like a baby (though she had her direwolf helping her). There's also the scene when Tyrion bitch-slaps him, repeatedly, for his mocking refusal to at least pay lip service to the Starks. Then in the second season, not only does he not do anything when Tyrion outright calls him a "vicious idiot king", but Tyrion gets away with slapping him again and mockingly asks if his hand had fallen from his wrist for striking the king. He panics very quickly during the Battle of the Blackwater and runs off when he hears that his mother has called for him, his voice visibly cracking as he does so, although he was reluctant to leave at that point.
Disc-One Final Boss: Was a main villain for three seasons, but dies early in the fourth season.
Disproportionate Retribution: To quote Tyrion Lannister...
Tyrion: They threw a cow pie at you, so you decide to kill them all! They're starving, you fool!
Droit du Seigneur: During "Second Sons" he essentially threatens Sansa with this, saying that it doesn't matter which Lannister puts a baby in her.
Dumbass Has a Point: Despite repeatedly demonstrating himself to be a suicidally stupid Psychopathic Manchild, he tends to have one millisecond of utter clarity per season until he died, played for Dramatic Irony. Of course, this is not helped by Joffrey's inclination towards ridiculing, humiliating, and dominating those around him, even to people where it's not wise to do so, especially his grandfather.
- Season 1: When asked how he would resolve the various conflicts at court, Joffrey makes the astute point that a feudal system makes it incredibly difficult for a single ruling faction (the Iron Throne) to maintain authority over a territory as big as the Seven Kingdoms, given the vast diversity in loyalties and military power between the ruling lords. He instead suggests forming a centralised national military who are highly-trained and loyal to the state itself. It's an innovative idea that in real life is the foundation of almost all modern armies, and one that Daenerys later uses to great effect by folding all her armies into her cult of personality.
- Season 2: He points out that with the Greyjoys tearing at Robb Stark's flank, an attack by the Lannisters would wipe them out. He's right, but he's also forgetting the small fact that Stannis Baratheon is about to hit King's Landing very much the way a sledgehammer hits an egg.
- Season 3: Joffrey is one of the few people in Westeros who takes the rumours of Daenerys Targaryen and her three dragons seriously. When he voices his concerns, Tywin instantly and condescendingly dismisses the dragons as "curiosities on the far side of the world" and claims that the skull of the last Targaryen dragon was the size of an apple; Joffrey counters that the oldest skull was the size of a carriage. This inaction by Westeros - which gets distracted by the War Of The Five Kings - allows the dragons to mature into the army-destroying monstrosities that Joffrey had feared them to be, and they ultimately strike a deathblow against House Lannister.
- Also from Season 3, Joffrey calls out Tywin for his cowardice during Robert's Rebellion, pointing out that all Tywin really did was march on King's Landing after Robert had already decided the outcome. Granted, he's saying this to the power behind his own regime, but no one can actually say he is wrong.
  Joffrey: My father won the real war. He killed Prince Rhaegar, he took the crown, while you hid under Casterly Rock!
Dumbass Teenage Son: Joffrey's known for his impulsivity, ineptitude and ignorance and while still being the oldest of Cersei's inbred children.
Dumb Blonde: A male example. He has blond hair and is regularly shown to be unintelligent. His Dumbass Has a Point moments are relatively rare.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: More like, "Even Bad Men Worship Their Papas". Despite their sometimes rocky relationship, Joffrey did truly admire Robert and always tried to live up to the standards of the legendary warrior. When Robert is on his deathbed and lamenting his failures as a father, Joffrey looks utterly devastated at his realization of the man's impending death. It may be the only time in the series that he's genuinely sympathetic. After Robert dies, Joffrey continues to hero-worship him and does not like anyone deriding the man in any way. A bard learned that the hard way.
Even Evil Can Be Loved: His mother genuinely loves him despite all his horrid behavior, as she admits in "Mhysa", in one of her rare sympathetic moments:
Tyrion: You have children. How happy would you say you are?
Cersei: Not very. But if it weren't for my children, I would have thrown myself from the highest tower in the Red Keep. They're the reason I'm alive.
Tyrion: Even Joffrey?
Cersei: Even Joffrey. He was all I had once, before Myrcella was born. I used to spend hours looking at him. His wisps of hair. His tiny hands and feet. He was such a jolly little fellow. You always hear the terrible ones were terrible babies. "We should have known. Even then, we should have known." It's nonsense. Whenever he was with me, he was happy. And no one can take that away from me. Not even Joffrey. How it feels to have someone. Someone of your own.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: It's out of worshipping rather than genuine love, but as evil as he is, Joffrey does seem to genuinely like Margaery; part of the reason he's so easily manipulated by her is he's genuinely interested in impressing her. Margaery, for her part, can find ways to make Joffrey at least act like a better person, showing how to use kindness to earn applause from crowds, something Joffrey desperately wants, and gets him to do charity work, even if just to improve his horrible PR. Its clear Margaery has no real love for him, but he seems to have some twisted affection for her that she's able to manipulate to her uses.
Even Evil Has Standards: He was disgusted by the "rumor" of "Uncle" Jaime and Cersei. Which may be why he responded brashly when he more or less learned it was true.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He is baffled when Margaery stops to donate some toys and spend time with the children in an orphanage of Flea Bottom. During dinner, we hear Joffrey speak of her work (in a positive light, mind you) as if charity were some strange and obscure, but totally alien concept. When Jack Gleeson was asked in an interview what sort of thing Joffrey would never do, he has to think hard before responding with "charity work" instead of something vile.
Joffrey: Well as Ser Loras said, Lady Margaery has done this sort of, uh... charitable work before.
Evil Counterpart:
- To Robert's actual (but illegitimate) son, Gendry.
- Very subtle, but he serves as one to Daenerys as well. Aside from having their own reasons for being claimants to the throne, both are from houses hailed for their good looks, are products of inbreeding, and have very visible blood lust. Later on, Danaerys becomes more of a Mirror Character, becoming an unhinged tyrant herself.
- Ultimately, he shares the most in common with Robb Stark. They both rise to power at the exact same time after the deaths of their father. While Robb has a mind for combat and fights on the front lines with his men, Joffrey is a Dirty Coward who relies on others to do his work for him. They ultimately both have the same Fatal Flaw of developing political enemies which results in the two having similar deaths.
  - It's even evident in the way they dress: Robb is Modest Royalty and rarely seen out of his utilitarian plate armor or cold-weather furs; Joffrey is pretty much The Dandy.
  - It also shows up in how their deaths are mentioned. Robb is seen as a martyr for the North and Tyrion speaks of him with respect while no one but Cersei wastes anytime pretending to be sad about Joffrey.
Evil Gloating: Doubles as Evil Is Hammy.
Joffrey: If we want Robb Stark to hear us, we'll have to SPEAK LOUDER!
- He even takes time from his own wedding to do this about Robb Stark's death in front of Sansa. As a kicker, he's doing it about something he himself had no part in, a fact he avoids mentioning.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humour: It's most prevalent at his wedding. Joffrey has an immature, deeply sadistic sense of what's funny. To Joffrey, the more someone is hurt and humiliated, the funnier it is.
Evil Is Petty:
- He mocks Tommen for crying while Myrcella is sent to Dorne, then at Tyrion's wedding he takes away his uncle's stool so that Tyrion has to ask Sansa to kneel for the fastening of the bridal cloak, causing the guests to laugh at Tyrion.
- In Season 4, he finds time to humiliate his "uncle" Jaime, gloating over his poor record as a Knight of the Kingsguard compared to heroes like Ser Duncan the Tall and Ser Arthur Dayne, and the fact that he sat out of the war as a captive and returned as a cripple.
- Reaches a new low in "The Lion and the Rose": He's already won his damned war but still puts on a disgustingly offensive show mocking the deceased Renly and Robb, the latter's sister being in attendance, and in the process of demeaning the former he mocks his brother-in-law who is in attendance too. He also takes every opportunity to humiliate Tyrion (the guy who helped save his ass in "Blackwater").
- As soon as he finds out that Robb Stark has been assassinated at the hands of the Freys, the first thing he demands is to have Robb's head decapitated and delivered to him so he can serve it to Sansa on his wedding feast. Tyrion prevents it from happening, however. It's telling that even Cersei is unnerved by the idea and tries to insist he was merely joking.
Evil Makeover: He renovates the throne room in a sinister way in Season 2 once he consolidates his power, having it renovated to feature Spikes of Villainy and flaming braziers.
Evil Nephew: He plotted the assassination attempt on Tyrion at the Battle of Blackwater; Ser Mandon Moore carried out his order but failed. Joffrey continually goes out of his way to humiliate and bully his Uncle... Ironically, Tyrion is looked upon as the evil one.
The Evil Prince: Amazingly subverted: He's a prince, he's evil, but he legitimately has nothing to do with his predecessor's death. In fact, Joffrey's sitting obviously distraught next to Robert's deathbed, who he considers his real father, is the character's one starkly single good act he ever does in the entire show.
Expy: Joffrey's actor said that much of Joffrey's character was influenced by Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus from Gladiator, and Hexxus from FernGully.
Face Death with Despair: Joffrey panics upon choking, vomiting, and bleeding horrendously and his last expression before finally dying is that of pure terror.
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Jack Gleeson's Pretty Boy looks contrast quite heavily with his sadistic insanity.
Fascist, but Inefficient: Joffrey is an extremely cruel, but very incompetent and hated ruler.
Fatal Flaw: Where to begin, really, but his cruelty, pettiness, vindictiveness, impulsiveness and lack of intelligence are definitely up there. He throws his weight around and needlessly antagonises people whom he actually depends on; has a lot of enemies gunning for him as a result of his viciousness; his spite, petulance, stupidity and casual cruelty mean that no one is really going to be that sorry if something awful happens to him; and it is explicitly mentioned by those who actually do conspire to murder him that, if he had been a bit kinder or at least a bit smarter and capable of suppressing his baser impulses, they might actually have allowed him to live.
Faux Affably Evil: In the first season, he at least makes an effort to appear a charming noble, but once the crown is on, he doesn't care to pretend anymore. When he does start to pretend, it's an indication he's about to do something horrible. For instance, when speaking politely to Ser Dontos, he tells him to have as much wine as he likes — because he plans to drown him in it.
Foil: To all the Stark children, who are taught With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. All Joffrey knows is that Might Equals Right.
For the Evulz: This is Joffrey's motivation for most of his endeavors, but it's possible one of his most nefarious acts, namely Ned Stark's execution, is actually a subversion since it is unclear how much of the plan he was told and he seemed to believe he was making a clear example of what happens to his enemies.
Freudian Excuse: Not that it would even remotely excuse his vile behavior but Joffrey grew up in a seriously messed up household without any kind of positive role models, a mother who encouraged his worst impulses and a father who was too busy drinking and sleeping around to provide any kind of guidance. That's in addition to the fact that it's implied at least some of his instability comes from being a product of incest. He's still a monster but it's not hard to see how he ended up as vile as he did.

G-N

Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: He's very fond of this gesture, most likely because his lack of wits doesn't allow him to express himself otherwise.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: An inverted, male example; Joffrey is a youthful, blonde Pretty Boy and a total monster.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Reacts with insane fury whenever someone "beneath" him acts in a way he sees as out of line, be it the Starks not acting like cowed serfs towards him, a peasant throwing manure at him, his mother furiously slapping him when he mocks her for Robert's infidelity, or most awesomely his uncle publicly promising to cut off his genitalia if he does not stop tormenting him and Sansa. However, since he is the epitome of Dirty Coward, he takes any insult from those with the power and spine to truly hurt him by weeping, whimpering and either begging for mercy or shutting the hell up immediately.
Hate Sink: So many other tropes in his character section here attribute to it. Joffrey is such a despicable character that George R.R. Martin congratulated Jack Gleeson on a job well done.
Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: A rather strange example of this. Despite his overall misogyny and lack of interest in romance, Joffrey frequently makes vocal displays of how he plans to consummate his marriage with Sansa.
The Hedonist: An even worse one than Robert. At least Robert was marginally interested in keeping the realm from escalating into further bloodshed. Joffrey, on the other hand, seems fundamentally incapable of perceiving or doing anything outside of his immediate gratification. His deranged, hideous methods of entertaining himself are certainly not helping matters.
He-Man Woman Hater: He has shades of this. He genuinely doesn't seem to like any girls (or anyone, for that matter). He resents his Arranged Marriage to Sansa in the first season, abuses her and a pair of prostitutes in the second, and when pushed even Cersei, the only woman he seems to have any respect for, is not above his threats and insults. Scarily, the only time he does seem to show genuine interest in a woman is when Margaery is expressing interest in killing things.
Joffrey: [the Starks] put too much value in their women.
Hero-Worshipper:
- In the Histories and Lore DVD extra about the Red Keep Jack Gleeson narrates (in-character as Joffrey), it's heavily implied that the Targaryen king he admires best is Maegor the Cruel^note. It's pretty telling that his idea of a good ruler is pretty much the harshest and most brutal of his predecessors.
- In the series proper, Joffrey is also implied to feel this way about his "father", Robert. He is genuinely distraught over his death, holds Robert up as a king worth emulating, and praises his achievements and wartime valour. He even extols his late father's whoring, bringing it up to justify keeping Sansa as a mistress and to insult his own mother, who had to deal with the humiliation of Robert's indiscretions for years. He would even have the temerity to extol Robert's valor in front of his grandfather Tywin himself, claiming Robert "won the real war" while Tywin "hid under Casterly Rock". While technically accurate, it is not an effective way to shame the man who holds his strings as Puppet King.
Hidden Depths: Despite his absolutely disgusting behavior and actions, Joffrey has some qualities that are hard to notice. When he talks with Margaery Tyrell he can recite facts about many members of the Targaryen Dynasty without so much as skipping a beat, likewise he shows an interest in the acts of many famed Kingsguard Knights and can easily recite information from a name by reading it alone. (The aforementioned admiration for Maegor the Cruel as he exhibits in Histories and Lore also bears witness to this.) Tyrion for his credit notices Joffrey's love of history and gifts him a book of many great kings of the older ages.
Hilariously Abusive Childhood: When Joffrey says something stupid and Tyrion is around, odds are good that bitch slaps will ensue. The humor comes from the fact that he deserves it, and that a dwarf that he towers over is the one slapping him. Observe the Kingslapper at work.
His Own Worst Enemy: Joffrey would have been far better off if he could just show a modicum of impulse control and be able to at least feign compassion, instead of being so transparently awful to everyone at all times.
Horrible Judge of Character: He appoints his grandfather Tywin to the position of Hand of the King, apparently without realizing that Tywin Lannister is not the sort of man who will put up with Joffrey's Stupid Evil antics. Joffrey also seems to enjoy Littlefinger, seemingly unaware that Littlefinger is not a man to be enjoyed or remotely trusted (this is a global mistake, in all fairness). He is also, unlike his mother, completely unaware that Margaery is playing him like a fiddle.
Hypocrite: Responds with scorn when Tommen cries while Myrcella is being sent away, while conveniently forgetting that he was on the verge of tears when King Robert was on his deathbed, and that Arya and Nymeria forced him to tears when the former kicked his ass and the latter bit his arm.
Hypocrite Has a Point:
- Joffrey isn't one to talk when it comes to insulting other characters' intelligence but he isn't wrong when he points out that Tywin's stupidity during the Battle of the Green Fork is how Robb captured Jaime in the first place.
- He's the biggest Dirty Coward in the series, but when he accuses Tywin of being one during Robert's Rebellion when he hid under Casterly Rock until the war was almost decided, Tywin's reaction shows that he's probably not wrong.
Hypocritical Humor: He smugly tells Tyrion about how he can’t stand the wailing of women, but when Tyrion replies with a slap, he wails like one.
I Call Her "Vera": His sword Hearteater. He boasts that once Stannis attacks King's Landing, he'll cut him a smile with it and even forces Sansa to kiss the blade for luck. Naturally, it never gets drawn during the battle. He later names his Valyrian sword 'Widow's Wail'. ^{From the books...}
I Just Want to Be Badass: Joffrey would love nothing more than to be a brave and heroic king like Robert and he certainly acts like he is one but his cowardice, pettiness and generally power-hungry demeanor make it impossible.
I Just Want to Be Loved: Jack Gleeson mentions in Inside HBO's Game of Thrones that deep down, Joffrey wants his father's acknowledgment and the peoples' love. But obviously, between his wanton sadism, entitlement issues, his mother's rearing, his father's less-than-stellar example as King, and the little fact that everyone hates him, his chances of ever getting his wish are somewhat slim.
Inbred and Evil: His parents are twin siblings, and to call him a Jerkass would be an understatement.
Incurable Cough of Death: The first telling sign that he's been poisoned is that he starts coughing.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: Joffrey's ego is as fragile as it is massive as he reacts with intense rage to any slight or insult or sign of disrespect.
Insufferable Imbecile: An obnoxious, vile, and mean-spirited brat and his idiocy is the only thing that can match his cruelty.
It's All About Me: Joffrey doesn't think very far beyond his own immediate pleasure.
Jabba Table Manners: Another thing he "inherited" from Robert. At his wedding, Joffrey throws food at people, gulps down goblets of wine in one go, talks with his mouth full and does many a Spit Take, snorting wine and pie as he laughs (at his own flat jokes). He also unceremoniously hands a plate he's done with to his new bride when he's done with it, as if she's his maid. Margaery looks appropriately repulsed.
Jerkass: You bet your britches. Joffrey's cruelty, sadism and delightful glee in it all make him one of the most despicable characters in the setting, both in-universe and out. Perhaps his most jerkassy moment is at his own wedding, which he uses as a platform to humiliate Tyrion, treat everyone with disdain and put on a show that mocks his defeated foes while relatives of said foes are in bloody attendance. Loras Tyrell (his new brother-in-law) has to leave out of pure fury, Tyrion and Sansa try to, and Olenna Tyrell (the matriarch of his most powerful allies) isn't remotely pleased.
Jerkass Has a Point:
- He mocks Jaime's lack of accomplishments and says that it's unlikely that a 40-year old knight that just lost his sword hand will achieve much. Kick the Dog for sure, but also great point. He also mentions at one point that the prospect of a foreign army, led by a member of the previous ruling dynasty and packing three fully-grown dragons as weapons could be a bit problematic if it reaches Westerosi shores.
- He rightfully accuses Tywin of being a Dirty Coward during Robert's rebellion, who only joined the war effort when it was all but decided.
- When Cersei states that they should focus on freeing a captured Jaime from Robb Stark because his life is in danger, Joffrey points out that in war, everyone's life is in danger, and he isn't wrong that focusing on one person's safety even at the cost of victory isn't a great idea.
- Surprisingly enough, from an objective viewpoint, everything he says to Tywin during their meeting in the throne room has valid reasoning behind it.
  - Tywin deflects when Joffrey asks for a report on the Small Council meetings by saying he could attend them himself if he wanted. He could, but he didn't, and disregarding that it was most likely out of pure laziness and not because he's busy like he tries to pretend, he's still well within his right to ask for a report.
  - Puppet King or not, he's still the King, so when Tywin suddenly moves the Small Council meetings into his personal chambers far away from the Throne Room, he's going to wonder why.
  - Joffrey may be being petulant when he complains about all the stairs he'll have to climb to get to the top of the Tower of the Hand, but Tywin also has no high ground to imply that he's lazy when he's the one who moved the meeting so close to his personal chambers in the first place.
  - He's the only one to be wary of Danaerys and her dragons, and wants to do something about them, while Tywin dismisses them as "curiosities" not worth his attention. Come Season 6 and, indeed, Dany arrives in Westeros and her dragons wreck the Lannister forces.
Karma Houdini Warranty: After three seasons of getting away with his despicable actions, karma finally catches up to him at his wedding to Margery when he dies a truly horrific death.
Karmic Death: A "vicious idiot of a king" (In Tyrion's words) who gleefully participates in acts of cruelty against others but scurries away like a kicked puppy if someone so much as looks twice in his direction, who dies from poisoned wine, choking on (and surrounded by) his own blood and bodily fluids. Couldn't have happened to a better guy!
- It gets even more karmic when you remember that he tried to suffocate Ser Dontos with wine on his name day, only to end up suffocating on wine himself. What man serves on his name day, he reaps all year indeed.
Karmic Butt-Monkey: Despite being the king and an utter monster, nobody in Joffrey's inner circle respects or even likes him. His grandfather and uncle boss him around and insult him easily and every scene where he tries to assert his authority ends with him being humiliated. Given what a reprehensible little shit he is, this guy definitely deserves what he gets.
Kick the Dog: Practically everything he does. Lampshaded by Tyrion in "Mhysa":
Tyrion: Killed a few puppies today?
Lack of Empathy: If your name isn't Joffrey Baratheon, he doesn't care in the slightest about your problems or your feelings.
Large Ham: Whenever he speaks in public he shows his insanity and leaves bite marks in the scenery.
Laughably Evil: One of the most sadistic villains on the show, but it's hard to take him seriously, as he's also a petulant, cowardly, bratty kid with too much power (being the king) that allows him to do evil things and he's also completely pathetic, naive and incompetent. Despite him being the king, he's frequently humiliated by his uncle Tyrion, and there's even a scene where his grandfather Tywin (who is much more threatening and experienced than him) sends him to bed.
Lean and Mean: His shirtless scenes show that he's very skinny, especially compared to someone like Robb Stark, and he certainly lives up the mean part.
Like Father, Unlike Son: To both his believed and real father. He has none of Robert or Jaime's bravery, surprising intellect, genuine friendliness and loyalty or their sense of duty to the realm or anyone but themselves, being a sadistic little shit who cares for nothing and no one but himself.
Like Parent, Like Child: He combines the worst traits of his mother, Cersei Lannister (cruelty, unpleasantness, and an obsession with power) and the worst traits of his supposed father, Robert Baratheon (sexism, love of violence, and disinterest in any aspects of being king outside of getting everything he wants) without any of their redeeming traits (Cersei, awful as she is, does genuinely love her kids and is capable of surprising cunning on occasion while Robert was undeniably brave, loyal to his friends, genuinely kind and charming, surprisingly smart when he wanted to be and had at least some concern for the well-being of his kingdom) as well as the worst traits of his grandfather (a total lack of empathy, obsession with his image, ingratitude to others and pride) without any of Tywin's considerable intellect, strategic skills, pragmatism or ability to command respect or his more noble virtues such as personal bravery, an admittedly warped code of honor and genuine kindness and affability towards a select few who earn it in his eyes such as Tommen.
Madness Mantra:
- The moment something doesn't go his way, he immediately starts screaming for executions.
  Joffrey: Kill them! KILL THEM ALL!
- It is remarkably similar to Aerys II's own Madness Mantra: "Burn them all." Tyrion lampshades it as well, noting how incest has created another Aerys.
Mask of Sanity: When he wants to, he can somewhat resemble a sane person. The problem is, he's way too unhinged and impulsive to keep the mask up for longer than strictly necessary.
Miles Gloriosus: In "Blackwater", he vows to give Stannis "A red smile". When it actually comes to fighting, he hides with his mother, leaving the defence to his uncle Tyrion. He also acts like he personally crushed all his enemies after the War of the Five Kings despite the fact that: 1) At least two of the contending kings are still alive at the time 2) He didn't do jack to help the war effort (directly or indirectly) even when the fight came to his doorstep.
The Millstone: Played for Drama. Joffrey is so utterly incompetent at anything that doesn't involve tormenting people, and so utterly devoted to the latter, that he never really sees the big political picture and ultimately creates problem after problem for the Lannisters who in Cersei and Tywin were trying to rule through him. This is one of the reasons why Tywin has no issue with Margaery trying to manipulate him, at least in the beginning, because then at least somebody is keeping him on a leash.
Mirror Character: To Ramsay Bolton. Both are bastards who nonetheless manage to rise to significant positions of power and become enemies to the Starks, both are engaged to (and in Ramsay's case, married to) Sansa Stark and are horribly abusive to her to the point of becoming her Arch-Enemy, and both are completely unhinged Sadists who use their power to kill and torture anyone they see fit. However, Ramsay eventually proves himself to be far more dangerous and brazen in his evil than Joffrey. While Joffrey is the definition of Stupid Evil and is openly disrespected and ignored by many of his supposed subordinates who in reality run his kingdom for him, Ramsay possesses a low cunning that allows him to take true control of the North by murdering his father and he shows much more tactical intelligence in battle than Joffrey, although he is still too shortsighted to realise that making so many enemies is not a good idea in the long run. Ramsay is also a much more capable fighter than the pathetically weak and cowardly Joffrey.
- He also warrants a lot of comparisons to Aerys the Mad King, both being deranged products of incest who distingushed themselves with their sadistic madness which plunges the whole realm into a crisis. Then there's also the obvious irony of Joffrey being the son of a man who sacrificed his oath and reputation to put a stop to Aerys's cruelty.
Momma's Boy: To Cersei, who spoils Joffrey more than his other siblings. She was also the only person who was actually saddened by his death.
Monument of Humiliation and Defeat: Installs a statue of himself holding a crossbow over a direwolf signifying his triumph over the Starks... and then there was his dwarf reenactment of the War of the Five Kings.
Mood-Swinger: He can switch from jovial to intensely angry with frightening speed.
Mother Makes You King: Pretty much the only reason Joffrey becomes king at the end of Season 1 is due to the scheming of his mother, Cersei, who arranges for Robert to have a Hunting "Accident" and also brings down Ned Stark when he reveals he knows Joffrey isn't actually Robert's trueborn son. Cersei and her family had been intending to rule through Joffrey, but this doesn't quite go according to plan, as Joffrey immediately uses his newly obtained power to have Ned's head cut off, igniting a civil war; he only continues to antagonise everyone and anyone from that point on. By Season 2, even Cersei herself is starting to realise putting Joffrey on the throne was not the best idea.
Tyrion: It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on its head.
Named Weapons: Grants names to each sword unfortunate enough to fall into his hands, such as "Hearteater" and "Widow's Wail."
Narcissist: He fits every criteria. He is completely self-involved, believing "everyone is [his] to torment", never wants to admit responsibility for atrocities caused by him, has an absolutely massive but extremely fragile ego, has no empathy whatsoever, his personal relationships are all completely one-sided and if the people around him causes victories for his realm, he takes all the credits.
Nightmare Fetishist: He loves weaponry, has excellent knowledge of the Targaryens' bloody legacy, and his room is decorated with animal skins and skulls. He also appears enthralled at the sight of hundreds of men burning alive in the wildfire explosion, bringing to mind a previous king...
No Historical Figures Were Harmed:
- To go with Cersei's parallels with Margaret of Anjou, Joffrey is most analogous to her son and heir Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales—albeit a harshly unsympathetic caricature. To wit, Edward was a pretty brave prince who died fighting for his claim at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471: Joffrey's wars were won for him and he died ignominiously at his wedding. That said, Edward hasn't fared well in fictional portrayals, such as in William Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 3 and Philippa Gregory's The Cousins' War Series—and Joffrey's essentially an unhinged version of those.
- Rulership-wise, Joffrey's general character as a bratty king invites many comparisons to Richard II—albeit more the unsympathetic historical portrayal than the eloquent, Tragic Villain of William Shakespeare's eponymous play. Contemptuous of peasants, very capricious, and not above intimidating nobles with death (yet cowering when met with genuine force)—all these can well describe Richard II up to his deposition by Henry IV of Lancaster.
Non-Action Big Bad: He talks tough, but when the fight starts, he runs and hides.
"Not So Different" Remark: A few characters, particularly Tyrion, compare Joffrey to Aerys II aka the Mad King, for how bloodthirsty and insane Joffrey can be when he gets riled up. It's also not unnoticed that Joffrey is a product of incest, and the Targaryens practiced incest to keep their bloodline pure but which made several of them prone to madness.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: As Cersei and Sansa found out the hard way in "Baelor". Joffrey may be a stupid and incompetent young boy for a king, but he is very good regarding things like torture and psychological abuse (which his title allows him to do as much as he wants).
Odd Name Out: The only one of his siblings who doesn't have an "M" in his given name.

O-Z

Oh, Crap!: At his wedding when he starts to have trouble breathing and feels the poison starting to take effect.
Open Secret: Thanks to Stannis Joffrey's bastardy is made public, though whether people believed it is another manner; all of the smarter members of the court — Varys, Littlefinger and Pycelle — besides Tywin had already known but kept it to themselves for their own plots and benefit.
Orcus on His Throne: While Tywin and his bannermen are out fighting the war in Seasons 2/3 and Tyrion and Cersei are scheming for power in King's Landing, Joffrey does nothing except abuse peasants and engage in emotional abuse of Sansa. Justified because:
- He's certainly not a warrior, no matter how he may posture, is a terrible battlefield commander, and is too stupid to be a schemer like the rest of his family.
- Leaving King's Landing would be political suicide, as it would be easy for another aspirant to the crown to take control of the region in his absence. As pointed out by Tywin, the only (other) reason Joffrey is considered more than a "claimant" to the Iron Throne is because he physically sits on it.
Overly Long Name: His full name is Joffrey of Houses Baratheon and Lannister, the First of His Name.
Paper Tiger: Joffrey is keen on throwing his weight around but he tends to buckle when faced with someone genuinely powerful or clever like Tywin or Tyrion.
Pet the Dog: For all his sadism, he seems to have some genuine love for Robert Baratheon, going as far as praising him over Tywin for winning the war against the Targaryens... even if said love for his supposed father is what may have fueled his penchant for wanton cruelty. He is still a Jerkass towards his grandfather when he is saying that, but Robert's memory seems to be one of the few things he is willing to treat respectfully.
- He also manages to combine this with Kick the Dog at his wedding. He notices Margaery's looking bored, and makes an honest effort to amuse her. Unfortunately the thing that springs to mind is inviting everyone to throw stuff at Dontos. Still, it's the thought that counts.
Phallic Weapon: His crossbow, made especially obvious in a Season 3 scene where he shows it off to his bride-to-be with much excitement.
Politically Incorrect Villain:
- In "Dark Wings, Dark Words", he's openly misogynistic, saying that smart women do as they're told. He also says that he's considering making homosexuality, which he views as a degeneration, a crime punishable by death. More to the viewers than the other characters though, since this is more Deliberate Values Dissonance than unheard moral values for the setting.
- "The Lion and the Rose" has his re-enactment of the War of the Five Kings with dwarf entertainers. In addition to insulting several of his guests, his in-laws and his uncle at the same time, the quiet reaction from most of the crowd while Joffrey giggled like a madman, speaks volumes for how offensive they found the performance.
Powerful, but Incompetent: He is the official king of the Seven Kingdoms, but only uses his position to inflict pain and suffering for fun, while leaving all the important things to his uncle and grandfather.
Pretty Boy: In a cast full of beefy, physically imposing, muscular men, Jack Gleeson is pale, delicately pretty, and shown in his Shirtless Scene to be slender with no body hair.
Prince Charming: He intentionally puts on this act for Sansa. It lasts for about half an episode before his true colors are revealed.
Prince Charmless: His actual personality, after he drops his thinly veiled, chivalrous facade.
Privilege Makes You Evil: A shining example of this. All his life, Joffrey has rarely been told the word 'no' and been raised to believe that he is better than everyone else and entitled to just about everything, because he's the crown prince of the Seven Kingdoms and a Lannister on his mother's side (and his father's side too, as it turns out). As a result, Joffrey rarely has to face the negative consequences of his actions or learn from them, expects everyone to serve his whims and lacks empathy for others. This is deconstructed over the course of the series, as Joffrey's bratty behavior and impulsively cruel actions do start to catch up to him, culminating in him being assassinated at his own wedding. The masterminds of his death straight up admit that the main reason they killed him was because of his Stupid Evil tendencies.
Properly Paranoid: Much like Robert before him, he points out during Season 3 that Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons pose a very real threat to Westeros; he's absolutely right about this, but Tywin dismisses him.
Psycho Party Member: Although the entire Lannister family is Royally Screwed Up to Nth degree, Joffrey takes all their arrogant, sadistic, and vindictive traits to their absolute extreme, to the point that he's a massive liability to his family.
Psychopathic Manchild: Even more pronounced than in the books due to the Age Lift. A man at 17 by Westerosi standards — old enough to sit on the throne, at least, but he acts as if he's about six years old. Never more apparent than in "Mhysa" where, as Tyrion puts it, Tywin puts the King to bed without his supper and in response Joffrey can only shriek, "I'M NOT TIRED!"
Puppet King:
- Zigzagged a lot: Cersei tried to make him into this only for his Stupid Evil tendencies to result in him not listening to her and making poor decisions on his own. During their respective tenures as Hand of the King, Tyrion invests no effort to make Joffrey into this trope because he realizes the futility of it and just does things without Joffrey knowing, while Tywin does as he pleases because he can intimidate Joffrey into not interfering. In Season 3, however, Margaery endears herself to Joffrey by playing to his sadistic side and using Obfuscating Stupidity to keep him from realizing she's manipulating him. Cersei disapproves of it, but Tywin is amused by it and lets it happen since at least someone is finally learning to control him.
- Even in Season 1, King Robert and Littlefinger both try to set Joffrey up as a temporary puppet to Ned Stark, only for Ned's Honor to unravel their plans.
- Ultimately Deconstructed and Subverted, because at the end of the day Joffrey is still the king and he proves too temperamently to be properly controlled by experienced politicians.
The Purge: In Season 1, following Ned's arrest, all of his household is put to the sword. In Season 2, he orders the Goldcloaks to kill Robert's bastard children, including infants. Even Cersei seems taken aback by this.
Pyrrhic Victory: Proudly proclaims himself the winner of the War of the Five Kings, leaving aside the fact that firstly it was really Tywin, with assistance from Roose Bolton and Walder Frey who really brought the conflict to a close, and secondly, that the only reason that the war even started in the first place was because of his needlessly executing Ned Stark. If not for that, then odds are the war wouldn't have amounted to much more than an insurrection by Stannis (and technically Renly, who would have been killed by Stannis before he could become a major player either way), which would have been far less costly to House Lannister than the war they actually ended up with.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He isn't depicted as actually indulging in this particular vice, but during Sansa's wedding he threatens to rape her to her face, and if she resists his guards will hold her down while he does the deed. Invoked Trope, since he seems to bring this up purely for how evil it is.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Serves as the violent, impulsive Red Oni to the calm and intellectual Tyrion, the cold and calculating Tywin, and the meek, soft-spoken Tommen.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: Joffrey actually gets this about once a season.
- In Season 1, he mentions that Westeros should have a standing, professional army loyal only to the crown, noting the feudal system of each lord having their own private army is barbaric. This is actually a rather progressive stance, but his way of going about it is completely impractical.
- In Season 2, he deduces that after the Greyjoys take the North, it's the perfect time to strike against Robb Stark. Normally Joffrey would be right, but he's completely overlooking the more pressing threat of Stannis bearing down on the capital. Here, the situation is similar; he's ignoring the more pressing threat of Robb Stark and cowering in fear over something that, from his perspective, is nothing more than a rumor half the world away.
- In Season 3, he declares in "Mhysa" that "My father won the real war", referring to Robert killing Rhaegar. Robert, of course, is not actually his father, but he did win the war when he crushed the Targaryen forces at the trident and killed Rhaegar. Additionally, it it was his real father, Jaime, who actually ended the war when he assassinated Aerys.
- In Season 3, Joffrey complains that Tywin is not sufficiently concerned that Daenerys Targaryen and her three dragons are the primary threat to Westeros. he's absolutely right about this, but Tywin dismisses him.
- Him being Cersei's first born even. He is Robert's heir, but he and Cersei actually had a first born who died shortly after birth. He is, however, Cersei's first born child to Jamie.
Royal Brat: A trope-defining example and currently provides the trope image. Imagine "the most noble child the Gods ever put on this good earth." King Joffrey is the polar opposite.
Rule of Symbolism:
- At the dinner table in "Valar Dohaeris", he and Cersei are positioned at the opposite ends, while the Tyrell siblings are seated next to each other. (To maintain symmetry, Margaery and Loras would normally have been placed across from each other.) Guess which family gets along harmoniously and which one is dysfunctional.
- Joffrey hates flowers because he considers them to be effeminate, yet the new crown he has fashioned for his wedding features several entwined rose buds. This represents Margaery's strong influence on him.
Sadist: If it’s not already obvious by now, his only genuine source of joy seems to be hurting other people. He forgoes even sexual sadism in favor of more direct physical violence.
Sadistic Choice: Very fond of giving these to people, such as making a bard who offended him choose between losing his tongue or his hands.
Shirtless Scene: He's given one in Season 3.
Sibling Yin-Yang: As Tyrion points out, Joffrey is a vicious madman, while his younger siblings are perfectly sane, decent and normal.
Slouch of Villainy: Tends to have very bad posture while on the Iron Throne (although its design doesn't help matters) ^{From the commentaries:}
Small Name, Big Ego: He somehow manages to be this despite being the King of Westeros. For all his preening and throwing his weight around, it's immediately obvious to everyone that he's completely inept and out of his depth and if it wasn't for his grandfather and uncle acting as The Man Behind the Man he'd have been overthrown and impaled on a pike long ago. Also, despite never doing anything of substance during it, he takes total credit for winning the War of Five Kings, presenting himself as the conquering hero over the Starks and Stannis. ^note
Smug Smiler: It seems he can't express joy without a pleased-with-himself smirk.
Smug Snake: To those he has power over, Joffrey is abusive, threatening and shamelessly overconfident. However, the instant that someone actually stands up to him, he shows off the cringing coward he truly is.
Snark Ball: Despite his general thick-headedness, Joffrey occasionally displays a dry, cruel wit. He is a Lannister after all. Of particular note is the re-enactment of the War of the Five Kingdoms that he stages at his wedding, using dwarves playing the characters. He even tells Tyrion "Why don't you join in, I think they've got a spare costume."
The Sociopath: For a person so young, the arrogant, selfish and very untrustworthy Joffrey manages to be more hostile, cruel and sadistic than most Game of Thrones villains.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: When he's not whimpering, yelling or throwing tantrums, Joffrey can be chillingly quiet and composed; it can seen when he's tormenting Mycah and threatening to kill his mother.
Spanner in the Works: His impulsive decision to kill Ned in "Baelor" shatters both Cersei's and Varys' plans, sparking a massive war, the effects of which have long-reaching consequences throughout the rest of the series.
Speak Ill of the Dead:
- Since he considers Renly to be a traitor, his "uncle" doesn't deserve any respect even after death. He has no qualms posthumously calling Renly a "degenerate" in "Dark Wings, Dark Words". Joffrey also calls Renly a "deviant" in front of Brienne and Margaery in "The Lion and the Rose". Later in the episode, the dwarf actor who plays "Renly" is derided as a "degenerate" by his "Joffrey" co-star.
Spoiled Brat: Part of the reason why Joffrey is so terrible is because Cersei frequently spoiled him and indulged his egotism and she often let him get away with anything, she doesn't even do anything when Joffrey threatens to kill her the next time she slaps again.
Stupid Evil: What makes Joffrey so dangerous to most everyone including himself is that he isn't just cruel, he's stupid and cruel. While the other Lannisters practice Pragmatic Villainy, Joffrey engages in pointlessly evil acts just for the sake of being a bastard heedless of the consequences. The most blatant example of this is having Ned killed, making the North an enemy of the crown, when the smart thing to do (and what Cersei and others wanted) would have been to keep Ned alive and negotiate truce or alliance with the North since Robert's brothers are also marching against the Crownlands. He's compared negatively to the Mad King at a few points, and Tyrion all but invokes the trope by name with this splendid description in "The Old Gods and the New":
Tyrion: We've had vicious kings, and we've had idiot kings... but I don't know if we've ever been cursed with a vicious idiot for a king!
Stylistic Suck: Everything he gets to create after his own imagination winds up like this. When he revamps the formerly beautiful throne room in Season 2, it looks plundered rather than Darker and Edgier the way he intended. In "Two Swords" we see a very tacky statue of him triumphing over a slain wolf. And finally there was that lowbrow dwarf jousting show at his wedding...
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: He survives the first 3 seasons only to get killed off 2 episodes into Season 4.
Taking You with Me: Heavily implied. Just as he is dying, he reaches his hand towards Tyrion, seemingly pointing him as the suspect. Of course, Tyrion's own blunt treatment of him (which is justified, but still) does not help his case.
Teens Are Monsters: One of the vilest character in the series, in no small part due to his age. Of course, given the Crapsack World of Westeros, other infamous contenders show up.
Tranquil Fury: Joffrey is unusually calm when he threatens to execute his own mother for slapping him.
Tears of Blood: After spending a good minute asphyxiating, Joffrey begins to bleed from the eyes before he finally expires.
Token Evil Teammate: To his siblings Tommen and Myrcella, who ironically are the Token Good Teammates of their family.
Too Dumb to Live: When Joffrey starts coughing and suffocating from his drink, what does he do? He drinks more of it to try and stop the pain, inevitably it gets worse instead. Of course, he may not have come to the conclusion that it was poisoned at that moment and may have thought he was simply choking on his food instead.
Tyrant Takes the Helm: He inherits the throne after Robert dies and quickly starts ruling in a despotic, sadistic way.
Undignified Death: Choking on your own vomit until you turn purple, bleed through your eyes, flailing in your own vomit and bodily fluids before finally dying in broad daylight for all your subjects to see is not a dignified way to go out.
Ungrateful Bastard: Tyrion is basically the reason why his head didn't end up on a spike in Stannis' chambers but he expresses no gratitude and still continues to make his life horrible.
Unknown Rival: Absolutely despised Robb Stark. While Robb in return wants to kill Joffrey he considers Tywin to be his true threat. Fitting to form, Joffrey considers Robb Stark's death his greatest victory even though he didn't play any role in it.
Unlimited Wardrobe: As detailed in this video, Joffrey never wears the same clothes twice.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His Caligua tendencies aside, his insistence on trying to embarrass Tyrion just before he died of poison provided the perfect excuse to blame Tyrion of the crime, since he quite literally put the poisoned goblet in Tyrion's hand. This in turn leads to the complete upheaval of local politics when his mother badly mishandles things and drives Tyrion into the employ of Daenerys, which the various houses of Westeros (including and especially House Lannister) and the population of King's Landing come to regret.
Upper-Class Twit: Born and raised as the oldest son of Cersei Lannister, the vain mother of a rich family who spoils the bratty and impulsive Joffrey and later became a selfish, inept and tyrannical king that was infamous for making stupid decisions and consistently abusing the subjects.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: According to Cersei in "Mhysa", Joffrey was a very happy baby when he was around her and showed no signs of his later sociopathic behavior until much later... but either she's leaving out the part in the books where he cut open a pregnant cat as a child or the incident was Adapted Out.
Villainous Breakdown: When Joffrey realizes that he's been poisoned, he spends his last moments scared, panicking and trying to scream to no avail while making accusations and begging for someone to save him before finally dying with pure terror on his face.
Villain Decay: Starts off by becoming King and killing Ned and setting the War of Five Kings in motion, and for most of the first two seasons he leads a tyrannical reign of terror that starts to cause problems for even the people on his own side. By the time Season 3 hits however, he rapidly starts losing his credibility as a villain and is reduced to nothing more than a little braggart whose own mother barely takes him seriously anymore, because Lord Tywin, who wears no crown, has taken control of King's Landing and becomes the king in all but name. Doubly highlighted by the introduction of far more serious and threatening antagonists such as Roose Bolton and Ramsay Snow in Season 3.
Wants a Prize for Basic Decency: From his point of view, he showed mercy to Ned Stark by giving him a quick death.
Warrior Prince: He tries to be this and is very confident about it. Despite being liberally slapped around by a man half his size on fairly regular basis. Everyone else in King's Landing, including his own mother, are rightfully pessimistic on that.
Joffrey: If my uncle attacks King's Landing I'll ride out to meet him!
Tyrion: I'm sure your men will line up behind you.
Joffrey: They say Stannis never smiles. I'll give him a red smile. From ear to ear.
Tyrion: [as Joffrey leaves] Imagine Stannis' terror.
Varys: I am trying.
Wimp Fight:
- His so called fight with Arya. As described by Robert: "You let a little girl disarm you?"
- When Sansa makes a threatening comment, he takes a step backwards. He retreats after a comment, made by someone who acted like an obedient puppy throughout the season.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: A tragic and twisted example in that many of the atrocities he commits are actually done in a misguided attempt to gain his father's love and respect. Attempting to act tough and manly and instead actually being monstrous in trying to live up to what he believed to be Robert's standards.
Who Murdered the Asshole: Briefly discussed by Tyrion. When wondering who actually killed Joffrey, his list of suspects is basically "everyone in Westeros but Cersei" since roughly half the continent wanted him dead at some point and even his allies barely tolerated his existence. The Lannisters (minus Jaime) are all too happy to blame Tyrion and Sansa, though, for the very reason that they had good reasons to hate him.
Wouldn't Hit a Girl:
- Subverted in a way. He doesn't do it himself, because that wouldn't be kingly. So he has his bodyguard Ser Meryn do it for him.
- Fully averted the end of "The Climb", where Joffrey is shown admiring his work after torturing and killing Ros by tying her up and shooting her many times with his crossbow.
Would Hurt a Child: While outwardly denying the rumours of his true parentage, Joffrey nonetheless takes preventative measures against any future claimants to the Iron Throne... by which we mean that he orders the Goldcloaks to murder all of Robert's bastards, slitting the throats of infants and drowning children, thus ensuring no-one can use one of these bastards to rally behind and attempt to seize the throne.
Yank the Dog's Chain: When Tyrion gives him a book as a wedding present, Joffrey has an outright shocking moment where he thanks Tyrion and speaks about a time for 'wisdom' after war. Just when you're thinking that Joffrey might actually have started to mature and become self-aware, he uses his new sword to slice the book in half.
You Monster!: Ser Loras casually describes Prince Joffrey as a monster in Season 1. Sansa calls Joffrey a monster, with great gravitas, when the Tyrells question his true character. Not that anyone who isn't Cersei has anything nicer to say about him. When Joffrey has the gall to label Tyrion "a little monster", his uncle casually snarks back.
Tyrion: Oh, "monster". Perhaps you should speak to me more softly then. Monsters are dangerous and, just now, kings are dying like flies.
You Need to Get Laid: Bronn persuades Tyrion to do this for him by sending two prostitutes to his chamber, hoping that it might reduce his frustrations a bit. Unfortunately, they did not factor in that Joffrey has no interest in sexual stimulation and would rather torture people, especially if it angers Tyrion.
Bronn: There's no cure for bein' a cunt. But the boy's at that age, he's got nothing to do save tear wings off flies. Couldn't hurt to get some of the poison out.

Characters / Game of Thrones - Joffrey Baratheon

King Joffrey Baratheon

Played By: Jack Gleeson

Voiced By: Alan Prieto (Latin American Spanish), Javier Balas (European Spanish), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese)

Video Example(s):

Joffery Baratheon

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Characters / Game of Thrones - Joffrey Baratheon

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King Joffrey Baratheon

Played By: Jack Gleeson

Voiced By: Alan Prieto (Latin American Spanish), Javier Balas (European Spanish), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese)

Video Example(s):

Joffery Baratheon

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Joffery Baratheon