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Villain Overview

Everyone is mine to torment.
~ Joffrey Baratheon to his uncle Tyrion Lannister.
The King can do as he likes!
~ Joffrey justifying his atrocities to Tyrion as he humiliates Sansa Stark.

King Joffrey I Baratheon is one of the main antagonists of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones.

At the beginning of the story, he is introduced as Prince Joffrey, the eldest son and heir of King Robert I Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister, making him the Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms. He is the older brother of Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen. He is very proud of being Robert's son and has always tried to be like him while also trying to get his attention. However, unknown to him and his siblings, his real father is Ser Jaime Lannister, the queen's brother, thus meaning that Joffrey is not only a bastard but a product of incest. His illegitimate birth and his cruel decision to execute Lord Eddard Stark on false charges of treason would ignite the War of the Five Kings.

Joffrey is 12 years old at the beginning of the first book and 15 years old at the beginning of the TV series. He later becomes the second House Baratheon king to sit on the Iron Throne and is also the owner of three swords in the course of the story: Lion's Tooth, Hearteater, and Widow's Wail (the final sword being made of Valyrian steel). Throughout his reign on the Iron Throne, Joffrey quickly proved to be a sadistic tyrant who loves to torture and kill innocent people, so much so that he has been compared to the Mad King himself on more than one occasion, often being called "Aerys III." Although he was the King on the Iron Throne, Joffrey ruled by name only, being only a pawn of the small council and the powerful nobles of King's Landing. He served as one of the arch-enemies of House Stark, especially Sansa and Robb Stark.

He was portrayed by Jack Gleeson.

Personality[]

Tyrion: You just sent the most powerful man in Westeros to bed without his supper.
Tywin: You're a fool if you think he's the most powerful man in Westeros.
~ Tyrion and Tywin discussing Joffrey.

Joffrey was strong-willed as a child, had an uncontrollable temper like his mother's, and had an unchecked sadistic streak. He had little sense of right or wrong, which often leads him to trouble, especially when he loses his temper, and when things go wrong, he always blames the problems on others. Despite being willful, he was arrogant, cruel, and prone to irrational and bad judgment calls. Joffrey was unbelievably sadistic and had been since he was a child, stating, "Everyone is mine to torment." He did not recognize himself and his actions as monstrous or evil and simply believed that he was behaving like a true strong king to excuse his cruelty, considering himself one of the greatest and just kings that ever sat upon the Iron Throne. He saw his victims as bad people who needed to be punished.

Simply because of his sadism and eagerness to deal with his first execution of a very important lord, Eddard Stark, King Joffrey caused a war that led to the ascension of two kings, Robb Stark and Balon Greyjoy. Stark's death made it impossible for the Lannisters to make peace with Winterfell and Riverrun and deal with Robert's brothers, Stannis and Renly, who were the ones who truly meant to start a war from the beginning.

As such, Joffrey was a believer in the Faith of the Seven and thought the gods were on his side since he was unaware of the truth of his situation and saw his enemies as usurpers and traitors that were defying Robert's rightful heir. Before the Battle of the Blackwater, he insisted, against his mother and court's will, that he leave the Red Keep to go to the Great Sept of Baelor—even if the mob was infuriating in the streets—and see the High Septon so that he could personally bless him for the battle. He also initially refused to marry Margaery Tyrell, having taken a sacred vow of betrothal to Sansa Stark, until his mother and Grand Maester Pycelle easily tricked him to believe that the High Septon and the gods would absolve him for not honoring his promise because Sansa was the daughter of a traitor.

When he succeeded Robert in ruling the Seven Kingdoms, Joffrey ruled in his name only. He would show authority only when it came to punishing (often for little to no reason but imagined slights and treason) people, but not when it came to ruling or fighting wars, as the ambitious adults around him promptly assumed political control. After Robert's death, the small council took over the realm, and during Joffrey's reign, 3 heads of the councils ruled in his stead: his mother Cersei, his uncle Tyrion Lannister, and his grandfather Tywin Lannister. Tywin and the small council also managed the war against the other kings, while Joffrey remained unadvised and left to his little games.

In the TV series, at some point, Joffrey shows frustration with this, stating to Lord Tywin that no one ever helps him learn how to rule better and get some true credit. He also remained the only one to show concern for Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons across the Narrow Sea, like the late Robert, while the Lannisters dismissed her as powerless. After the Battle of the Blackwater, his grandfather secured him the entire south: the Westerlands, the Reach, the Stormlands, and Dorne. The North, the Iron Islands, and the Vale never bent to Joffrey and the Lannisters instead (though the North remained defeated and weakened by the houses Frey, Bolton, Greyjoy, and the Lannister-Tyrell alliance), and the riverlands never fully bent until Tommen's ascension. Joffrey remained a pawn for the nobles' games in King's Landing until one of the players, Olenna Tyrell, poisoned him during his wedding feast.

He appears to be asexual, never sleeping with his girlfriend or wife but frequently beating her for his amusement. With all these traits, it would be accurate to describe him as a psychopath. He suffers from comorbid Cluster B personality; he can be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder as a primary diagnosis while also qualifying for a secondary diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.

However, for the tyrannical psychopath he was, Joffrey ultimately proved to be a cowardly weakling. He would often express fear or even break down in tears whenever faced with violence, despite frequently inflicting it on others. Joffrey strongly valued bravery and opposed opportunistic behavior, even calling out his grandfather Tywin for the latter's cravenly deeds during Robert's Rebellion. However, Joffrey did not consider it a crime and rather just despised it as weakness; this was proven when he was thankful to Lord Walder Frey for killing Robb Stark in the same despised ways. He always genuinely wanted to be a true strong Baratheon and fight to defend his reign from his enemies, but would eventually break down and flee when the time to face opponents comes.

He would always regret his cowardice and sometimes bitterly feel that he was nothing like a true Baratheon. Nevertheless, despite his cowardice and in addition to his lack of fighting skills or cunning intellect, Joffrey was consumed with megalomaniacal delusions of grandeur: that he believed himself to be a mighty warrior, despite being beaten in a fight by a young girl and tearfully begging for his life; that he is the greatest king Westeros has ever seen, despite having plunged his kingdom into war after executing a political prisoner on a whim (and for fun), despite his advisor's warnings and his own mother's protests, and that his people love him when in fact he was universally hated by his people for his appalling treatment of them.

Joffrey had the Lannister look of his parents, with blond, curly hair and handsome. In the novels, he has such an extremely androgynous look that Jon Snow thought he looked like a princess. He had bright green eyes, pouty lips, and an evil sneer. He always wore the finest clothing and accents, as befits a royal heir and king. He was described as tall for his age, with a strong body fit for a fighter, however, Joffrey was untrained with his sword, just like his brother Tommen, because both King Robert and Ser Jaime had neglected him to teach him how to "be a man" by Westerosi standard, which caused him to look at Sandor Clegane, Cersei's bodyguard, as a surrogate father. Eventually, Cersei noticed that Joffrey liked her "dog," Sandor, so she gave him to her son. The almost hilarious irony of Joffrey having no training is that Joffrey, despite having won no great personal victories in combat, believed himself to be a great warrior.

King Robert always despised his heir, Joffrey, and was disappointed that he grew up to be an evil child. He would admit that the only reason he didn't abdicate the Iron Throne and joined with a sellsword company was out of fear of leaving the kingdom to his wife Cersei, whispering her insane ideas to Joffrey. Joffrey instead adored Robert and always tried to make him proud in the wrong ways, such as hiring a Catspaw to kill Bran Stark after hearing his drunk father say that it would be kinder to kill the boy instead of leaving him in a coma. Even after Robert's death, Joffrey would not tolerate anyone who badmouthed his legal father or casually mutilated a singer who scorned Robert's final stand. Joffrey also took Robert as his role model, imitating his mentality and words often incorrectly or in the wrong context, much to Tywin's annoyance, who initially had the impression that Joffrey never cared for his father.

Moreover, Joffrey's younger siblings, Myrcella and Tommen, were not fond of his cruel behavior; the latter duo have always done everything together. Joffrey would sometimes torment and bully Tommen, which the boy used to hide from him, usually in the Red Keep's sept. Joffrey and Tommen would also argue about trivial things like siblings normally do, and Tommen would win by threatening to tell their mother if Joffrey would go too far in making him unhappy. Joffrey shares his mother's hatred for his uncle Tyrion, and this would only get worse when he became king and Tyrion showed too much defiance and often humiliated him in front of everyone, until eventually Joffrey lost his patience and started to torment Tyrion as an act of revenge. The only thing Joffrey and Tyrion shared in common was their fondness for Robert Baratheon.

Joffrey had an unhealthily spiteful relationship with his uncle, Lord Renly Baratheon, due to the man being an arrogant, supercilious, and strong-looking smiler who always made japes about everything. Joffrey was also very mean-spirited and inconsiderate, so he never took sarcasm and mockery well from others, and even he found Renly too childish. Renly laughed at his face in front of everyone at Castle Darry, stating that Arya had the size of a rat, yet she managed to disarm Joff and throw away his sword, Lion's Tooth, in the river. Joffrey's dislike for Renly increased, and after Renly didn't even show loyalty to him and fled to take away the Stormlands and the Reach from his kingdom, Joffrey's dislike turned into hatred. Joffrey's eldest Baratheon uncle, Lord Stannis Baratheon, didn't show any interest or affection to the royal children, as he's a cold, distant man, though he preferred Tommen over Joffrey.

Having the ability to tell the parentage of children by looking at them, Stannis felt that Cersei's children were not Robert's, and one day he left King's Landing with the royal fleet to sail to Dragonstone and close it without giving the court any explanation, as well as leaving only a few ships in the capital. Later, when Joffrey and Cersei summoned Stannis to court to swear fealty to him, Stannis ignored them and their letters and declared himself the rightful king of the Iron Throne instead. Joffrey kept empty spikes for the heads of Stannis, Renly, and Robb, was disappointed that Renly died before he could face him, and remained eager to destroy Stannis instead, wanting to kill him personally until he remained intimidated by his uncle's fierceness on the battlefield. He eagerly insisted on protecting one of the gates that were attacked by Stannis, until the battle went in the enemy's favor and Cersei called him back to the Red Keep.

Joffrey was not mourned by anyone except his mother. Even his biological father, Jaime Lannister, feels that Joffrey deserved his fate and that he was never originally a person of importance to him. Tommen and Myrcella felt only a bit sad for their brother. Tyrion Lannister states that Joffrey would have become a worse king than the Mad King. Kevan Lannister had nothing good to say about Joffrey, and from what he saw in the boy, he decided that Cersei was a bad mother. When she saw Joffrey clawing his own throat, crying, and looking at everyone for help, Sansa Stark was shocked and ran away to the Red Keep's gardens in tears, until she asked herself why she was crying for Joffrey and regained a bit of self-control, reasoning that Joffrey had it coming for all the evil he caused to her, her family, and many other people. Arys Oakheart thinks the only good thing that could be said of Joffrey is that he was tall and strong for his age. Cersei, in total contrast to these people, is convinced that Joffrey was great and strong and continued to unfavorably compare Tommen with him after the Purple Wedding; she never properly recognizes the monster she raised to be king, which was one of the biggest influences on Joffrey's psychopathic personality.

Quotes[]

Quotes By Joffrey[]

I'm your prince, not your lord, and I said pick up your sword.
~ Joffrey challenging Mycah to a sword fight.
Filthy little bitch! I'll GUT you, you little c-nt!
~ Joffrey, threatening Arya Stark after she attacked him just as her dire wolf suddenly bites him on the arm.
Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!
~ King Joffrey sentences Ned Stark to death for treason.
My father won the real war! He killed Prince Rhaegar! He took the crown, while you hid under Casterly Rock!
~ King Joffrey openly disrespects and criticizes Lord Tywin Lannister.
A strong king acts boldly, he doesn't just talk.
~ A defiant Joffrey repeating King Robert's words to Tywin.
They know I saved the city. They know I won the war.
~ A delusional Joffrey brags about the victory at the Battle of the Blackwater.
I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had! Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more relief than a thousand lying whores!
~ Tyrion Lannister, raging at Cersei in response to the false accusations that he poisoned Joffrey, at his trial.
Kneel before your king. Kneel. I said… kneel!
~ Joffery attempting to make Tyrion kneel to him after purposefully making him retrieve his drink.

Quotes about Joffrey[]

Robert: I am sorry for your girl, Ned. Truly. About the wolf, I mean. My son was lying, I’d stake my soul on it. My son... you love your children, don't you?
Ned: With all my heart.
Robert: Let me tell you a secret, Ned. More than once, I have dreamed of giving up the crown. Take ship for the Free Cities with my horse and my hammer, spend my time warring and whoring, that's what I was made for. The sellsword king, how the singers would love me. You know what stops me? The thought of Joffrey on the throne, with Cersei standing behind him whispering in his ear. My son. How could I have made a son like that, Ned?
~ Robert confiding his lack of love for his "son".
Joffrey... I remember once, this kitchen cat... the cooks were wont to feed her scraps and fish heads. One told the boy that she had kittens in her belly, thinking he might want one. Joffrey opened up the poor thing with a dagger to see if it were true. When he found the kittens, he brought them to show to his father. Robert hit the boy so hard I thought he'd killed him.
~ Stannis Baratheon, recalling a time Joffrey happily came to him, Robert, and Cersei, after killing a cat.
I knew that boy Joffrey. He used to call my Robert cruel names, and once he slapped him with a wooden sword. A man will tell you poison is dishonorable, but a woman's honor is different. The Mother shaped us to protect our children, and our only dishonor is in failure. You'll know that, when you have a child.
~ Lysa Arryn, about how Joffrey used to bully her son Robert and justifying Joffrey's death by poison, indirectly referring to how she killed her husband.

Trivia[]

  • Similar to Dolores Umbridge, Joffrey is widely despised not only among the other characters but also among the audience for his many wicked deeds, even among villain enthusiasts who like villains such as Lord Voldemort or Darth Vader. The character was so despised. George R. R. Martin himself congratulated Jack Gleeson (Joffrey's actor) for "being hated by everyone".
    • Despite this, fans treated Gleeson well at cons and praised his acting.
  • Joffrey was one of the deceased targets on Arya Stark's list.
    • Jack Gleeson had already known Joffrey was killed in the Purple Wedding via Wikipedia, so he was not so shocked during filming Season 4 when it was Joffrey's turn to die.
  • Many of the series' actors had commented that Jack Gleeson and Joffrey were nothing alike, being complete opposites of one another. Gleeson himself was known to despise Joffrey, and he found many scenes that showcased the character's cruelty difficult for him. He also despises profanity and did not do so in rehearsals, only cussing in actual takes. Gleeson also retired from acting altogether to avoid the pressure of being in similar roles.
    • Despite all that, fans have pitied Gleeson for being unable to escape from Joffrey's shadow, as it could be years until people see him as Gleeson and not as Joffrey.
  • Though the cause of his death was initially left ambiguous, a lot of fans rejoiced after seeing Joffrey die in the series, and this hardly happened before any other deceased villains of Game of Thrones, with the only instance rivaling this being Ramsay Bolton's death.
    • Fans of the TV adaptation had a lot of theories about the person who caused the Purple Wedding. However, Petyr Baelish was the real murderer, with the help of Dontos Holland and Olenna Tyrell, as confirmed in both novels and TV series by Petyr himself.
  • Although both of them have very little interaction with each other, Joffrey arguably serves as the antithesis of Jon Snow:
    • Joffrey is believed to be a trueborn but is a bastard, while Jon is believed to be a bastard but is trueborn (at least it's confirmed in the show).
    • Joffrey was originally held to a high standard for being the king but ended up being hated by his people for his actions, while Jon was originally held to a low standard for being a bastard but ended up becoming beloved and considered a hero for all that he's done.
  • Joffrey serves as the archenemy of Robb and Sansa. Although he interacts with Sansa far more, Joffrey is also the archenemy of Robb, as he is the one that he waged his war against, and he would frequently torture Sansa as an outlet for losing to Robb. Furthermore, he is the only one of House Starks's enemies who lives to see the defeat of his enemy Robb, since Tywin allied with Walder Frey, who managed to kill Robb during the Red Wedding. Also, unlike in the show, Joffrey interacts with Robb in the first book, and their hostility towards each other starts after Joffrey insults him rather than after Joffrey kills his father.
    • The reason for Joffrey's animosity against Sansa Stark is due to his humiliation caused by Arya Stark at the ruby ford of the Trident, which Joffrey never forgave. Sansa witnessed him failing to fight her own little sister Arya, who even disarmed him and reduced him to whimper for mercy, which subsequently led to his legal father, King Robert I Baratheon, reprimanding him for it and his legal uncle Renly Baratheon openly laughing and mocking him. Disappointing Robert and failing to be a Baratheon are the best things that cause anger and grief in Joffrey, especially due to Renly always belittling him for years.
    • A year later, Ned Stark openly rejects his claim to the throne, openly denying he is a true Baratheon at all and naming Stannis Baratheon the true king, deeply infuriating Joffrey, who has been ignored and dismissed by Stannis. Joffrey's hatred for Ned was personal, given the fact that Ned did not acknowledge him as a Baratheon or as the son of his best friend Robert. Later, Robb Stark refuses to swear fealty to him and instead openly rebels against him.
    • All the slights from the Starks led to Joffrey developing a hatred for them, second only to his hatred for his uncles. He can only take his hatred for the Starks from Sansa Stark, who was the only available target after Ned's execution, and also because she witnessed Joffrey crying and begging for mercy, something Joffrey could never forgive. Sansa's personality and lack of ability to "tame" him also made her an easier target for him. Joffrey's resentment against Sansa and Arya for the incident at the Trident is never brought up as an explanation for his constant torment of Sansa in the TV series.
  • In the TV version, Joffrey is so insecure and filled with self-doubt about being a true Baratheon that he orders the massacre of any children of Robert found in King's Landing. In the novels, Joffrey has absolutely no doubts about being a Baratheon and probably does not even know the location of any bastards of Robert, nor is he interested in killing them.
      • In the novels, it is not Joffrey but his mother, Cersei, who does not tolerate the existence of any bastards from Robert, mainly for her personal pride and hatred for Robert cheating on her but also because Stannis made repeated attempts to use them as proof to show the world that her children are bastards. In the novels, Cersei only locates Gendry and the infant Barra, however, and only the latter is killed. All the other bastards of Robert are alive, excluding two infant twins at Casterly Rock, killed on Cersei's orders years ago.
  • The summary of A Clash of Kings describes Joffrey as a mere figurehead and puppet, as well as not the true power of the Iron Throne, in addition to the fact that he is not of legal age to have the authority to rule, making his regents the rulers.
  • It is often assumed by the audience only following the television series that Joffrey started the War of the Five Kings. This was never the case, as Tywin Lannister takes the initiative and opens the war's first stage with the invasion of the Riverlands. The common misconception of Joffrey being the war's instigator is mainly caused by the viewers paying only attention to the Stark-Lannister enmity and forgetting other details and ongoing rivalries in the TV show.
    • Many viewers have a popular false impression that the main conflict of the war is solely between the Starks and the Lannisters, when the novels give much importance to the Baratheons as the primary enemies and later bring the Greyjoys as a sudden personal major threat to the Starks (while they are much less featured in the TV show, as well as less impressive). The trueborn Baratheons, in particular, are a far stronger and more personal threat to the Lannisters due to the usurpation of the Iron Throne and the fact that the Baratheons are the Seven Kingdoms' royal family. Most of the conflict, and the worst of it, however, is indeed fought between the Lannisters and the Stark-Tully union in the Riverlands.
    • While Joffrey's decision to execute Ned certainly serves as the overall catalyst of a prolonged northern rebellion and even indirectly leads to Balon Greyjoy's invasion of the North, it was Littlefinger who convinced Lysa Arryn to kill Jon Arryn and caused Catelyn Stark to believe that it was the Lannisters who were responsible (and later, it is implied by Varys and Tyrion that he was the one behind Joffrey's decision to execute Ned).
    • The entire War of the Five Kings was never caused by Joffrey himself, as Stannis Baratheon was already gathering swords and sailors for war even a year before Robert Baratheon's death, disappearing from court without notice and even seizing over half the royal fleet of the Iron Throne for himself at Dragonstone without explanation. Long before Ned's execution, Stannis was already publicly declared a traitor to the Crown, and he openly ignored all the summons back to court. Renly Baratheon was also plotting his own rebellion with the Tyrells even before Ned's arrest. Both brothers always had the intention of starting a war, and their motivations have nothing to do with Ned Stark's execution. In fact, Stannis states that Ned was nothing to him and asks Maester Cressen why he should care about avenging him.
    • The War of the Five Kings breaks out shortly after the death of King Robert, not Ned's. The actual first battles take place in the Riverlands, against House Tully, not House Baratheon or House Stark. The opening battles are fought in the lands of riverlords, and major sieges of castles are also against the lands of Tully bannermen, as well as the first siege of Riverrun against the Tullys themselves. This is caused by the fact that Catelyn abducted Tyrion Lannister, leading to Tywin Lannister seeking revenge. Only later, House Stark joins in aid of House Tully in the war, openly rebelling against the Iron Throne in the attempt to rescue Ned Stark. Robb Stark's first battles on the Green Fork, in the Whispering Wood, and Riverrun are fought before word of Ned Stark's execution arrives, and by then far too many highborn lives are lost to achieve peace, and settlements in the Riverlands were already ravaged by war. The Lannisters and the Iron Throne had already earned the ire of the Tullys and Edmure Tully's unwillingness to negotiate for peace by then.
    • Even if Joffrey did not behead Ned, the war against the Tullys was already ongoing for a while by then, and countless lives were already lost. Rivermen and northern nobles were already killed before Ned (such as Lord Vance, Ser Raymun Darry, Harry Rivers, two of Rickard Karstark's sons, and the Hornwoods); major castles and towns, including Maidenpool, Stone Hedge, and Harrentown, in the Riverlands were already besieged and sacked; and one of Lord Jonos Bracken's daughters was raped by the Mountain. All this conflict was already savage, brutal, destructive, and full of slights against highborn families, while Ned was still "rotting" in a black cell beneath the Red Keep. Most importantly, Robert's brothers were always going to start the war nonetheless.
    • The only thing Ned Stark's execution caused, as pointed out by Tywin and Tyrion themselves, is simply the complete inability to negotiate peace with the Starks, and thus the loss of ability to completely focus on the Baratheons, Stannis and Renly, who are the biggest threat to Joffrey's claim and to the Lannisters' usurpation of the throne. Overall, Ned's execution is a diplomatic disaster on Joffrey's side and the main reason for the continuation of the war in the Riverlands, the Westerlands, and later in the North during the rise of the Greyjoys.
    • At the end of the day, a war was always inevitable due to House Baratheon's schemes, which started a year before the war. Varys himself tells Ned in the novels that Robert was growing too bold and that what led Cersei Lannister to have him killed was the fact that Stannis was already acting against her children (he is the one who sends Jon Arryn in an investigation against Cersei's children) and that Renly and Loras Tyrell planned to give Robert a pretext to spurn his marriage with Cersei and marry Margaery Tyrell. According to Varys, Cersei had to kill Robert in order to gain the freedom to deal with Stannis and Renly before they could destroy her.
    • The TV series does acknowledge the conflict between the Lannisters and the Tullys as the actual opening war, as well as the Baratheon brothers' conflict over the throne. The invasion of the Riverlands is mentioned and seen in the first season, before Ned's execution, and Jaime Lannister laying siege to Riverrun is mentioned. Only brief shots of the Battles on the Green Fork and the Whispering Wood are featured before the scene of Ned Stark's execution. In the novels, the Tully-Lannister conflict is mentioned in more detail, including the three battles: the first siege of Riverrun, Hoster Tully and his son Edmure are featured, and Tyrion's POV during the Battle on the Green Folk against Roose Bolton's army is featured as well.
    • In the television series, a written line has Tyrion incorrectly accusing Joffrey of "starting" the whole war, possibly to make Joffrey look worse in the eyes of the viewers, although it can simply be portrayed as Tyrion just taking his anger on his nephew. In the novels, Tyrion never says such a line, and his rage at Joffrey is caused by the fact that Joffrey starts a bread riot in King's Landing after screaming for the head of a lowborn citizen who threw dung at him. In the book version, Joffrey shouts an offer of money for whoever points him as the culprit, leading to people pointing fingers at each other, then rage and panic between the citizens accusing each other, until chaos and violence to resist possible arrest.
      • It is not Joffrey who causes the famine in King's Landing, but Mace Tyrell, who closes off the roseroad and cuts all the food supplies between the city and many farmlands. The Crownlands alone are not able to support the whole city themselves, mainly due to the war. Tyrion acknowledges Lord Tyrell as the culprit of the famine in the novels.
  • Even after he dies in the third book and the fourth season, Joffrey's actions still have an impact on the story and the characters. Sansa, in particular, was affected the most by Joffrey, as his treatment towards her helped to propel her character development, making her a more mature person. Joffrey's treatment of Sansa is one of the things that makes her accept that the world isn't all as great as the songs say it to be.
  • Although he is more or less the same, Joffrey is, at the very least, slightly more sympathetic in the books than in the show. Due to this, there are many differences between Joffrey's actions in the show and the books.
    • Unlike his television counterpart, Joffrey's cruelty stemmed from being constantly rejected by Robert his entire life, and it's greatly implied that all of his actions were done to live up to his (alleged) father's standards. In the show, it was only implied once that his actions are to live up to Robert's standards (when he talked about how Robert won the war while Tywin hid in Casterly Rock), while in the books, it is confirmed by many that he is trying to be seen by the same standard as Robert.
    • In the books, it is him who sends the assassin to kill Bran, but not out of sadism, but because he heard a drunken Robert state that the crippled Bran should be put out of his misery, while in the show, it is Littlefinger who sends the assassin.
    • In the books and the show, he attempts to fight Mycah in a sword duel, only to be attacked by Arya, but unlike the show, his act of doing this stemmed from being drunk, while he was completely sober doing this in the show.
    • It has been shown that in the books, Joffrey is shown to have slightly more love towards his family, as he would cry for Cersei whenever he got hurt and was never shown to degrade her. Also, while he still attempts to degrade Tywin during the council meeting about Robb's death, he was shown to have a better relationship with him in the books than in the show, even going out of his way to hug Tywin when naming him "Saviour of the City" in A Clash of Kings, while he does not attempt to do so in the show.
    • While he kills more people in the books than in the show, it stems from having heard imagined insults, emphasizing more his insanity, while his only kill in the show is Ros, and he did so out of sadism for it.
    • In the books, he is around 11-13, so his actions also stem from immaturity, while in the show he is 16-17, making him mature and aware of his actions.
    • In the books, at the moment of Joffrey's death, Tyrion felt a small amount of sadness, realizing that for all Joffrey was, he was still just a child.
    • Sansa herself cried when Joffrey died despite everything he put her through, feeling sympathy for him, and she watched cry and beg for help.
  • In the books, Joffrey is a decent swordsman. In the first book, he spars with Robb, and although Robb claims that he managed to hit Joffrey more, it's implied that Joffrey managed to put up a fight against him as Robb ends up sweaty from their confrontation while Joffrey simply looks bored. In the show, these skills are never shown, and he seems to be a terrible swordsman, being unable to attack Arya after she hits him with a wooden stick for hurting Mycah. In the books, he and Sansa drink much more wine than in the show before this scene, and Arya also hits and injures his nape with the wooden stick instead of his back, but he can still block her next attack with his sword, disarm her of the wooden stick, and corner her against a tree before Nymeria saves her.
  • Despite being one of the most hated characters in the series, Joffrey is often ranked as one of the greatest villains in the series, and his portrayal on the TV show is considered to be one of the best TV villains of all time.
  • Joffrey is shown to be extremely similar to another villain in the series, Ramsay Bolton. Both of them are bastards who want to be acknowledged by their fathers and, eventually, become sadistic and cruel-hearted villains as they grow up. Both of them only held love for their mothers, and both of them served as tormentors towards Sansa (in the TV show). However, at the same time, Ramsay is far worse than Joffrey, and these traits highlight their differences:
    • While both of them are bastards, Ramsay is the only one aware of this and is known as the bastard son of Roose, famously named "The Bastard of Bolton." In Joffrey's case, he is unaware that he is a bastard, as almost no one knows that he is the son of Jaime, believing him to be the son of Robert.
    • While Joffrey is a product of incestuous love between Jaime and Cersei, Ramsay is a product of rape between Roose and a miller's wife.
    • In contrast to Joffrey, Ramsay is far worse and crueler in his methods of torturing his enemies, and Ramsay himself would participate in torturing his enemies while Joffrey would order others to do it for him. In many ways, Ramsay is what Joffrey aspired to be.

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Westeros
Beyond the Wall
The Others
Night King | White Walker Commander | Viserion | Wights

Giants
Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg | Dongo

Free Folk
Mance Rayder | Tormund Giantsbane | Styr | Rattleshirt | Orell | Craster | Varamyr Sixskins | Harma Dogshead | The Weeper | Alfyn Crowkiller | Ygritte | Hali

Night's Watch
Night's King | Alliser Thorne | Bowen Marsh | Othell Yarwyck | Janos Slynt | Olly | Karl Tanner | Dirk | Ollo Lophand | Clubfoot Karl | Chett | Rast | Brant | Derek | Stiv | Wallen | Rorge | Biter | George Graceford | Perkin the Flea | Rat Cook

The North
House Stark
Theon Stark | Cregan Stark | Arya Stark | Tom

House Bolton
Royce IV Bolton | Roose Bolton | Ramsay Bolton | Locke | Reek | Myranda | Little Walder Frey | Big Walder Frey | Bastard's Boys | Master torturer | Smalljon Umber

House Karstark
Rickard Karstark | Harald Karstark | Arnolf Karstark | Cregan Karstark | Arthor Karstark

The Vale of Arryn
House Arryn
Lysa Arryn | Mandon Moore | Marillion | Mord | Lyn Corbray

House Baelish
Petyr Baelish | Oswell Kettleblack

Vale Mountain Clans
Shagga

Riverlands
House Baelish of Harrenhal
Petyr Baelish

House Frey
Walder Frey | Emmon Frey | Aenys Frey | Walder Rivers | Jared Frey | Hosteen Frey | Symond Frey | Merrett Frey | Raymund Frey | Lothar Frey | Whalen Frey | Benfrey Frey | Ryman Frey | Rhaegar Frey | Big Walder Frey | Little Walder Frey | Edwyn Frey | Black Walder Frey | Tytos Frey | Leslyn Haigh | Harys Haigh

House Strong
Larys Strong | Alys Rivers | Larys Strong's prisoners

Brotherhood without Banners
Lady Stoneheart | Lem Lemoncloak | Tom of Sevenstreams | Morgan | Gatins

Others
Chett | Garse Goodbrook | Lysa Tully | Danelle Lothston | Lothar Bracken | Harren the Red

Iron Islands
House Greyjoy
Balon IX Greyjoy | Euron III Greyjoy | Victarion Greyjoy | Aeron Greyjoy | Asha Greyjoy | Yara Greyjoy | Theon Greyjoy | Dagmer Cleftjaw | Black Lorren | Stygg | Drennan | Adrack Humble | Red Oarsman | Lucas Codd | Torwold Browntooth | Harrag | Iron Fleet

House Greyjoy (historical)
Dalton Greyjoy

House Hoare
Qhored I Hoare | Hagon Hoare | Harwyn Hoare | Harren Hoare

Others
Joron I Blacktyde | Urrathon IV Goodbrother | Urron Greyiron | The Shrike

Westerlands
House Lannister
Tywin Lannister | Cersei Lannister | Jaime Lannister | Tyrion Lannister | Lancel Lannister | Amory Lorch | Ilyn Payne | Preston Greenfield | Shae | Lowell

House Lannister (historical)
Jason Lannister | Lann the Clever

House Clegane
Gregor Clegane | Sandor Clegane | Polliver | Rafford | The Tickler | Weasel | Mountain's Men

House Reyne
Ellyn Reyne | Roger Reyne

House Spicer
Rolph Spicer | Sybell Spicer

Others
Alfred Broome | Androw Farman

Crownlands
House Targaryen
Aegon I Targaryen | Visenya Targaryen | Rhaenys Targaryen | Maegor I Targaryen | Daemon Targaryen | Rhaenyra Targaryen | Aegon II Targaryen | Aemond Targaryen | Daeron Targaryen | Daeron I Targaryen | Baelor I Targaryen | Aegon IV Targaryen | Aerion Targaryen | Aerys II Targaryen | Rhaegar Targaryen | Viserys Targaryen | Daenerys I Targaryen

Greens
Aegon II Targaryen | Aemond Targaryen | Daeron Targaryen | Otto Hightower | Alicent Hightower | Criston Cole | Borros Baratheon | Jason Lannister | Unwin Peake | George Graceford | Orwyle | Jon Roxton | Larys Strong | Larys Strong's prisoners | Alys Rivers | Hugh Hammer | Ulf White | Hobert Hightower | Alfred Broome | Arryk Cargyll | Marston Waters | Perkin the Flea | Luthor Largent | Caltrops

Blacks
Rhaenyra Targaryen | Daemon Targaryen | Cregan Stark | Mysaria | Hugh Hammer | Ulf White | Luthor Largent | Bartimos Celtigar | Alfred Broome | Dalton Greyjoy | Blood and Cheese

House Baratheon of King's Landing
Robert I Baratheon | Joffrey I Baratheon | Cersei Lannister | Jaime Lannister | Janos Slynt | Ilyn Payne | Bronn | Sandor Clegane | Boros Blount | Meryn Trant | Mandon Moore | Preston Greenfield | Kettleblack Brothers | Robert Strong | Catspaw

House Baratheon of Dragonstone
Stannis Baratheon | Selyse Florent | Melisandre | Axell Florent | Richard Horpe | Clayton Suggs | Shadow Assassins

House Blackfyre
Daemon I Blackfyre | Daemon II Blackfyre | Aegor Rivers | Maelys I Blackfyre | Golden Company

House Kettleblack
Osmund Kettleblack | Osfryd Kettleblack | Osney Kettleblack

Faith of the Seven
Baelor I Targaryen | High Sparrow | Septa Unella | Faith Militant | Lancel Lannister | The Shepherd

City Watch of King's Landing
Daemon Targaryen | Janos Slynt | Bronn | Osfryd Kettleblack | Blood | Perkin the Flea

Alchemists' Guild
Rossart | Hallyne | Garigus | Belis

Others
Rorge | Biter | Arryk Cargyll | Bartimos Celtigar | Hugh Hammer | Luthor Largent | Ulf White | Marston Waters | Olyvar | King's Landing Rioters

Stormlands
House Baratheon
Robert I Baratheon | Stannis Baratheon | Renly Baratheon | Joffrey Baratheon | Richard Horpe | Meryn Trant

House Baratheon (historical)
Orys Baratheon | Borros Baratheon

Others
Criston Cole

The Reach
House Tyrell
Mace Tyrell | Loras Tyrell | Randyll Tarly

House Florent
Axell Florent | Selyse Florent

House Hightower
Lord Hobert Hightower | Ormund Hightower | Otto Hightower | Alicent Hightower | Hobert Hightower

House Peake
Unwin Peake | Amaury Peake | Mervyn Flowers | Gormon Peake

The Citadel
Pycelle | Orwyle | Qyburn

Others
Jon Roxton | George Graceford | Bronn

Dorne
Morion Martell | Ellaria Sand | Gerold Dayne | Nymeria Sand | Obara Sand | Tyene Sand | Wyl of Wyl | Vulture Kings

Others
Shagwell | Smiling Knight | The Little Birds | The Rat, the Hawk, and the Pig

Essos
Free Cities
Belicho Paenymion | Ben Plumm | Bloodbeard | Craghas Drahar | Daario Naharis | Second Sons | Doreah | Illyrio Mopatis | Jaqen H'ghar | Kindly Man | Malaquo Maegyr | Mero | Moqorro | Mysaria | Ollo Lophand | Pretty Meris | Tattered Prince | The old man | Tyanna of the Tower | Vargo Hoat | Varys | Sorcerer | Waif | Bianca | Triarchy | Saan Family | Band of Nine | The little birds

Golden Company
Aegor Rivers | Maelys I Blackfyre | Harry Strickland

Brave Companions
Vargo Hoat | Rorge | Biter | Shagwell | Qyburn

The Sorrows
Stone Men

Dothraki Sea
Dothraki | Drogo | Jhaqo | Mago | Moro | Qotho | Qhono | Qorro | Brozho | Rhalko | Forzho | Wine Merchant

Lhazar
Mirri Maz Duur

Slaver's Bay
Great Masters | Wise Masters | Good Masters | Hizdahr zo Loraq | Kraznys mo Nakloz | Grazdan mo Ullhor | Cleon the Great | Malko | Oznak zo Pahl | Prendahl na Ghezn | Razdal mo Eraz | Yezzan zo Qaggaz | Reznak mo Reznak | Skahaz mo Kandaq | Sons of the Harpy | Vala | Grey Worm | Unsullied

Qarth
The Pureborn | The Undying Ones | Pyat Pree | Warlocks of Qarth | Xaro Xhoan Daxos | Sorrowful Men

Collections of Countries
Old Empire of Ghis | Valyrian Freehold | Slaver Alliance

Far East Essos
Yi Ti
Bloodstone Emperor | Lo Bu | Jar Har

Asshai and Shadow Lands
Melisandre | Shadow Assassins

Across the Known World
Crew of the Silence

Dragons
Balerion | The Cannibal | Drogon | Meraxes | Rhaegal | Silverwing | Sunfyre | Vermithor | Vhagar | Viserion

Deities
Drowned God | Great Other | Horse God | Lion of Night | Many-Faced God | Old Gods | Old Ones | R'hllor | Storm God

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