The Game of Thrones show hasn’t shied away from showcasing violence and gruesome moments that can make our skin crawl. It is also known for making memorable ends to its characters, which range from exciting to heartwrenching. Some characters’ death felt deserving, like that of Joffrey Baratheon, known for his cruelty and sadism.
Despite his negative traits, he is among the fan-favorite characters and was choked to death at his wedding. Given that his death scene is widely applauded, it was actually deemed as an accident in the books.
How Joffrey Baratheon’s Died in HBO’s Game of Thrones
In the complex world of George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire series and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones, few characters’ deaths like that of Joffrey Baratheon gave audiences major relief. Known for his irredeemable cruelty, his demise, better dubbed the Purple Wedding, is one of the significant events in the franchise.
Portrayed by Jack Gleeson in the HBO show, the character embodies the worst possible traits of nobility and shows no remorse in doing brutal acts that make him one of the worst villains ever. Gleeson’s impeccable acting skills have elevated the character’s charm, bringing his psychotic personality from the novels to life.
However, his demise brought ultimate chaos to a feast which was more or less a happy occasion. For the unversed, his death occurs in the second episode of Season 4, titled The Lion and the Rose.
Baratheon marries Margaery Tyrell, the widow of the pretender King Renly Baratheon, to secure an alliance between the Lannisters and the Tyrells. The wedding feast is held in the gardens of the Red Keep, with the groom’s uncle Tyrion Lannister, and new bride Sansa Stark in attendance.
During the feast, the servants bring out a giant pigeon pie which the new couple feed one another when the groom demands his uncle to pour him more wine. Things were looking perfect until Joffrey started to choke, falling to the ground, gasping for breath.
His face turns purple, and he ends up meeting his end in his mother, Cersei’s arms. However, before his death, he ends up pointing fingers at his uncle, aka Tyrion, which brings the wedding into utter chaos. Griefing about his lost son, she immediately orders Stark’s husband’s arrest.
It is later revealed that his death was meticulously orchestrated by Margaery’s grandmother, Lady Olenna Tyrell with the help of Littlefinger. Her primary motive behind the poisoning was to protect her granddaughter from Joffrey’s evil acts and eliminate him from the throne, thus securing her future.
Whereas, Littlefinger’s motives involved creating chaos to work on his schemes for power. However, what appears to be a planned assassination in the series was deemed as an incident in the books. Surprising, isn’t it?
Joffrey Baratheon’s Death Was Seemingly an Accident in the Books!
While King Joffrey’s death was a planned assassination by his bride’s grandmother and Littlefinger, things seemed to have been a little different in the books. He was poisoned with a substance called the strangler, which was hidden in the crystals of Sansa Stark’s hairnet (Ser Dontos Hollard gave it to her under the instruction of Littlefinger).
Video Books 3 debunked his death, explaining how exactly he met his demise. Looking at the poison pattern, the wine was also consumed by Margaery, hence putting poison onto the same would have been a risky move. However, in the books, Joffrey didn’t touch his pie, which would make one wonder how exactly he got poisoned in the first place.
The video explained that Cersei’s deceased son instead eats his uncle, Tyrion’s pie, and only after eating his pie did he start to choke. This meant that the poison was initially meant for Tyrion, not Joffrey, indicating that Littlefinger was targeting Tyrion.
Had Tyrion died, his wife, Sansa Stark would have been allowed to marry anyone, and fans of the saga are already aware that the character was seemingly interested in Sansa, who dearly loved her mother, Catelyn.
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