102 replies to this topic

[direwolf_of_white_fangs]

Joffrey's character was build to be hated. He is such a sadist, evil little spoiled boy!
Much of the blame nevertheless is Cersei's as much as his, after all she was responsible for his education.

After so many stark deaths I could only be pleased with a lion's death to compensate, especially Joff.

I was happy when I was reading he was choking on that poisonous wine... me and perhaps half of King's landing!

Edited by direwolf_of_white_fangs, 12 October 2012 - 08:51 PM.

[Ser Jorah Mormont]

I'm afraid it is difficult to sympathise with such a little shit, Khaleesi

[TyranosauRoss]

I was very pleased when Joff died.  Not only does it cause turmoil in the series, but it just eliminates one of the few characters in the series that is entirely evil (The Mountain & Ramsay besides Joff)

[Lord_Tyrion]

After all, there's no asylum in Westeros.

Joffrey is the "product" of an incesterous relationship, and I guess that's the key to his behavior.

He is responsible for what he does - in my eyes.

[Where Boars Glow]

I agree...someone should like poison him or something.

[Lord_Tyrion]

In modern times, he'd be tried by a criminal court. And determined, if he had restricted criminal responsibility. And that's where an expert witness comes into play.

In the times George writes about, it was difficult to force a king/queen to abdicate because of abuse of office and authority.

That is also the point.

[yonashi]

I was overjoyed when Joffrey died. My only wish for him is that he should've died in a more gruesome way, what with all the evil and insane stuff he did.

He was just downright crazy and beyond repair. Tyrion even said Joff would have turned out even worse than the Mad King Aerys.

Now if only Cersei would die soon enough as well, then I would be happy with the world...

[Horza]

In the sense that he manifestly lacked any kind of conscience or moral sense at all it's hard to feel sorry for Joffrey.

I suppose he's to be pitied for a deficiency he wasn't capable of remedying, but frankly as ASOIAF sociopaths go he was one of the lamest, lacking the wit of a Littlefinger, the courage of a Gregor, the cunning of Ramsay Snow and too dumb to realise when he was being used as a pawn. Door, ass, way out.

[Waarg]

I think that Joffrey was more of a psychopath than a sociopath.
Being a sociopath implies that the traits developed as a result of environmental factors. The books make it pretty clear that Joff had issues veryyyy early on in life.

[Horza]

As far as I can tell that distinction is questionable, as the causal factors of psychopathy/sociopathy remain to be established, but yeah, clearly a very early development in Joffrey's case.

[Gurkhal]

I kind of feel for Joffrey but its the same kind of sympahty I have for Lysa. From a distance I can rationally come to the conclusion that I should feel sorry for him/her for one reason or another. But when I read about them I find it very difficult to motivate such pity in that particular time.

[Horza]

Lysa at least has reasons for being a headcase and suffered the additional handicap of being played like a Stradivarius by LF. Joffrey has no excuse.

[Kessell]

I'm sorry we won't get to see his head on a spike. Only Lannister I never found interesting enough to feel anything for.

[TheWildWolf]

I couldn't stand him the whole series, but i did feel slightly bad for him. He was just a kid after all. A very twisted kid, but yes, just a kid

[Light a wight tonight]

Jaime, on 28 September 2012 - 12:52 PM, said:

I have always felt sympathy for him. He's twelve for pity's sake. I teach kids who have social problems and bad home lives. I see what it can do to them, lots of pent up anger, lashing out, a desire to cause pain. They lack decent role models in their home life and it's very hard to give them a set of boundaries and social skills in the few hours you see them in per week. Imo, a child is 'innocent' until the age of about 16/17. That's when they have to take all they've learnt and become an adult. Joffrey was never given the chance to do this because he was made king at twelve, long long long before he was ready.

That may be, but he shot people, with a crossbow, who were demonstrating because they were starving, forced people to duel to the death, was going to have Dontos killed for being unready to take part in a tournament, had Sansa stripped and beaten publicly, had Ned executed instead of being sent to the Wall as the adult parties had agreed on, and a whole shopping list of lesser transgressions.

You may sympathize with Joff, but don't be shocked that you're in a distinct minority.

[Horza]

Also was killing and maiming animals at a very young age, a classic symptom of antisocial personality disorder that George was doubtless aware of when he inserted that detail.

[Waarg]

Another classic symptom that stood out for me was his fake charm at the beginning of the first book. The way he won Sansa over so easily with his "my Lady"-ing and gallantry was terrifying.

[Dannis Baratheon]

People can claim he is a product of the way he's been brought up I suppose but his younger siblings don't seem half as bad. Obviously a lot of his evil comes from Cersei filling his head with things, but at the same time it seems as if he was born with psychopathic tendencies anyway...
I don't really feel much sympathy for him after the evil he's done

[Pinkie Baelish]

Ser Jorah Mormont, on 19 October 2012 - 05:39 AM, said:

I'm afraid it is difficult to sympathise with such a little shit, Khaleesi

It is known.

[direwolf_of_white_fangs]

Waarg, on 01 November 2012 - 08:44 AM, said:

I think that Joffrey was more of a psychopath than a sociopath.
Being a sociopath implies that the traits developed as a result of environmental factors. The books make it pretty clear that Joff had issues veryyyy early on in life.

Nailed!