Jump to content

Sympathy For Joffrey


Azureguy

Recommended Posts

I think with Joffrey's death I realized that as big of a little shit that he was, he was still a child. Robert was an absentee father, Jaime never took much of an interest in his bastard children, the only one who devoted time and energy to raising him was Cersei and after reading her POV chapters in aFfC, I think we can all agree that she's not completely stable herself. The story with Joffrey and the cats shows that even at a young age he had sadistic tendencies but without any proper guidance, in fact the complete opposite, coupled with having total power as king, really made him into a awful monster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He was a little boy that placed no value on life (bar his own). His mother encouraged and nursed this behavior and was dumbfounded when he turned out to be a monster. King Robert had every opportunity to intervene and place his own influence on the child (and it's stated that Joffrey did seek King Robert's approval) but he did not.

Do I feel sorry for Joffrey? No, but you continue to find out more about Joffrey in the next book. But even before I knew those things I still couldn't wait for Joffrey to find his own end. My only regret is that Tywin did not have a chance to teach him a "sharp lesson" to set him straight. I have always been curious as to what that would have been. Any thoughts? May make an interesting new topic...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Nope, not a single ounce. In fact, I fist pumped and did a little jig.

Me too!

If we were talking about a real 12 year old in the modern world I would feel differently.

But we're talking about a thoroughly unpleasant character in a fantasy novel.

However, letting my real life work experience inform my reading experience.... Joff seems like a thoroughly spoilt bully, up until we hear about the kitten vivisection. Cruelty to animals as a child is a classic red flag to forensic psychiatrists and criminal lawyers (I'm the latter category FYI!) there are many studies into this type of criminal offending and the short answer to this is: arson and animal cruelty are two big warning signs of future sociopathic criminal offending at the really serious end of the scale, eg. Serial rape or murder.

Tie that into a spoilt bully who was also a feudal lord with unfettered power at the age of 12? Recipe for total disaster ! (Eg, RIP Ned)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

No, he gets no sympathy. Tommen and Myrcella are both fine and were raised in the same environment. Remember, you can't use today's morals in this story, their culture has no adolescence; men were children from birth to about 11-12, then they became Men. There is a common saying, "Every time a Targaryen is born the gods flip a coin." This is in a reference to incest. Joffrey was an evil cunt and got what he dished out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not even an ounce of sympathy for Joffrey. I am ashamed to admit it, but I happily shouted when I got to that part of the wedding. As far as the story goes, I am beginning to find Jaime's character interesting, though I live by "forgiven but not forgotten", I loathe all Lannisters. Vile creatures.

Yes, I am ashamed to admit I had no sympathy for Joff. He was horrible to Sansa, egged on by his equally nasty mother. I have no sympathy for her, either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Joffrey is a monster. But people forget that monster are not made, they are made by another monster


His father chose to spend time with whores and wine over him


His mother tells him that fear and cruelty is what keep people in line and that he can do everything he wants


They fight in front of him a lot of time, and Robert has no problem disrespecting Cersei even in front of the kids


He has massive anger issues and entitled to everything


He is simply the product of his parents behaviour



Tommen and Myrcella are fine because their treatment by Cersei are very different,i suspect their septa has more part in raising those two


Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was hard for me to hate Joffrey at all, really. Especilly when he was so facinating.

Okay, calm down people; just hear me out.

By this point we all probably are framiliar with the whole 'kittens' incident when Joffrey was a child--he gutted a pregnant cat and disembowled a kitten from her torn womb to give to his 'father', Robert--to which he was of course digusted by the gesture and hit Joffrey, hard, apparently knocking out half his baby teeth out. So I think it's safe to assume we can count for an 'abusive father' angle on his less-than-merciful actions.

But my main point about the kittens was that it coresponded eerily with one of the early warning signs of serial killers--they predominantly begin torturing and maiming animals before hurting people later in life. This obviously applys to Joffrey, as he maimed MANY people during his short reign, and the kitten story could be one of many incidents we simply have never heard about. That is more than enough eveidence to count for some sort of mental disorder as another angle on his actions, which may or may not have been caused by his being born of incest...

And finally, he was raised by Cersi Lannister. I repeat, he was raised by mother-fucking CERSI LANNISTER. Resting all her ambition, deceit and askewed viewpoints on his shoulders. Of course he was going to be a bad kid. I firmly believe that the only reason Tommen and Myrcella are not little monsters themselves is because Cersi seemed to favor her eldest son, focusing her efforts to pamper him to be her 'little lion'.

So in conclusion; an easily manipulated boy of thirteen with potentially severe mental disorders being raised to think of himself as above law, morality and accountability is a recipe for one of the most hated characters in literary history.

But even though all that; he was only a boy. He didn't know better. So the fact that he died was, well, sad. It's hard for me to wish death upon anybody, so yes, I did feel sympathy for the little cunt. Shoot me. :bowdown:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I am honest, I did not mind Joffrey's character. Sure, he was a total douche most of the time, but he was a child. Children don't normally know a lot about life (not to mention that he was thrown into the Iron Throne at such a young age after the death of his non-father) Which child wouldn't be power-craved when given the opportunity to rule over seven entire kingdoms at, what, twelve, thirteen years old? Just imagining the kid coughing and sputtering and clawing at his throat made me feel sad for the boy. He wasn't a bad kid in my opinion, it was the power he had grown into.. it had gotten to him in an unfortunately horrible way. :dunno:


Link to comment
Share on other sites

You all are weak beings. Death is a part of life, show no sympathy or mercy to those who have gone, now there is more for you to take........AHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!KILL ALL! WATCH THE WORLD BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...