30 Sec Answer:
Tyrion Lannister is responsible for the murder of Joffrey Baratheon in the Season 4 finale of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’.
Who Kills Joffrey?
From his first appearance on-screen, King Joffrey Baratheon was a villain unlike any other. His cruelty and callousness led him to be despised by many characters in Westeros—and fans alike. As such, it came as no surprise when Joffrey met his demise at the Purple Wedding in the fourth season of Game of Thrones. But who was actually responsible for the death of the young king? Let’s take a look at all the factors that played into his death and uncover who kills Joffrey.
Background: The Plot Against Joffrey
As far back as the beginning of season 2, there were plans to get rid of King Joffrey, who had been crowned king after Robert Baratheon’s death in season 1. Renly Baratheon plotted against Joffrey shortly after he became king; however, Renly was killed soon after by Stannis Baratheon, another potential claimant to the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, Sansa Stark and her family were also scheming against Joffrey due to his mistreatment of her during their betrothal. In addition, Tywin Lannister and Lady Olenna Tyrell began working together in secret to protect their families from being destroyed by Joffrey’s reign.
Cersei Suspects Tyrion
In order to protect herself and her family from suspicion for Joffrey’s murder, Cersei immediately pointed fingers at Tyrion Lannister when news broke out about her son’s death. She even went so far as to have him arrested and brought before a court of law where she made several false accusations against him. However, it quickly became apparent that Tyrion was innocent, since there was not enough evidence to prove otherwise.
Olenna & Petyr Baelish Team Up
Lady Olenna Tyrell had grown increasingly frustrated with Joffrey’s behavior over time and sought revenge against him for ruining her daughter Margaery’s marriage prospects. She joined forces with Petyr Baelish—also known as Littlefinger—who had been planning to overthrow Joffrey since he usurped the throne from Ned Stark. Together, they devised a plan to poison Joffrey during his wedding feast with Margaery using an enchanted necklace gifted to them by House Frey.
The Poisoned Necklace
The necklace contained a rare poison called “the Strangler” which could only be detected if someone knew what they were looking for. Since this type of poison could not be traced back to anyone in particular, Lady Olenna and Littlefinger were confident that their plan would succeed without implicating either one of them. They enlisted Dontos Hollard—Sansa Stark’s former knight protector—to deliver the necklace to Sansa so that she could pass it off as a wedding gift from House Frey when she arrived at King’s Landing with Ser Loras Tyrell.
A Dangerous Dance
When it came time for the traditional bedding ceremony during which the bride and groom are undressed and put into bed together, King Joffrey chose Sansa Stark as one of his partners. It was then that Sansa slipped the poisoned necklace around his neck before helping him remove it once again moments later—unaware that it had already started taking effect on him due to its powerful properties. This marked the moment when King Joffrey officially took his last breath and passed away due to poisoning caused by ingesting “the Strangler” through his skin via contact with the necklace.
Uncovering The Murderer
Though Cersei immediately blamed Tyrion for killing her son, further investigation eventually revealed that it was indeed Lady Olenna Tyrell who orchestrated Joffrey’s murder with help from Littlefinger. They used Dontos Hollard as an unwitting pawn in their plot by having him deliver the poisoned necklace to Sansa Stark in exchange for gold coins provided by Littlefinger himself. Upon learning this truth, Tyrion finally realized why Cersei held such animosity towards him ever since he returned home from exile: she believed he was responsible for her son’s death even though he had nothing to do with it!
The Aftermath Of The Murder
Though justice wasn’t served right away due to lack of evidence connecting Lady Olenna and Littlefinger directly to the crime scene, both characters were eventually apprehended by House Lannister after Tywin discovered their involvement in his grandson’s death (though this discovery came too late). In the end, both Lady Olenna and Littlefinger faced harsh punishments for their part in orchestrating Joffrey’s demise while also suffering personal losses due to their actions–Olenna lost her entire family while Littlefinger lost his beloved Sansa Stark when she escaped King’s Landing following Joffrey’s funeral procession (much to his chagrin).
Conclusion: Who Killed Joffrey?
Ultimately, we can say with certainty that Lady Olenna Tyrell and Petyr Baelish (aka Littlefinger) are responsible for killing King Joffrey Baratheon during Season 4 of Game of Thrones via a carefully planned plot involving an enchanted necklace containing a rare poison called “the Strangler” that could not be traced back to them directly should something go wrong with their plan–which unfortunately did happen when Cersei falsely accused Tyrion Lannister for murdering her son despite having no evidence whatsoever linking him directly or indirectly involved in any way shape or form whatsoever with said crime scene itself (which ultimately ended up leading them nowhere anyways).
