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Savannah Chiu

Professor Granillo

English 103

October 2019

The King of Ego

In modern day society television has become an expressive outlet for an audience to view

characters and resonate with them. Some of the challenges for a TV show are to create pieces

that stay true to the directors artistic view, but also convene with the principles of the masses. At

times TV shows can rely on chronicled character flaws that have reoccurred in human nature in

order to relate with the targeted audience. In the show, Game of Thrones there are many

character flaws that play out in the fictional world of Westeros, but also in the everyday lives of

modern society. The director Alex Graves directed the episode “The Lion and the Rose” in the

show Game of Thrones to display the downfall of the character Joffrey Baratheon. This

highlights how certain characters use defense mechanisms to help control impulses from their

unconscious psyches, therefore acting as a cautionary model for the audience as to how leading

heavily with an ID ego can be destructive.

The show is set in the fictional land of Westeros during a fictional time period that

resembles the medieval era. The character of focus is Joffrey Baratheon, who is a teenage boy as

well as king of the land. In this particular episode Joffrey is set to marry a woman from a

different kingdom, Margery Tyrell. The episode is titled the “Lion and the Rose” due to the

respective insignias of the kingdom joining in marriage. From the earliest episodes Joffrey is

characterized as a vile and evil child born out of incest and raised with no sanctions.
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Joffrey’s character assumes his usual role as a mean and impatient boy. On the day of his

wedding he is gifted a sword stating, “Widow's Wail, I like that. Hah... Every time I use it, it'll be

like cutting off Ned Stark's head all over again” (Martin, Game of Thrones, S2E1). Even on the

day of his wedding, a time filled with positivity and rejoice, Joffrey relies on a use of

displacement to avoid the underlying issue. Since the day Joffrey became king, his claim to the

throne was challenged by the offspring of Ned Stark - one of the offspring being Sansa Stark.

Joffrey purposefully used this verbal attack as a way to cope with his frustration and fear that he

is not the rightful King. This defense mechanism is used throughout the episode. Joffrey verbally

attacks those around him - all of whom are his subordinates due to his position of power.

According to Tyson displacement is “taking it out on someone less threatening than the person

who caused our fear, hurt, frustration, or anger” (Tyson 15). On his wedding day all Joffrey can

think about is how he can torment those around him as a way to cope with his own insecurities.

In the end, Joffrey tortured everyone who loved him so much that he was murdered on his own

wedding day.

This specific episode is a cautionary tale that many can relate to in modern day society. If

one does not learn to cope with unconscious traumas, and instead uses defense mechanisms, they

will ultimately meet their downfall. Joffrey is a prime example of why we should not lead with

our ego, but instead live life balanced.

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Works Cited

“The Lion and the Rose.” ​Game of Thrones​, season 4, episode 2, HBO, April 2014.

Tyson, Lois. “Psychoanalytic Criticism .” ​Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide​, 3rd

ed., Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2015, pp. 11-50.

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