King Joffrey Would Have (Eventually) Become a Good King

=)ArgumentsEveryone Hates Joffrey This video says it all - () - just the first couple minutes consist of loving expressions like "LET HIM CHOKE! " and "Somebody chop his head off! "Remember though that this debate is not about what Joffrey was at the time of his demise. .. it's about what he would have been had he lived for another 20 years. How would he have turned out? Would he still be the sadistic, foolish, king that we all knew him to be, or would he have changed? In order to answer this question, we have to explore - 1) why Joffrey was such a monster, and 2) what would cause Joffrey to change? The Making of a King Why is Joffrey the little sh! t that we all know him to be? Many of the qualities that made Joffrey despicable to the layman are actually qualities that, with moderation, would have made an excellent king.1) He lies through his teethSkillful deception is actually a desirable skill when it comes to the Game of Thrones - Tywin deceived Aerys when he sacked King's Landing, Tyrion's deception of Varys, Pycelle, and Littlefinger regarding his plans for Myrcella was masterful and laudatory, etc. .. So, as prima facie undesirable as lying may be, it is quite a prudent skill for the position, one that is difficult to master, and one we cannot fault a good king for having. If anything, this was a skill that Ned Stark simply did not have - he had to tell Cercei the truth about her children - and it cost him his life. As Tywin stated (round #1 video), someone incapable of smelling a plot on his life is neither a wise nor a good king, and make no mistake, Cercei intended to kill Ned Stark from the beginning ().2) He's a sadistic monsterAll actors almost without exception in the Game of Thrones are exceptionally violent and do not hesitate to cause harm to others - even someone like Ned Stark had no qualms about executing "traitors" like Ser Jorah Mormont. The ones that are not violent are scoffed at as weak-willed and feeble-minded - Mace Tyrell and Tywin's father Tytos immediately come to mind. Yes, Joffrey takes this well above any practical level. .. I will address this in #4.3) He's supremely arrogantAs the Queen of Thorns said about royal weddings - "What good is the word 'extravagant' if it can't be used to describe a royal wedding? " - so too can 'arrogance' be said about kings. This cannot be held against his abilities to rule.4) He's rash and impetuous This is easily the greatest mark against Joffrey. .. indeed I will go so far as to say that what makes Joffrey so unlikeable is exactly this quality. If he was not rash and impetuous, 3) his arrogance would come off as confidence, 2) his sadism would come off as courage and ruthlessness, and 1) his deceptions would come off as masterful politicking. Much of this was inherited from Cercei and exacerbated by the unlimited power of his position, both of which I will delve into detail in later rounds. Joffrey's FutureGiven that Joffrey's greatest failing was his rashness and impetuousness and how it permeated the rest of his being, what evidence is there that he would change?1) TywinLord Tywin, widely held to be the most competent man in managing Westeros, returned to King's Landing after several decades of absence. Joffrey was very receptive to his grandfather's influence, taking his advice to attend small council meetings, tempering his behavior, etc. ..2) CerceiJoffrey forcibly detached himself from his mother. While this may seem to lead to its own rashness (the first instance of this detachment led him to behead Ned Stark), detaching himself from Cercei and attaching himself to Tywin would have led to a wiser king by nearly all accounts.3) MargaeryJoffrey was very receptive to his bride-to-have-been's moderating and positive influence. She's a master at administrative PR (feeding the poor, caring for orphaned children from the Battle of the Blackwater), and having some of that rub off on Joffrey would have been a good thing.4) Age before WisdomJoffrey was young, and as the third season progressed he showed signs of being receptive to learning from his betters, even despite his initially uncontrollable arrogance as king. This stands in marked contrast to Aerys Targaryen, who became more and more uncontrollable and scornful of his advisers as he matured. ConclusionWhat made Joffrey so despicable was mainly his rashness and impetuousness. With Tywin staying in King's Landing indefinitely, along with his new queen Margaery, came a moderating influence over Joffrey that was very noticeable throughout the 3rd season. Most of Joffrey's other ostensibly negative qualities would have actually become positives with this concomitant moderation, and so Joffrey would have indeed eventually become a good king. "The virtue of justice consists in moderation, as regulated by wisdom. "Aristotle