Game of Thrones: Why Did Lady Olenna Frame Sansa for Joffrey’s Murder?

Summary:

• Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark were wrongly accused of King Joffrey’s murder after the Purple Wedding.
• Lady Olenna, the real culprit, stored the poison on Sansa’s necklace and removed it from her at the wedding.
• By framing the Stark heir, Olenna Tyrell ensured that her granddaughter Margaery, not Sansa, would marry King Tommen.

King Joffrey the Gentle might not have been universally liked, but his fate was brutal nonetheless: he died in agony before his desperate mother with no chance of survival. It was, of course, the doing of Lady Olenna Tyrell, which we only learn later into Game of Thrones, but fans tend to overlook a tiny yet crucial detail in that scene.

Lady Olenna Framed Sansa for Joffrey’s Murder

While it was Olenna Tyrell who poisoned King Joffrey, the blame ultimately fell on Tyrion Lannister and, to a lesser extent, Sansa Stark. The events of the Purple Wedding led to many deaths, including those of Oberyn Martell and Tywin Lannister, and forced both Tyrion and Sansa to run away from Cersei’s thunderous wrath.

Lady Olenna was never suspected as the true murderer thanks to her taking all the necessary precautions. The Queen of Thorns didn’t even smuggle the poison to the wedding herself: instead, she stored it in the necklace she gifted to Sansa Stark, avoiding every suspicion that could have arisen about her otherwise.

During the wedding, Olenna Tyrell comes to Sansa and, in a grandmotherly fashion, tweaks the girl’s hair and necklace a little while speaking to her. As she brushes Sansa’s hair, Lady Olenna does a light twist and tug, removing the poisoned gem from the necklace, all in one smooth and barely perceivable motion.

Neither Sansa, who was too intimidated by the Queen of Thorns’ very presence to notice, nor the audience paid attention to this tiny detail that revealed Lady Olenna’s role in the Purple Wedding early on. But the question is, why would Olenna Tyrell want to frame Sansa Stark for the murder? What was in it for her, personally?

Lady Olenna Killed Two Birds with One Stone

Joffrey’s murder was inevitable and understandable as Olenna Tyrell was directly interested in saving her granddaughter Margaery from a lifetime with that monster. However, she could have completely avoided implicating Sansa Stark by carrying the poison herself or framing someone more malicious than the little innocent girl.

Still, the Queen of Thorns set Sansa up as the murderer. Why did she do that?

While she remained in King’s Landing, Sansa was a threat to Margaery’s ascent to the throne. It was clear that after Joffrey’s death, Tommen would become the new King, and Lady Olenna had to secure her granddaughter’s position as the Queen. Sansa, the daughter of the North, could have been a problem, so she had to go.

At the same time, another person needed Sansa Stark’s getaway from King’s Landing: Petyr Baelish, Lady Olenna’s co-conspirator. Murder accusations were the perfect setup to push Sansa into Littlefinger’s arms under the promises of protection, thus handing him the Key to the North. Just like with Joffrey’s death, Lady Olenna and Littlefinger’s interests aligned when it came to Sansa’s fate.

Olenna Tyrell executed the perfect physical and political elimination during the Purple Wedding. She freed her granddaughter from a sadistic tyrant, secured her Queen status, and tipped the balance of power in her family’s favor. All with one smooth and subtle gesture that many fans never noticed even on their tenth rewatch.