Never have there even been more toxic relationships in a single show than those in Game Of Thrones. The characters in the HBO series subconsciously give perfect tutorials on how not to treat your partner. Outside the wars, schemes, and power struggles, couples struggle to hold on to this thing called love.
Given the volume of failed relationships and marriages seen on the show, one can be spoilt for choice when compiling a list for the very worst ones. But while some sailed smoothly for a while before reaching wavy waters, there are those that had signs of failure written all over them from the start.
Jon Snow & Daenerys Targaryen
A union between the Mother of Dragons and the King in the North should be a solid one. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles. Dany is Jon’s aunt since he is the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. Though incest has never been an issue for most characters, people from the North don’t fancy it so much. So, Jon dilly-dallies when it comes to taking things forward with Dany.
There’s also the fact that he is ahead of her in line for the throne. Even though Jon states he doesn’t want the throne, Dany feels she can’t trust anyone when it comes to power. And when she finds out the citizens of Westeros love Jon more, she becomes a bit jealous. There are simply too many roadblocks preventing this relationship from ever succeeding.
Sansa Stark & Joffrey Baratheon
Sansa hasn’t had it easy with love. She has a history of bad marriages and relationships that she was forced into. She is first paired up with Joffrey and the signs of doom are there from the start.
In the first season, Sansa is head-over-heels for Joffrey but fans can tell that it’s just teenage infatuation that won’t end well. After all, Joffrey has already shown evil traits. She even sides with him instead of her sister Arya. She eventually realizes who she is with when Joffrey calls for her father’s execution.
Cersei Lannister & Euron Greyjoy
Two of Westeros’ most villainous characters hooking up should be a good look. Or should it? Euron begs Cersei for sex after delivering the Golden Company to her. She declines at first then changes her mind minutes later. While making love, the two discuss Robert Baratheon’s impotence and Jamie’s libido.
The manner in which Cersei quickly dismisses Euron after intimacy is a red flag. But since he is obsessed with her, he promises to put a prince in her womb. She later tells him she is carrying his child though she is actually pregnant with Jamie. His jealousy makes him challenge the man to a duel carelessly. As expected, he ends up dead.
Lysa Arryn & Littlefinger
How the two end up together is an accurate indicator of things to come. She is initially in love with Littlefinger but he doesn’t reciprocate her feelings. Littlefinger tries to kiss Catelyn but she rebuffs him. Littlefinger ends up having consolation sex with Lysa. After making love, Littlefinger accidentally calls her Catelyn – clearly a bad sign.
Lysa’s father then asks her to abort Littlefinger’s baby so that she can be with Jon Arryn. Littlefinger eventually shoves Lysa to her death. His final words? “I have only loved one woman, only one, my whole life – your sister.”
Myranda & Ramsay Bolton
House Bolton servant Myranda is as vile as her lover Ramsay. The two aid each other in making other people’s lives miserable. It’s impossible to forget the time they tortured Theon aka Reek.
There is no sane person in the relationship. They enable each other in their descent to wickedness and their actions eventually catch up with them. Reek kills Myranda by throwing her off a rampart. Instead of giving her a proper sendoff, Ramsay gives instructions for her body to be fed to hounds, describing it as “good meat.”
Robert Baratheon & Cersei Lannister
Cersei’s marriage to Robert is a fulfillment of one of her prophecies but the two are never happy together. He enjoys being with random women and still has feelings for Lyanna Stark. Cersei, in turn, cheats on Robert with her own brother Jaime. Robert also thinks his children with Cersei are his but they aren’t.
There is too much toxicity in this relationship for it to survive. Ultimately, Cersei conspires with her henchman and lover Lancel to have Robert killed. As Robert is hunting in Kingswood, Lancel gives him too much wine so that he won’t be able to focus. Robert ends up badly wounded and dies.
Shae & Tyrion Lannister
When they first meet, Tyrion tells Shae to act as if she wants him and it’s their last night together. Well, first times aren’t supposed to be an act.
They eventually grow in love, with Shae once telling Tyrion one of the most romantic statements in the series: “I am yours and you are mine.” By the fourth season, their love has already turned sour. Shae testifies against Tyrion and then he finds out she slept with his father. Death by strangulation is the result after a physical altercation.
Stannis & Melisandre
Melisandre motivates Stannis in his push to be King of the Seven Kingdoms after Robert’s death because she has had a vision. It’s the only reason she loves him. Their demon shadow baby ends up killing Stannis’ brother, Renly Baratheon. And as if that’s not enough loss of family, they sacrifice Stannis’ daughter.
It turns out that Melisandre’s vision for Stannis was wrong all along. And when she realizes he is not the man she thought he would, she loses interest in him. In the end, Stannis is killed.
Sansa Stark & Ramsay Bolton
After marrying Sansa, Ramsay once again proves how cruel and despicable he is by raping her on their wedding night while forcing Theon to watch. The scene didn’t sit well with viewers and as a result, HBO and the show’s producers received strong backlash.
There is never a moment worth awing at in the union between these two. Sansa eventually gets revenge on her abusive husband by feeding him to his own hounds.
Margaery Tyrell & Joffrey Lannister
A master manipulator, Margaery is only with Joffrey because of her thirst for power. She makes him think she likes his sadistic actions. This way, she wins his trust and those of other people around him. A relationship built on opportunistic tendencies never survives and neither does the one between Margaery and Joffrey.
Though she isn’t the one that poisons him, she is glad that it happened. She and Tommen later bond over the fact that they won’t have to be worried about Joffrey anymore.
