Episode #4: Voldemort - What makes him so bad?
As villians go, Harry’s arch-nemesis Voldermort carries a big stick, but does he use it? Although we are admonished as to the unbelievable evilness of He Who Shall Not Be Named, for some of us, the picture painted of Lord Voldemort is not all that horrifying. Certainly he talks big, representing ideals that would seem to lead to mass murder and genocide, but his follow-through, at least so far, has been pretty weak. Is this really the true source of his ultimate evilness, or is there, perhaps, so underlying theme that animates these dark ambitions? What is the secret to understanding the real, utlimate terror that is Lord Voldemort, that will really cause us to fear to speak his very name? Tune in as we discuss and debate what makes Voldie such a baddie, and how this reflects on Harry and the nature of his goodness.A quick wrapup of the news:
- Child Magazine: JK Rowling one of 20 most influential people on children.
- The Leaky Cauldron: Book 5, The Movie, Teaser Trailer coming on November 17.
- MTV.com: No More Dobby.
- Harry Potter coming to Disney?
- MuggleNet: RAB Revelead? [hat tip: At the Core]
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October 17th, 2006 at 10:55 am
It’s called a trailer because the previews used to be at the END of the film, thus trailing the movie.
(ok, I cheated, I used wikipedia)
Thanks for the mention and great outtake!
October 17th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Excellent work, Aishel! Not only will you get a t-shirt (whenever we decide to make them), you will also get mentioned in the next hpprogs podcast! If you truly want a t-shirt from us, I am sure I can get you an old O.A.R. one.
November 1st, 2006 at 9:38 pm
Happy belated birthday, Penny
November 3rd, 2006 at 5:47 pm
I’ve been mulling over the idea that Voldemort is so bad because of his pursuit of power, and I think it’s accurate. Not all villains are bad for the same reason - we all kind of know that already, but this is the first time I’ve thought about what, exactly, is the “baddest bad” in the Rowling universe, and I think it is indeed hunger for power/control that’s painted as the greatest vice. The avada kadavra (murder) and crucio (torture) curses always seemed to me like obvious choices for unforgivable actions, but imperio (control/power over another) never seemed quite as obvious to me as the other two - but now it does make perfect sense in the context of power-seeking as the greatest vice.
I was thinking about this, and off the top of my head, it occurred to me that there are “patterns” of evil for many authors. For example, it seems to me that most Dickens villains (I’m currently reading Dickens) are greedy and selfish, and that greed and selfishness - which are not the same as power-hunger - are at the root of most evil in Dickens’ works. In Twain (whom I know both Greg and I coincidentally read right after Book 5!), I think we see a lot of “banal” evil - people who perpetuate evil out of intellectual and moral laziness, an unwillingness to question corrupt authorities or ways of life, so on. Tolkein, on the other hand, seems to join Rowling in the use of power-hunger as the root of all evil, as do the Star Wars movies mentioned earlier. I wonder if power is a more-common theme among works of fantasy and sci-fi - i.e., if there is actually a pattern to the kind of evil we see in villains in particular genres? (Not having been an English major, I don’t know if there is indeed already stuff written on these sorts of patterns.)
Another interesting thought - if “love” is the redemptive force, what does that say about hate’s role in evil, as hate is usually assumed to be the opposite of love? Is hate linked to power-hunger somehow? (Can’t remember if you guys got into hate or not - if you did, sorry for being repetitive.)
Thanks for giving me more think about!
November 4th, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Janice= Great thoughts as usual. I don’t think we brought up Hate at all, but remember there are those that say the opposite of love is not Hate, but Indifference. Not sure where that comes in with evil. I wonder if it is worse to be apathetic about something than passionately hate something. This really has nothing to do with Voldemort, but it is just a thought.
I like your thoughts on the Imperius curse. There is definitely something bone chillingly evil about having the power to control someone else. It would seem tthat imperio would be the least powerful of the 3 unspeakables, but it is definitely so much more horrible than the other two. Pain and death are nothing compared to the inability to have your own free will.
November 4th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
By the way, thanks for the b-day wishes. It was a fantastic Birthday!
November 21st, 2006 at 5:26 pm
Might have been my age (close to 50), but please listen to your own podcast for once — there are too many “you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know…” between the two of you and it’s driving me mad!
Please do not torture your listeners!
The discussion itself is interesting, and I will like to listen to it over and over again but I don’t think I can sit through all the “you knows”.
January 14th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Penny,
Thanks for your thoughts on my response. Good to know that you’re reading them (even the old ones). I did neet to drop a quick note to point out Greg’s error regarding Star Wars. He said that one of the things that Darth Vader did that made him so bad was destroying Alderran. I assume it was just a momentary lapse, because all true geeks know that it was Grand Moff Tarkin who ordered the destruction (as well as the kidnapping and torture of Princess Leia). In Star Wars, Vader was much more muscle than Imperial leader.
February 11th, 2007 at 1:37 am
Voldemort is obviosly bad because he killed Harry Parents an lots of people and I hate him and his followers.