Lord Voldemort aka Tom Marvolo Riddle: Character Analysis

[Arial]

Originally Posted by TerrierMom

Voldemort loved. He loved power.

I know people have said this before, but it really rings true. I know some of you guys mentioned flaws in DH, about Voldy taking over the ministry and not killing more muggleborns, but was it really necessary??? Above all Voldy wanted power he wanted to be the most powerful wizard in the universe. He had already taken over the ministry what would be the point of killing more muggleborns? He probably wanted to make them slaves ( or already did, I can't remember.lol) He's not like Bella killing or torturing people for the fun of it. I think he does what he thinks is necessary to make him more powerful. He also saw power in the Elder wand, it was an unbeatable wand so he's going to be fixated on it. Therefore he didn't pay attention to what was going on around him ( horcruxes deatheaters ,etc),which lead to his downfall.

[MasterOfDeath]

Originally Posted by Arial

I know people have said this before, but it really rings true. I know some of you guys mentioned flaws in DH, about Voldy taking over the ministry and not killing more muggleborns, but was it really necessary??? Above all Voldy wanted power he wanted to be the most powerful wizard in the universe. He had already taken over the ministry what would be the point of killing more muggleborns? He probably wanted to make them slaves ( or already did, I can't remember.lol) He's not like Bella killing or torturing people for the fun of it. I think he does what he thinks is necessary to make him more powerful. He also saw power in the Elder wand, it was an unbeatable wand so he's going to be fixated on it. Therefore he didn't pay attention to what was going on around him ( horcruxes deatheaters ,etc),which lead to his downfall.

But the Death Eater controlled Ministry of Magic was actively seeking out muggle-borns and blood traitors to put them on trial and possibly imprison or murder them...In DH, Voldemort was concerned with eliminating what may have been the greatest threat to his regime and power: Harry Potter, and since Harry's wand acted of it's own accord and destroyed Lucius's wand, this bred an obsession in Voldemort's mind to find the unbeatable wand to be able to conquer Harry once and for all.

There are also theories that Voldemort himself wasn't that racist, that he only supported this ideology to gather followers. He was willing to recruit Lily to his side even if she was a muggle-born. Voldemort was smart, he wasn't going to turn down talent if the wizard was of muggle heritage. I do think he was racist and a superiority complex too though.

He's a complex character.

Oh and about Voldemort 'loving' power...I don't think it's love if it doesn't apply to a person...I suppose it depends on how you define 'love'.

I believe Voldemort's goals were to take over wizarding Britain, turning it into an absolute dictatorship, purify the wizarding race by killing all muggle-borns, legalize dark magic, subjugate all magical creatures and then eventually branch out taking over the entire wizarding world, finally doing away with the statue of secrecy and leading wizards out of hiding all over the planet to take over the muggle world and rule over muggles like slaves or animals. With his horcruxes in-place, he would have been able to rule for all time, never dying.

Total control, absolute power. Forever.

Quite frightening actually...

[Arial]

Okay, my mistake I haven't read it in a while.

But I was reading some comments to this article about The Joker succeeding as a villian where Voldemort failed. There were really interesting comments, most say that Voldemort was a waay more interesting villian in HBP than DH.

Here are some good points that the commenters made

"I just want to add that I think that Rowling might have intentionally made Voldemort narrow and less complex by the time Harry faced him. If you think about real life evil villains, such as Hitler or Stalin or Idi Amin, and their ilk, they seem to be just as locked into the same sort of two-dimensional existence as Voldemort. They only see things from their own point of view, don’t listen to anyone else, don’t really have any concern for others and that sort of path leads them to their own end. It’s not that they will self-destruct if ignored or left alone; they could go on for a very long time if not challenged."


Another one

"Voldemort on his way to being completely evil is more compelling than the end result. I’d say in COS & HBP we get the best views of Voldemort while he is still somewhat human & thus able to be empathized with to some extent. Christian Coulson was able to pull this off to an extent in the film COS. We’ll see if whoever is playing young Voldy in HBP can do it.

Voldemort does become what he’s set himself up to be, a loner who only thinks of himself & only uses others. Thus, others don’t really count. They’re only things to be used or disposed of. I’m not sure what to make of his response to Bellatrix’s death in DH. Is his reaction one of concern for her (doubtful) or just a concern that one of his best tools has been done away with?

Whether JKR meant to show these things about Voldy or not, I’m not sure. The phrase she uses to describe his death is interesting, though. “With a mundane finality Riddle’s body hit the floor.” Mundane tends to infer something common & ordinary. The results of evil are not exciting or interesting but, as you say, trite, boring, & pitiful. Voldy’s death is anticlimatic, of no account, boring even. No blaze of glory for him. He’s tried so hard to be somebody, to set himself above others, to be unique but in the end he’s nothing special."

Here's a link

http://thehogshead.org/why-joker-suc...-fails-part-i/


A lot of the commenters didn't talk about Batman and the Joker because they didn't know the history of the Comic book. So they ended up talking about HP, whereas the article discusses both.



"

[Im_obliviated]

Originally Posted by Montse

So you are saying he already hated them and this knowledge only intensified and reassured the feeling he had towards them?
Do you know if he oppened the chamber of secrets before or after finding out all these?

Well, he opened the chamber during his 6th year i guess since he metions that he did not dare to open it again during his time at Hogwarts. The summer between his 6th and 7th year he went out to find out stuff about his past. Thats when he killed his grandparents and father. So I guess that he did not have the knowlage about his past in the sence that he hade killed it (lol) but I guess that he hade a clue when he opened the chamber.

[Daggerstone]

Originally Posted by MasterOfDeath

I believe Voldemort's goals were to take over wizarding Britain, turning it into an absolute dictatorship, purify the wizarding race by killing all muggle-borns, legalize dark magic, subjugate all magical creatures and then eventually branch out taking over the entire wizarding world, finally doing away with the statue of secrecy and leading wizards out of hiding all over the planet to take over the muggle world and rule over muggles like slaves or animals. With his horcruxes in-place, he would have been able to rule for all time, never dying.

Total control, absolute power. Forever.

Quite frightening actually...

And quite enthralling in terms of literary villains...

Not that I would ever condone such developments in real life, but I do find this, non-threatening, way of exploring the boundaries of human ability to wreak chaos and destruction fascinating.

I don't think Riddle had any goals that didn't ultimately lead to himself, though. He wasn't out to 'purify the wizarding race'; in the light of other things we learn about him, I'd say he was simply out to purify himself - eliminating Muggles and Muggleborns from his world would also effectively eliminate that part of his ancestry.

Introducing Dark Arts as a legal (preferred, even) means of magical practice would bring into the spotlight things he was best at.

Doing away with the statute of secrecy and taking over the world? "Hello people, here I am - that statusless, overlooked kid everyone avoided..."

The Horcruxes are rather self-explanatory, I think... remember what Jo said on the subject?

"Voldemort's fear is death, ignominious death. I mean, he regards death itself as ignominious. He thinks that it's a shameful human weakness, as you know. His worst fear is death"

So, 'purifying' himself again...

Ah, the sheer, blinding arrogance of it all...

Too bad she made him such a dunce in DH. No wonder HBP's my favorite HP book of all times...

[Pearl_Took]

Originally Posted by MasterOfDeath

I believe Voldemort's goals were to take over wizarding Britain, turning it into an absolute dictatorship, purify the wizarding race by killing all muggle-borns, legalize dark magic, subjugate all magical creatures and then eventually branch out taking over the entire wizarding world, finally doing away with the statue of secrecy and leading wizards out of hiding all over the planet to take over the muggle world and rule over muggles like slaves or animals. With his horcruxes in-place, he would have been able to rule for all time, never dying.

The only trouble with this is that Britain's magical community -- indeed the global magical community -- is far outnumbered by the Muggle population.

Even with magic on their side, I really don't think they would have got far.

But that's not an issue which is raised in the books. The Muggle world is always kept at the margins.

Originally Posted by Daggerstone

I don't think Riddle had any goals that didn't ultimately lead to himself, though. He wasn't out to 'purify the wizarding race'; in the light of other things we learn about him, I'd say he was simply out to purify himself - eliminating Muggles and Muggleborns from his world would also effectively eliminate that part of his ancestry.

Introducing Dark Arts as a legal (preferred, even) means of magical practice would bring into the spotlight things he was best at.

Doing away with the statute of secrecy and taking over the world? "Hello people, here I am - that statusless, overlooked kid everyone avoided..."

The Horcruxes are rather self-explanatory, I think... remember what Jo said on the subject?

"Voldemort's fear is death, ignominious death. I mean, he regards death itself as ignominious. He thinks that it's a shameful human weakness, as you know. His worst fear is death"

So, 'purifying' himself again...

Yes. It's all about him.

Too bad she made him such a dunce in DH.

[Daggerstone]

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

Well, she did!

Then again, the original line might have proven a bit too much for the hero... so it's all 'For the Greater Good', I suppose.

One more thing... I think someone mentioned Dark Lord's reaction to Bella's death?

I actually believe that was emotion - the Cross Baby had to have a root in some action or another...

[Trixa]

Originally Posted by Daggerstone

One more thing... I think someone mentioned Dark Lord's reaction to Bella's death?

I actually believe that was emotion - the Cross Baby had to have a root in some action or another...

This got me thinking... Whether or not the Bella/Voldemort relationship was one sided or two sided is a matter of interpretation but one things is for sure and that is that she at least had feelings for him. Which begs the question: are we supposed to see Voldemort as someone who deserves to be loved? Being loved by someone is in a way a sort of redemption. If someone loves you, that means there must be something about you which deserves being loved. If I were a writer and if I wanted to create a character who was the embodiement of evil, then I certainly wouldn't make any character in love with him/her because such a character would not deserve to be loved. JKR "gave" Voldemort a woman. And if you think about it Bella may be evil (otherwise she wouldn't fall for Voldie, obviously) but she isn't exactly a loser. She comes from a noble family, she is powerful both magically and character wise, and she is (or at least used to be) very attractive. So why does he deserve someone like that? Surely there must be something about him which is...eh...lovable. And even if Bellatrix were an ugly loser, Voldemort would still receive love from someone and for a character who despises love so much it doesn't seem as though he really deserves it. Love is very important in the HP books and it is mostly reserved for good characters and grey ones like Lucius. It would have been a nice symbolism if the most evil character in the books, the character which looks upon love with contempt didn't actually receive any.

PS: I don't personally think that Bella loved Voldemort but I know there are people who do and that's why I'm asking. And even if she didn't love him, she still shows some emotional attachment to him.

[GinnyPotter15]

Originally Posted by Trixa

This got me thinking... Whether or not the Bella/Voldemort relationship was one sided or two sided is a matter of interpretation but one things is for sure and that is that she at least had feelings for him. Which begs the question: are we supposed to see Voldemort as someone who deserves to be loved? Being loved by someone is in a way a sort of redemption. If someone loves you, that means there must be something about you which deserves being loved. If I were a writer and if I wanted to create a character who was the embodiement of evil, then I certainly wouldn't make any character in love with him/her because such a character would not deserve to be loved. JKR "gave" Voldemort a woman. And if you think about it Bella may be evil (otherwise she wouldn't fall for Voldie, obviously) but she isn't exactly a loser. She comes from a noble family, she is powerful both magically and character wise, and she is (or at least used to be) very attractive. So why does he deserve someone like that? Surely there must be something about him which is...eh...lovable. And even if Bellatrix were an ugly loser, Voldemort would still receive love from someone and for a character who despises love so much it doesn't seem as though he really deserves it. Love is very important in the HP books and it is mostly reserved for good characters and grey ones like Lucius. It would have been a nice symbolism if the most evil character in the books, the character which looks upon love with contempt didn't actually receive any.

PS: I don't personally think that Bella loved Voldemort but I know there are people who do and that's why I'm asking. And even if she didn't love him, she still shows some emotional attachment to him.

In the books there are so many scenes where Bella seems to be in love with Voldemort, although this could obviously still be incredible loyalty, because out of the bad actions Bella has taken, if there's one unbelieve feature about her, it will be her loyalty.

However, Bellatrix was married, even though JKR never mentions anything about him being murdered or still in Azkaban or hiding. He and Bella were in azkaban together, we know this, but we've never heard anything about him also being released after all the groupescapes.

[The_Green_Woods]

I am not too sure, but I think Rudolphus was released along with Bellatrix in Harry's 5th year (13 death eaters released IIRC), when Voldmeort broke out those who were supposed to stand in the gaps in his Inner Circle (in the graveyard speech).

[GinnyPotter15]

Originally Posted by The_Green_Woods

I am not too sure, but I think Rudolphus was released along with Bellatrix in Harry's 5th year (13 death eaters released IIRC), when Voldmeort broke out those who were supposed to stand in the gaps in his Inner Circle (in the graveyard speech).

Right, but was he there? Or did he not show? He might have been there but we just didn't know because he was wearing the cape and and the strange black hat type of thing on his face which would cover his face. And was he there when the few members of DA were fighting the death eaters? And was he there, but did we just not know because I do not believe we know what he looks like?

[LJB85]

Originally Posted by wolfbrother

Here's something that has bothered me for a while

In the books, its been mentioned that Voldemort became the most dangerous dark wizard taking the spot from Grindelwald. On what basis did the Wizarding community decide this? Is it because Voldemort killed and tortured more people than Grindelwald? His quest for immortality and horcruxes were not public knowledge. What crimes did he do to get top spot?

Speaking of crimes, I think Voldemort's worst crime was to himself - splitting his soul several times.

What do you guys think?

You bring up a very interesting point, one I'm trying to grapple with here. Just what did Voldemort do that made him worse than any predessor? Of course leaving out the horcruxes because nobody was aware of this and that could not give him the reputation as most "dangerous." At first I thought well Voldemort had a huge army, including many Inferi. But then I remembered so did Grindelwald have his own Inferi.

I do have an answer for you and all of us, but it is only a simple one. I think what makes Voldemort the most "dangerous" of all the Dark Lords of before, was Voldemort's understanding of how to make the masses afraid of the unknown. I do not think Grindelwald did this, but then again there is no evidence that Grindelwald did or did not control people by fear. Voldemort definitely did and I think this is what made him so dangerous. Voldemort was always subtle, always waiting, biding his time, slithering in the shadows. Even when he took over the Ministry in DH he did it quietly. This makes people much more afraid because they don't know what he's doing or where he's coming from. It is essentially fear of the unknown (directly related to Voldemort's fear of death, by the way which is the ultimate uknown, which just reflects back on Voldemort's own fears). He even created the "Taboo" which made people fear to say the very name and for a real reason. Plus, we know many people did not know who Voldemort was. For all they knew this Lord Voldemort seemed to come out of nowhere and almost like he popped into existence, which naturally would frighten people. For nobody but a handful knew he once held the veneer of the charming, handsome golden boy of Hogwarts.

But yes, I still wonder what could make him so dangerous? I think the reason above is the simplest answer. Voldemort mastered the fear of the Unknown (his own fear which he projected onto the Wizarding World and beyond). But I do wonder if there is a more concrete explanation.

[The_Green_Woods]

Originally Posted by GinnyPotter15

Right, but was he there? Or did he not show? He might have been there but we just didn't know because he was wearing the cape and and the strange black hat type of thing on his face which would cover his face. And was he there when the few members of DA were fighting the death eaters? And was he there, but did we just not know because I do not believe we know what he looks like?

He must have been there, seeing that he was a member of the Inner Circle. But I don't remember him being mentioned. Since he broke out of prison, I think he would have to be in hiding and not be seen, unlike Avery, McNair and Rookwood, other death eaters we see as MInistry officials and free. Not to mention Lucius Malfoy.

[The_Green_Woods]

From the Severus Snape thread

posted by WWB
With Tom, I don't really understand why he seemed to have more hatred for his dad than his mum - I mean he hated them both, but it was his father's bones he dug up and used and his home he took over, and his dad he ridiculed the most. And he was the muggle parent - you'd think Voldy would try to do all of that with the wizard parent.

I think this was because his father left his mother and ran away, which caused his mother to die, leaving him in an orphanage. I think Voldemort would have concluded that had his father been a wizard, he would not have left his mother, the heir of Slytherin and one of the oldest families. Burt as a muggle he saw differently and because of that he, Voldemort suffered and became an orphan. So as a muggle his father was worthless, he
must have concluded IMO.

[padfoot__lives]

3) Tom Marvolo Riddle was a brilliant student, considered charming by many, and apparently a model of good behavior (prefect, Head Boy). How did he go so wrong on his life path? How did his childhood environment affect who he became? What was it about his years at Hogwarts that kept him on the path to evil? Why did he take a job as a lowly store clerk when he left Hogwarts?

I think the best questions asked in this are the ones I italicized so I'll answer those. IMO, his years at Hogwarts gave him a feeling of importance, and his first real taste of power in the wizarding world. Not only was being appointed Prefect/Head Boy a big honor, but it gave him the chance to order students around. That privelege in the wrong hands can turn out disasterous. Also, not only his power, but his charm helped sway people to follow him. As far as the reason he took a job as a store clerk.. I can only assume it was to find artifacts that he could later turn into Horcruxes. And, I can't remember, but didn't he take up this job at Borgin & Burkes? That also would make sense, considering he wanted to immerse himself in the Dark Arts as much as humanly possible.. here, he could learn more about them and fine tune his abilities with no questions asked, I'm sure.


Also, there's one thing I've been wondering lately..

If Voldemort hated Muggleborns/Half-bloods so much, why did he allow Snape to become one of his followers? Snape's father was a Muggle, right? (if I'm mistaken just yell at me. -_- It's been awhile since I've read the last two books) Anyway, even Snape being a Death Eater I could overlook.. however, Voldemort seemed to trust him more than anyone else, especially in the last two books.

I don't think this was discussed in the books at all, but if it was, I'm sorry for being annoying.

[Trixa]

Originally Posted by padfoot__lives

[b]Also, there's one thing I've been wondering lately..

If Voldemort hated Muggleborns/Half-bloods so much, why did he allow Snape to become one of his followers? Snape's father was a Muggle, right? (if I'm mistaken just yell at me. -_- It's been awhile since I've read the last two books) Anyway, even Snape being a Death Eater I could overlook.. however, Voldemort seemed to trust him more than anyone else, especially in the last two books.

I don't think this was discussed in the books at all, but if it was, I'm sorry for being annoying.

Well, Voldemort and his followers had a problem with Mudbloods and Muggles, not so much halfbloods (btw, Snape's father was a wizard and so was his mother though she was a halfblood). Also, there is a possibility that Voldemort didn't actually hate muggles and mudbloods at all but just pretended to so he could gather followers. His main goal was to reach immortality but he needed some help in order to do so. So he basically played upon the prejudices which already existed in the Wizarding World and which made it so vulnerable to any dark wizard.

[The_Green_Woods]

Originally Posted by Trixa

Well, Voldemort and his followers had a problem with Mudbloods and Muggles, not so much halfbloods (btw, Snape's father was a wizard and so was his mother though she was a halfblood).

Snape's father was a muggle. There is a mention of it in the HBP, in the White Tomb chapter.

'Tobias Snape was a muggle from what it said in the Prophet'

[Navalina]

Originally Posted by Trixa

Also, there is a possibility that Voldemort didn't actually hate muggles and mudbloods at all but just pretended to so he could gather followers. His main goal was to reach immortality but he needed some help in order to do so. So he basically played upon the prejudices which already existed in the Wizarding World and which made it so vulnerable to any dark wizard.

Hm, I don't think that's very likely. If he simply wanted immortality, he could have just made his Horcruxes and be done with it, there was no need to create an army and take over the world to reach that goal. Plus, even when he was still Tom Riddle, still very young, he already hated the fact that his father was a Muggle. I think his hatred for Muggles and consequently muggle-borns stemmed from his childhood, his family background. I don't think it was just an act.

[Trixa]

Originally Posted by Navalina

Hm, I don't think that's very likely. If he simply wanted immortality, he could have just made his Horcruxes and be done with it, there was no need to create an army and take over the world to reach that goal. Plus, even when he was still Tom Riddle, still very young, he already hated the fact that his father was a Muggle. I think his hatred for Muggles and consequently muggle-borns stemmed from his childhood, his family background. I don't think it was just an act.

I think Voldemort was power hungry so he wouldn't have been content to simply have his seven Horcruxes and live somewhere, forever (even though, ironically, he would have had a better chance of getting what he wanted that way since no one would have cared about destroying him if he wasn't a threat). Dumbeldore says at some point that Voldemort wanted to be famous and go down in history and ruling the WW would have given him that. The fact that so many purebloods hated muggleborns was a perfect opportunity for him to manipulate them into following him by claiming that he is interested in purifying the Wizarding World. I have no doubt he would have done so, once he was in power but his main goal had always been to achieve immortality. He says so himself in GOF so the Death Eaters knew about this.

The reason why I think Voldemort didn't hate muggleborns as much as his DEs was because his most trusted follower was in love with one and he didn't seem to have a problem with that. He even promised Snape he would spare Lily's life. Compare this with Bella and Narcissa's attitude towards Andromeda marrying a muggleborn and you would see the difference between their level of bigotry and Voldemort's.
As for Voldemort hating his father, there are many reasons why he would hate him. First of all, it could have been because he left his mother and by extension, Voldemort himself (and we all know Voldemort did not like to be abandoned). It could also have been because his father was a muggle and he was ashamed of having a muggle father and would have considered such a thing to be beneath him.
So, I have no doubt that Voldemort looked down on muggles and muggleborns but I think that he pretended to hate them more than he actually did so that he could attract followers.

[sweetsev]

Originally Posted by Trixa

I think Voldemort was power hungry so he wouldn't have been content to simply have his seven Horcruxes and live somewhere, forever (even though, ironically, he would have had a better chance of getting what he wanted that way since no one would have cared about destroying him if he wasn't a threat). Dumbeldore says at some point that Voldemort wanted to be famous and go down in history and ruling the WW would have given him that. The fact that so many purebloods hated muggleborns was a perfect opportunity for him to manipulate them into following him by claiming that he is interested in purifying the Wizarding World. I have no doubt he would have done so, once he was in power but his main goal had always been to achieve immortality. He says so himself in GOF so the Death Eaters knew about this.

The reason why I think Voldemort didn't hate muggleborns as much as his DEs was because his most trusted follower was in love with one and he didn't seem to have a problem with that. He even promised Snape he would spare Lily's life. Compare this with Bella and Narcissa's attitude towards Andromeda marrying a muggleborn and you would see the difference between their level of bigotry and Voldemort's.
As for Voldemort hating his father, there are many reasons why he would hate him. First of all, it could have been because he left his mother and by extension, Voldemort himself (and we all know Voldemort did not like to be abandoned). It could also have been because his father was a muggle and he was ashamed of having a muggle father and would have considered such a thing to be beneath him.
So, I have no doubt that Voldemort looked down on muggles and muggleborns but I think that he pretended to hate them more than he actually did so that he could attract followers.

This is pretty much how I interpreted Voldemort as well...his DE friends seemed much more into the race purification goal than he did. I felt like he used that idea to his advantage in order to gain power, more than out of true conviction. Actually, what I really felt was that the books were not particularly consistent in giving Voldemort a motivation. In the beginning of the series, he is concerned (understandably) with reanimating himself. But I found myself more at odds with the racism of the DE's (like Lucius) than anything that Voldemort was saying. I didn't really feel until the HBP that Voldemort honed in on the genocide theme. He just seemed like someone who would use anybody for any reason to gain power. I didn't feel that he really would value a pureblood life over a muggleborn life; it would be more a matter of who was of most use to him at the time. In my mind, Voldemort's essence was that he was completely self-serving; he served no greater cause, no matter how evil.