Severus Snape: Good or Evil?
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In My Opinion, Professor Snape is EVIL
Instead, he confessed to Dumbledore that he told the darkest wizard of their time about the prophecy. He then begged Dumbledore to keep Lily safe. Dumbledore practically blackmailed Snape into doing his bidding. He used Snape's love for Lily to manipulate Snape. Why do you think Snape was always so unhappy? Because he much rather would have been carrying out evil deeds for the Dark Lord than protecting James Potter's son.
He was a tortured soul. But, my answer is that Snape is inherently EVIL.
Contents at a Glance
Severus Snape: Good or Evil?
Take the poll
You do NOT have to be a member of Squidoo to vote. Answer this question with the first feeling you have. If you change your mind after reading through all the points, you will be asked again and can comment below.
Quote from JK Rowling:
~ Yahooligans! chat, 2000
Snape is EVIL
Help me prove my point
You do NOT have to be a member of Squidoo to add some EVIL... Here are some evil things Snape has done. If I've forgotten any evil of which Snape is guilty, please add it here. Even if you don't agree with me, be a sport and let me know if I missed anything. After all, next I will list some good things that he did and I'm sure I'll miss a lot so that the argument gets tipped my way.
Photo credit: flixter.com
1
Besides killing Dumbledore, he is the Half-Blood Prince, who had made up bad spells.
In The Half-Blood Prince, Snape murdered Dumbledore. Yes, I know Dumbledore asked him to do it, but I think you have to have evil in you to cast the illegal killing curse. I think secretly he really wanted to kill him because he was controlled by Dumbledore for many years. And, the "Sectum Sempra" spell causes real damage. Written in the Half-Blood Prince's potions book next to the spell that Snape made up was, "for enemies." Snape has an evil mind.2 points
2
He showed his hatred of Harry on the first day in Potions Class.
In The Sorcerer's Stone on the very first day in class, Harry was diligently taking notes. In fact, writing down everything that Snape was saying. Snape embarrassed him by accusing him of not paying attention. He said something to the effect that some people think they are too famous to not pay attention! This set the tone for his relationship with Harry throughout the series.0 points
3
Snape wanted to expel Harry and Ron.
In the beginning of The Chamber of Secrets on the first night Harry and Ron arrive in the Weasley's flying Ford Anglia, they are brought to Snape's office for disciplinary action. Snape said that they had been seen by no less than seven Muggles and if it was up to him, they would both be expelled. That is when Dumbledore comes in and saves them from expulsion.0 points
4
Snape was trying to catch Sirius Black the entire year so he could be the one to hand him over to the Dementors.
In Prisoner of Azkaban Snape slithers around watching Harry very closely to see if he has any contact with Sirius Black. This is the first time that it is established that Snape, Lupin, Sirius and James were in the same class together. Since Sirius calls him "Snivellus," then he loathes Snape, and, as his best friend, James must have hated Snape also. Toward the end we find out that Snape hated their group of friends, especially Sirius and James.0 points
5
Snape told Dumbledore that perhaps they should let Harry compete in the Tri Wizard Tournament.
In Goblet of Fire, when Snape said this to Dumbledore, he knew that Harry was not qualified, as only a 4th year, to compete in this difficult competition. There have been serious accidents that have occurred in previous Tri Wizard tournaments. What was Snape's motive? I think he was simply being evil.0 points
6
He told Harry that his father was a swine.
In Order of the Phoenix, after Harry had a vision of Mr. Weasley being attacked by Nagini, Dumbledore calls on Severus Snape. He asks Snape to work on Occlumency with Harry. Occlumency is the practice of closing your mind so that others can't see your thoughts or memories. When Harry succeeds in seeing some embarrassing memories in which Sirius and James are picking on Snape, Snape gets very angry and tells Harry that his father was a swine. EVIL!0 points
7
Snape allowed Voldemort to murder Charity Burbage, The Muggles Studies Teacher.
In The Deathly Hallows, Voldemort was sitting around a table at Malfoy Manor with deatheaters, loyal followers, and Snape. Voldemore has Charity Burbage hanging above the table. He then kills her with "Avada Kedavra." Someone who is not evil would not have allowed this to happen, no matter what. Even if Voldemort would've killed Snape, that's the price to pay. At the very least, it makes him a spineless slithering snake.0 points
Professor Snape Wand
Click on link to purchase at the Harry Potter gift shop
Snape wand from UniversalStudios.com
Quote from JK Rowling:
~ WBUR interview, 1999
Snape is GOOD
Disprove my point. I dare you!
You do NOT have to be a member of Squidoo to add some good. If you believe that Snape is good, here's your chance to tell us why. I have listed a few good things that he did. It still doesn't convince me that he is "Good."
Photo credit: askville.amazon.com
1
He protected Harry from Quirrell.
In The Sorcerer's Stone, Snape protected Harry on more than one occassion. First, he had a hunch that Quirrell was sneaking around the castle plotting evil. He found the three-headed dog and was bitten. Then, when Harry was playing Quidditch, Professor Snape was mumbling a counter-curse to save Harry from falling off his broom.1 point
2
He sent his Patronus to Harry in the woods to lead him to the Sword of Gryffindor.
In The Deathly Hallows, we didn't know it was Snape until the end, but I cannot find anything evil in this act.1 point
3
He taught Harry the Expelliarmus Spell.
In The Chamber of Secrets, when Snape duel Professor Lockhart, he used the Expelliarmus spell to ward off his attack. This is when Harry learned the spell that he would become known for using. I don't think this counts as something good because Snape didn't mean for this to happen.0 points
4
He protected Harry, Ron and Hermione from Lupin when he turned into a werewolf.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, he threw himself in front of the kids so that they would not get attacked by the werewolf. This was a good thing that he did, but I don't know if it counts because any decent adult would do it.0 points
5
He stopped Dolores Umbridge from serving Harry Veritaserum.
In Order of the Phoenix, when Umbridge asks Snape for Veritaserum I had the feeling that even Snape did not approve of her methods. You know he could brew up anything at a moment's notice.0 points
6
He killed Dumbledore.
In The Half-Blood Prince, he killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore asked him to do it. He was also protecting Malfoy because he made the unbreakable vow. He was also protecting himself because if he broke the unbreakable vow, he would die. I'm not sure this one should count in his favor because of the last statement and how can a good person even utter that terrible spell?0 points
7
He gave Harry his memories as Dumbledore instructed him at the end.
In The Deathly Hallows, he followed through with making sure that Harry knew the truth at the right time by giving him his memories. I still think this was him honoring his agreement with Dumbledore and not necessarily to help Harry.0 points
“I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper on death.”
Snape poster from Allposters.com
Now what do you think?
Is Severus Snape EVIL as I say?
You do NOT have to be a member of Squidoo to vote and comment. Now that you've read points on both sides of the argument, did you change your mind?
Severus Snape: Good or Evil?
Snape is GOOD!
HarrietC says:
he's a pretty complicated character, with a side you will love to loath and one that you will hate to love...but yeah, he is good - in his own way. and brave too.
FMS says:
Harry himself says that Snape was perhaps the most courageous man he every knew! Severus Snape were good!
nika says:
i think professor snape is good
The Steph One says:
Disprove evil. theory
1. Snape killed Dumbledore- one it was a mercy killing requested by Dumbledore himself, both due to the slow death he was suffering from the curse of the Horecrux (sp?) and to spare Draco Malfoy from being forced into doing it. Snape even argued adamantly against it.
2. He showed his true hatred... Ok, so we agree you shouldn't hate people, but hating someone does not make you evil. Further more, I believe Snape more resented what Harry represented to him, both in the loss of relationship of Lily, but I think that Snape, in his twisted way believed that Harry would turn out to be like his father was, and that was a jerk. Besides, even if he shouldn't have done it, who's to say Harry didn't need the smack down? I mean really, do we really think Harry would be all 'oh gee guys I'm not all that great' if he didn't have to -prove- he wasn't the arrogant snot Snape seemed to think he was. In any event, this doesn't prove evilness, just jerkiness and an inability to let go of the past.
3. Snape wanted to expel Harry. I get it Harry is the good guy, but really forget that for a moment, pretend he is just an ordinary student. Now, explain to me why it's ok to risk exposing the entire magical world because you missed your train. He has his own owl for god's sake he could have contacted Dumbledore or someone right away about what happened at the station. You can't tell me a student -never- had to come on a date other than when the train left in the whole history of Hogwarts.
4. Snape tried to catch Sirius Black: EVERYONE thought Sirius Black was responsible for the death of Lily (his love) and James Potter. Everyone thought he was a deranged psycho who, by the way, was thought to be coming after Harry to 'finish the job' for his dark lord. You're trying to use reasoning (like in 3) based on things we the audience know but Snape couldn't. He couldn't know Harry was for sure going to be some great hero, and he, like the rest of the magical community, couldn't know Sirius was, in fact a good guy.
5. He suggested Harry be in the Wizards cup. This is a duel standard, no one would say Dumbledore was evil, and -he- was the one that actually let Harry participate. Snape wanted to try to flush out the culprit and figure out what was going on (at least that's what he said), and that would not have happened if they'd kept Harry on the sideline. Now admittedly I don't particularly agree with this tactic, but again, all the headmaster had to do was say 'no'.
6.Told Harry his father was a swine. No offense but if I was a young awkward boy who was dangled about and bullied for no darn good reason, I'd probably have some not so nice things to say about the guy who did it. I think Snape needed some professional help and should have realized that it wasn't fair to hurt Harry because his father was a jerk, but I think the way James is portrayed as a golden boy got to Snape. He was so talented and a Quittage champion and got the girl and all that noise, meanwhile where were the people that should have been putting a stop to his bullying? So, while I don't agree with his behavior and don't think it was right of him, he didn't do it out of a desire to be evil or even just to hurt Harry, he acted because he himself had been deeply scarred by what he had suffered from in his life. Let's be honest, if James was still alive and it was James that Snape was confronting, everyone would be in his corner, rooting him on for telling his former tormentor what was what.
7. He let V man kill the chick. Alright, first of all sacrificing yourself for someone is a heroic act, not doing it is not evil. You say 'no on who is evil would have' and yet in -real- life there are far more people that will run from this sort of situation than will stand up. It isn't a matter of evil, it's a matter of survival instinct. All the students let the guy posing as ... I forget his name, the guy with the one fake eye, torment and kill that poor creature when he was demonstrating the three unforgiveable curses or whatever. They wouldn't have been killed for putting a stop to that, but no one said a thing, except Hermione and even then it wasn't to spare some innocent thing, again from being tortured and then killed, it was because it bother Nevil, even then no one else did -anything-. Then also, if Snape had died there and then, he wouldn't have been around to do what he needed to do in order to ensure Harry's victory (I don't remember exactly where in the book this event happens so I can't get much more specific), many of his contributions didn't happen to take place, Snape actively took part, and knew in advance that he was in a place to do something about it. So basically you'd be saying he's evil for following the survival instinct as the majority of the human race would and for looking at the bigger picture. He could have afforded the chick a few more minutes of life at the expense of all the lives magical and muggle that would have been lost to Voldemort if his reign had continued.
Honestly, I don't think Snape is necessarily good or evil, I think he is human, and to me that is why he connects with so many people. He's tormented and does the wrong thing sometimes, he's twisted and he has issues like a real person. Like a real person, he isn't mister perfect goody two shoes in an astonishing flip of what his entire life encouraged him to be. At the same time, despite his mistakes, he was able to redeem himself (while still remaining flawed like the rest of us) and work his way through the struggle we all have of acting out from pain and anger, or rising above that and doing what is right.
Fred says:
good
aj2008 says:
I always felt that there was more to Snape's character than appeared at first. And when it turned out that he had been on Dumnbledore's side all the time, I was not surprised.
daoine says:
I consider him good and extremely courageous, but definitely a complex, tortured character.
YourIslandRoutes says:
I don't think he's evil at all. He's got a huge chip on his shoulder, that's for sure. As someone who was picked on throughout childhood, Snape sees the world through those those harsh eyes. He has alot of resentment and anger. He's an opportunist who looks out for himself. But is he evil? No. He was completely loyal to Dumbledore--and Dumbledore knew this.
BelindaBlevins says:
Snape is basically a good guy. He hated James Potter, because James was a bully and his favorite target was Snape. No matter how much he hated James Potter, he was always there to protect Harry.
sandyspider says:
That is really a hard one. I agree that he is a lost soul. He started out evil but showed his good side. He did protect Harry in the end. I would have to go more with the good.
Snape is EVIL - or somewhere in between.
Tolovaj says:
He is both, but dark side is winning!
TheOnceAndFutureKing says:
Snape was evil. He did legitimately oppose Voldemort and wanted to see his death, however he did so for selfish reasons. Snape voluntary became a Death Eater and never had any problem with Voldemort's goals, policies, or methods. He didn't object to killing muggles or anything else that Voldemort did during the war, and actively desired the murder of James Potter. Snape turned on Voldemort only because he was upset that the Dark Lord killed the woman he had a creepy stalker-like fixation on.
The fact that Snape was commited to the downfall of Voldemort doesn't make him good - it only means his hatred of Voldemort was greater than his hatred of anybody else. The fact that Snape had an unhealthy (and unwanted) fixation on Lily Evans that caused him to turn doesn't make him good.
Whether or not he committed any truly evil acts during the books is open to debate, however he was a nasty, bitter person right to the end.
whoisbid says:
My understanding of true evil is when people cannot understand why someone continues to do evil things. If there is even more information about him then maybe there is a reason. If there is no reason then I am left with confusion
DogWatchColumbus says:
Definitely a tortured soul. You can't quite like him, but you can't quite not like him either. It must be agreed that he was a fantastic character and Alan Rickman was amazing at the part.
MoiraCrochetsPlarn says:
I think he is somewhere in between. He was inherently evil but Lily changed him A LOT. The power of love!
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Professor Snape Action Figure
From the Deathly Hallows
NECA Harry Potter Deathly Hallows 7 Inch Action Figure Severus Snapee
Amazon Price: $25.62 (as of 06/03/2012)
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Who played Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies
Alan Rickman - a short bio and filmography
He also played in the following familiar movies, in which he was nominated for many awards: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Galaxy Quest (1999), Love Actually (2003), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Alice in Wonderland; the caterpillar (2010).
Leave Comments about Snape here...
or how much you liked or disliked the lens...
...or I don't mind if you mouth off more about my opinion of Snape! Have a ball.
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BunnyFabulous
Nov 3, 2011 @ 2:04 pm | delete
- Great lens! Snape's a pretty complex character and I couldn't imagine anyone but Alan Rickman portraying him in the movies.
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whoisbid
Sep 8, 2011 @ 3:37 am | delete
- That is a nice photo of Alan
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aj2008
Sep 3, 2011 @ 10:58 am | delete
- I love the actor Alan Rickman and certainly could not imagine anyone else bettering his portrayal of Severus Snape. I have to admit that I was very moved when we found out the truth about him.
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anilsaini
Sep 3, 2011 @ 1:29 am | delete
- great lens
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YourIslandRoutes Aug 19, 2011 @ 3:36 pm | delete
- This is a great! I've read all the books and seen some of the movies. Snape looks out for Snape but he's not evil. I believe he was always securely on Dumbledore's side.
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BelindaBlevins Aug 18, 2011 @ 11:21 pm | delete
- This is a great lens. I'm a Harry Potter fan.
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DogWatchColumbus Aug 18, 2011 @ 11:19 pm | delete
- Big HP fan and I do love this lens. Great topic!
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happynutritionist Aug 18, 2011 @ 1:55 pm | delete
- I haven't followed the Harry Potter books, so don't know what to decide, but fans are going to love this page! I have seen Alan Rickman in Sense and Sensibility, Galaxy Quest (so silly and funny), and something else...can't think of the title now, do like him as an actor.
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sandyspider
Aug 18, 2011 @ 9:42 am | delete
- We have yet to see the last Harry Potter movie. Nice lens.
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wordstock Aug 18, 2011 @ 8:43 am | delete
- I love this. My husband and I fought from day 1 about Snape. I think he's evil, my husband thinks he has redeeming qualities. Even reading the books and watching the movies has not changed our original thoughts. I still think he's evil and he still thinks he's not so bad. Great lens.
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MoiraCrochetsPlarn
Aug 18, 2011 @ 12:48 am | delete
- Love your point of view...
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Comfortdoc
Aug 17, 2011 @ 3:13 pm | delete
- I'm still waiting for my kids to get through the first Harry Potter book so we can start watching the rest of the movies. I've watched Alan Rickman in other films (RH, ST). He does seem to play the bad guy a lot.
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About LissaKlar
Harry Potter fanatic and Rocket Moms graduate
by LissaKlar
Hi! I'm Missy. I am a Harry Potter fanatic. Not so much of a Snape fan, but his character intrigues me. Let me know your opinion.
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Professor Snape Stand up Poster
For the ultimate Snape fan
Professor Snape (Harry Potter) Life-Size Standup Poster , 15x66
Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 06/03/2012)
This would look great in your Snape fan's room.
Go back to school with Professor Snape
Snape lunchbox
Harry Potter Half Blood Prince Voldemort Lunchbox Lunch Box
Amazon Price: $16.85 (as of 06/02/2012)
Go back to school with Professor Snape guarding your lunchbox. No one would dare to touch your lunch!
Back to school for the big kids
Snape MAC Lapbook Decal
Harry Potter - Severus Snape Silhouette - Vinyl Macbook / Laptop Decal Sticker Graphic
Amazon Price: $11.00 (as of 06/03/2012)
Take Professor Snape with you where ever your MAC Lapbook goes.
