4 Proofs That There Is A Great Villain In “Harry Potter” (And It’s Not Lord Voldemort)

Creating a villain that causes strong unpleasant sensations in readers is not an easy task for any writer, but J.K. Rowling managed to accomplish 100% of this feat. In a review about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Stephen King himself stated that Dolores Umbridge, with her childlike voice, frog face and short fingers, has become the biggest villain since Hannibal Lecter. And it’s hard not to agree with the “king of terror”.

As big fans of the Harry Potter universe, we at awesome.club we decided to investigate, to understand why the worst villain in history is not Lord Voldemort, but Dolores Umbridge.

Voldemort and the Death Eaters: these villains have committed many evil deeds, but at the same time, they have many admirers (the author of this text knows a person who got a tattoo of Lord Voldemort taking half of his arm). But it is Dolores Umbridge who causes negative feelings such as contempt and discontent in the entire audience, albeit subconsciously. This is because it is unlikely that anyone has ever met a terrorist mage who has split their soul, but most people are familiar with people who act like Umbridge.

There are those who have had a teacher who punished students without any explanation, who was overly demanding or unfair, or who considered his own opinion to be the only correct one. Many people have met arrogant bureaucrats, and the memory of them affects the perception of Dolores Umbridge. Therefore, the rejection of the character takes on more personal contours.

When creating Umbridge, J.K. Rowling was inspired by a person of flesh and blood, of whom she had only bad memories. Maybe that’s why the representation was so brilliant.

We believe that a teacher (regardless of what he teaches) should encourage common sense, be kind and leave good memories in the students. Children in kindergarten, school or university students, when they are in trouble, turn to teachers in the hope of receiving at least advice or more specific help in return. Even after many years, former students fondly remember teachers, even going so far as to make a point of introducing them to their children.

And what about Dolores Umbridge? She arrives at the school and openly declares that she hates children. She establishes tyranny at Hogwarts and satisfies her own sadistic inclinations at the cost of helpless teenagers, depriving them of anything that could mean any joy. The exception, of course, is the teacher’s favorites. However, if the director’s power lasted longer, history shows that she would go through moments of great difficulty.

Does it provide useful knowledge? Not even. From this point of view, Umbridge greatly harms the students, preventing them from carrying out the necessary preparation in difficult times. Even Snape looked pretty decent compared to her, while Dumbledore’s special assignment in the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was not yet known.

Although Voldemort committed far more terrible crimes, it is possible to understand him. The character’s attitudes are largely motivated by something tragic, which causes empathy. The fear of death and the desire to have all the power in your hands seem familiar to most of the public.

But what are Umbridge’s motivations? She doesn’t fight for the opportunity to build another different society, like Voldemort, but for the right to oppress and hate, just for pleasure. Remember how she got rid of the Muggle-borns? Imelda Staunton, who played the character on the big screen, considers the teacher a “bloody monster”.

The habit of stepping over everyone else, the cruelty, the unjustified arrogance, the abuse of power: all this causes us to be disgusted in real life, and that is precisely what characterizes the personality of Dolores Umbridge.

While, for example, Fenrir Greyback attacks people and is officially considered a criminal, Umbridge has chosen a different path. She got a job at the Ministry of Magic, and used the laws to justify all her actions. She’s a villain who gets where she wants to, doing what she wants in the process. And no one can oppose it. If it’s possible to fight Voldemort, Harry and Dumbledore, it’s impossible to fight her.

It represents an evil that seems familiar, one that we come across and struggle with in one way or another throughout our lives. However, we never won this battle completely. So when the centaurs finally take the headmistress deep into the Forbidden Forest, everyone is relieved: even if it’s only for a little while, at Hogwarts (and at the same time, for all of us) life will be easier.

Do you agree with this theory? Is there a Dolores Umbridge in your life? Comment!