THE RULER COMPLEX

You've clicked on the Diadem which represents Voldemort's ruler complex. I've discussed in various sections already about his obsession with world domination, as well as his obsession with pure-blood wizarding families. Here I will change things up a bit and discuss how he is very much like other domineering characters in other pieces of fiction; specifically Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost, and Lord Asriel in His Dark Materials.

In Paradise Lost, some readers consider Satan to be the hero, or protagonist, of the story, because he struggles to overcome his own doubts and weaknesses and accomplishes his goal of corrupting humankind. This goal, however, is evil, and Adam and Eve are the moral heroes at the end of the story, as they help to begin humankind's slow process of redemption and salvation. Satan is far from being the story's object of admiration, as most heroes are. Nor does it make sense for readers to celebrate or emulate him, as they might with a true hero. Yet there are many compelling qualities to his character that make him intriguing to readers. I see all of this in Voldemort's character; he struggles to overcome his fear of death and his only way of dealing with it is through corruption and terror; he also revolts against his upbringing at Hogwarts and refuses to be anything like Albus Dumbledore, as Satan was to God in that story. His decision to rebel comes only from himself; he was not persuaded or provoked by others; this is the same in Milton's epic. Also, Milton has Satan's decision to continue to disobey God after his fall into Hell ensures that God will not forgive him; this is very similar to that of Voldemort and Dumbledore.

One source of Satan's fascination for many people in Paradise Lost, is that he is an extremely complex and subtle character. It would be difficult, perhaps impossible, for Milton to make perfect, infallible characters such as God the Father, God the Son, and the angels as interesting to read about as the flawed characters, such as Satan, Adam, and Eve. I found this to be true in the Harry Potter saga; I was more drawn to the complexities and back-story of Tom Marvolo Riddle than I was to say, Ron, Hermione or even Harry. Satan moreover, is also written as one who strikes a grand and majestic figure, apparently unafraid of being damned eternally, and uncowed by such terrifying figures as Chaos or Death.

Many readers have argued that Milton deliberately makes Satan seem heroic and appealing early in the poem to draw us into sympathizing with him against our will, so that we may see how seductive evil is and learn to be more vigilant in resisting its appeal. I also believe that this can apply to Voldemort; although he is completely afraid of death; he is not afraid of being damned eternally. Perhaps with feeling some sort of sympathy for him, we may also see how seductive evil is, and learn to resist its appeal, since Riddle failed to do so for himself.

“Here may we reign secure, and in my choice to reign is worth ambition, though in Hell. Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.”
- Satan in Paradise Lost (bk. I, l. 263)

Both characters share many specific characteristics. Milton devotes much of the poem's early books to developing Satan's character. Satan's greatest fault is his pride. He casts himself as an innocent victim, overlooked for an important promotion. But his ability to think so selfishly in Heaven, where all angels are equal and loved and happy, is surprising. His confidence in thinking that he could ever overthrow God displays tremendous vanity and pride. This is the same for Voldemort who believed that he was the greatest Wizard ever and could easily overthrow Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic. When Satan shares his pain and alienation as he reaches Earth in Book IV, we may feel somewhat sympathetic to him or even identify with him. But Satan continues to devote himself to evil. This is similar to Harry learning about Voldemort's past in Book VI. When we read those memories, part of us could easily sympathize with young Riddle; however when we learn that he never felt any remorse for his wrongdoings, this sympathy quickly goes away. Like Milton's Satan, every speech Voldemort gives is fraudulent and every story he tells is a lie; he works diligently to trick his fellow followers.

There is also much change in Volemort's character, even if it is very subtle at times; therefore our perception of his character also changes significantly from Book I to his final appearance in Book VII. This is true in Paradise Lost, as well. Satan at first is a strong, imposing figure with great abilities as a leader and public statesmen, whereas by the poem's end he slinks back to Hell in serpent form. This is very similar to young Riddle, no? Satan's gradual degradation is dramatized by the sequence of different shapes he assumes. Voldemort also changes throughout the books; first being a handsome and perfect man, than slowly and slowly becoming more like a serpent as his soul is more and more fragmented. Then he is torn from his body completely and is forced to attach himself to another being (Quirrell). It is not until Book IV that Voldemort is brought back to his monstrous but fully reformed self.

“I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost ... but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know ... I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal, to conquer death.”
- Voldemort (GoF ch. 33)

Similarly, Satan begins the poem as a just-fallen angel of enormous stature, looks like a comet or meteor as he leaves Hell, then disguises himself as a more humble cherub, then as a cormorant, a toad, and finally a snake. Satan also reasons to himself that the Hell he feels inside of him is reason to do more evil. Perhaps this was the same for Voldemort. Eventually, Satan becomes completely demented, coming to believe in his own lies. He is a picture of incessant intellectual activity without the ability to think morally. Once a powerful angel, he has become blinded to God's grace, forever unable to reconcile his past with his eternal punishment. Voldemort suffers the exact same fate.

Lord Asriel

There is another excellent fantasy series that is a complete retelling of Paradise Lost. This series is called His Dark Materials, and was written by Philip Pullman. In this series, the main antagonist, if you will, was inspired by Milton's Satan. Therefore he is even more like Riddle, especially since they are both actually human. The name Lord Asriel is derived from the Hebrew "Asra'el", who, in the Jewish and Muslim tradition is the Angel of Death, who collects the souls of the dead. Also, the name Asriel is an anagram of Israel the son of John. The name Israel means 'struggled with god' in English. I find all this fascinating, especially since Voldemort's name is also an anagram and is French for "Flight from Death". How remarkable are the similarities!

Lord Asriel takes the place of Lucifer in Christianity, rebelling against God (as Riddle rebels against Dumbledore). Like Voldemort, Asriel is full of charisma, ambiguous morals, and association with rebellious creatures such as fallen angels and witches. Also, the world he sets up, his Republic of Heaven, is similar to Hell, with black stone and lava pits. Voldemort tries to create his own Republic in Hogwarts in Book VII, but fails when he is overthrown by the students and faculty of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor houses. Even though Asriel is written as primarily being on the side of "good", he is responsible for much destruction and murder.

“Humans can't see something without wanting to destroy it. That is original sin. I am going to find the source of Dust and destroy it. Death is going to die.”
- Lord Asriel

Also like Voldemort, Lord Asriel was a bold, middle-aged man who possessed great intelligence, determination, and strength. He had power in political, academic, and military areas and had a way of getting things he wanted whenever he wished. Asriel was described as being a mix between wild and tame personalities and has ambiguous morals, though he cares for the greater good. He made his way up the British aristocracy and spent much of his time as an explorer and working in experimental theology. He found himself becoming an enemy of the Church and held religious subjects in contempt. He was particularly interested and had much knowledge in Dust and parallel worlds, which were both taboo subjects. This is much like Riddle's interest and knowledge in Horcruxes as well as the unforgivable curses in the Dark Arts.

With his knowledge of other worlds and Dust Lord Asriel made his way to another universe where he set up his Republic of Heaven in the latter two books. There he would wait until the Authority attacked so that he could try to kill God, which was why the Church and other powerful people feared him. He allied himself with the rebel angels and enlisted several armies from many different worlds and different species to fight for him, building a huge basalt fortress in an uninhabited world. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Voldemort did the exact same thing when trying to overthrow Hogwarts and the Wizarding World.

I just want to focus on one last note regarding this section's theme. Voldemort is also very much representative of Tyranny and corruption. He is a dictator who wants extraordinary powers. He's like Hitler or any other in history who promise, "Follow me, and I'll take care of you"; but in reality, they care nothing of those followers, only of themselves. War means an accumulation of power, surrounded by death, destruction and violence. To Voldemort, if you aren't with him, then you are clearly his enemy. Sound familiar?