Snape is the epitome of a wicked personality for much of Harry Potter, bullying the young Harry and seemingly aligning with the evil Lord Voldemort. However, it later turns out that he is actually a double agent and helps Harry to defeat Voldemort.
The character gets further redemption after his heart-breaking backstory is fully unveiled, showing that Snape is not entirely bad after all but merely a complicated personality.
Was Snape Good or Bad?
Snape’s backstory completed his redemption arc and his transformation from a bad person to a good individual. In the epilogue of the book, Harry Potter named his second son Albus Snape and described Snape as the bravest man he has ever known.
For much of Harry Potter, Snape was a bad man who was antagonistic to Harry and appeared to be in cohorts with Voldemort. This was seemingly confirmed when he killed Albus, but Snape ultimately turned out to be a good man who helped Harry defeat Voldemort.
Prof. Snape Often Bullied Harry During His School Days
Prof. Severus Snape is one of the major characters in the Harry Potter books and films. When the story starts, he is a teacher at the Hogwarts School of Wizadrzy and Witchcraft and holds the position of the potions master. Of course, one of the students at the school is Harry Potter, and he is horrible to him.
Snape insults Harry Potter and makes snide remarks toward him. He also embarks on other actions that make life miserable for the young boy and basically bullies him. He keeps this up throughout most of the story, solidifying many people’s early view that Snape is a bad person.
He also seems to Align Himself With The Evil Voldemort
Asides from being antagonistic to Harry Potter, another fact that cast Snape in a bad light and made many see him as a bad person was his connections to the evil Lord Voldemort. As a youth wizard, Snape became quite interested in the dark arts. He eventually joined Voldemort’s forces as a death eater.
Later, Snape decided to quit his association with Voldemort and lead a straight and narrow life. However, as the story progresses and Voldemort returns to continue his evil plans, Snape appears to join his gang once more and murders Albus, Harry’s beloved mentor and the head of the school. This further cements his unsavory reputation.
Snape Later Helps Harry Potter to Defeat Voldemort
Thanks to his actions, Harry Potter believed Snape to be a bad individual. Even when his beloved Albus assures him that there is more than what meets the eye to Snape, he refuses to believe this until the back story about Snape emerges.
This backstory, unfortunately, tumbled out after Snape was killed by Lord Voldemort. Upon his death, Snape allowed Harry Potter to gain access to his memories. With the information gained from these memories, Harry Potter is ultimately able to defeat Lord Voldemort.
His Backstory Completes His Redemption
Snape attended school with Harry Potter’s parents, Lily and James, and was quite close to Lily. He liked her a lot, but their friendship ended after he became involved in the dark arts. Meanwhile, Harry Potter’s dad bullied Snape in school, making things even more complicated.
Snape grew bitter towards the couple, and these feelings existed even when he joined forces with Lord Voldemort. It was Snape that revealed to Voldemort a prophecy about a child that would be his downfall.
This information made Voldemort go after James and Lily, killing them and leaving Harry Potter orphaned. Snape hadn’t planned for this to happen, and he confessed his anguish to Albus. To gain redemption, he agreed to become a spy against Voldemort. He pretended to be loyal to the evil lord whilst reporting back to Albus.
J.K. Rowling has Described Snape as a Complicated Man
Meanwhile, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has spoken extensively about Snape. She has stated that she based him on a teacher she had in real life who was a bully. She has also described him as a complicated man and a flawed human being who deserves redemption and forgiveness.
Rowling has also revealed that the relationship between Snape and Harry is of as much significance, if not even more significant, than that between Harry and Lord Voldemort.
