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Voldemort character notes for Twelve Dark Moons
Posted on 2006.11.21 at 08:27Current Mood:
contemplative
Listening to: 'Bad Moon Rising' by CCR
Well, I've done it: written a more in-depth take on Voldemort's character. In some ways these notes stand alone, but I will draw them into Twelve Dark Moons as an example of what I am trying to accomplish with that story.
I have an almost-finished essay that sort of psychoanalyzes Voldemort, so I will not repeat myself here. What I do want to do is touch on some of the aspects of Voldemort’s day-to-day character which are not explicitly stated in canon, but rather hinted at. At the end I’ll relate these ramblings to my current story, Twelve Dark Moons and the Luna/Voldemort ship.
What about… his personality?
Quite simply, he’s persuasive, observant of others’ weaknesses, and can be quite terrifying when he’s in a temper. Sources for this include Pettigrew (‘The Dark Lord… you have no idea the weapons he possesses…’), Harry himself (the graveyard scene, when Voldemort, just minutes returned to his body, can pinpoint his Death Eater’s fear and level of loyalty) and Lucius Malfoy via Snape via Dumbledore (‘Voldemort’s wrath was terrible to behold’ when he found out about the destroyed diary Horcrux). Whew. That was a long sentence.
I think everyone gets that Voldemort is frightening and insane. What I don’t think everyone gets is that he is persuasive. He is charming. He makes other people think that he is close to them, that he likes them. Voldemort knows that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I could see him laughing with his loyal followers, telling interesting stories, being witty. This is how he keeps that finely-tuned balance between fear and adoration. If he was excessively cruel to his Death Eaters, they would start to loathe him, and he’d be looking at dissension in the ranks. No way.
It’s stated in canon that Voldemort, in the first war, had a great many followers, not just Death Eaters but people who agreed with his politics. Voldemort uses brutal methods but I’ll bet he white-washes them for the easy digestion of the general public… or he blames it on someone else. See Adolf Hitler and the Reichstag fire. No one would follow a madman, unless they did not realise he was a madman. Voldemort is not like a lone psychotic serial killer. He is more like the callous dictator at the head of a growing political movement.
What about… his sexuality?
Oh, the speculation here. I could go on for ages about the various theories out there about Voldemort’s ‘orientation’ or preferences or whatever. However, I’ll just stick with my view here.
I think Voldemort has always seen sex as another manifestation of power. I also think that he never experienced desire in the way that a normal person does. To a mind like that, the physical act is just another way of dominating someone, man or woman. It’s the same reason why the crime of rape is not about passion or sexuality, it’s about domination… total power over another human being.
In canon, Voldemort is at best dismissive of women… he tells Lily Potter ‘stand aside, silly girl,’ as though she is not an opponent even worth the bother of killing. He mocks Ginny Weasley as stupid and boring. I don’t think Voldemort sees women as powerful, therefore I doubt he has much sexual interest in them. After all, his own mother was too weak to save herself, so why should he care about women at all?
As for the men, the same rule applies: Voldemort would use sexuality as a game, nothing more. There are homoerotic undertones to certain interactions between Voldemort and Harry (and in my opinion, between teenage Riddle and Slughorn), but this has to do with power, not sex. I doubt he was ‘gay’ as a preference, either; he simply used it to manipulate people, same as fear.
Now, about my fanfiction stories… I don’t really think that Voldemort would have a normal sexual relationship of any sort. However, I just like to mess with canon!Voldemort by introducing him to strong female characters, just to see what he’ll do (Luna in Twelve Dark Moons, and Honora Crowley in the Out of Shadow-Kundalini Rising series). In reality I think Voldemort would get off on power, nothing more.
On that, there is the intriguing use of the nickname ‘Bella’ for Mrs. Lestrange… whether this is another example of his false affection, or is an indication of more physical activities going on, who knows. Again, in TDM I propose an explanation for the apparent affection.
What about… his physical form?
My take on this is plain. Voldemort has returned to a human body. That means strengths and weaknesses. He doesn’t look at all normal, but I believe he needs to eat, drink, breathe, sleep, just like any other body-bound soul. Presumably he has the ability, if not the inclination, for sex as well. I don’t believe Voldemort is a eunuch (as has been suggested) or an androgyne. He’s a man. Plain and simple.
In the end…
At some point I will be posting my in-depth psychological evaluation of what made Lord Voldemort, well… Lord Voldemort. However, since this is under the heading of Twelve Dark Moons story notes, I’ll say this about why I was so intrigued with the Luna/Voldemort pairing. I wanted to see if she could get under his radar. It’s an experiment in the old question -- can there be light even in the darkest of places? It’s also an experiment to see if Voldemort can find himself completely undone by a woman, a sprite of a twenty-year-old witch, because he never expected it. I’m not talking about love here… I believe he’s beyond all hope of that. But Luna could just be the one to squeak through his outer defenses. Stay tuned.