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Among many characters in the work, readers and critics all agree that Severus Snape is a complex character with mysterious identity and tragic experience. He is on the good side working as a double agent for Dumbledore, and pretends to be a loyal servant to the Dark Lord Voldemort. Besides, he won many readers’ tears because of his infinite affection for Harry’s mother, Lily Evans. Whatever, Snape gets lots of attention.
The arguments of the predecessors have different emphases. Some argued that Snape has the typical characteristic of the “Byronic hero”. “There is some mystery connected with his birth or his upbringing. We do not find out until near the end of the novel”（Thorslev, 1962: 54）. Some analysed his personality from the perspective of the source of names. His name: “Severus” means “strict” in Latin; it reflects his character of seriousness and sharpness. Also, this name reminds us of “snake” and “serpent” (Qian Wenwen，Shen Tingting, 2010: 52）. Some concluded that the tragic fate of Snape is the embodiment of the author’s outstanding ability to describe death. Death is one of the major themes of the literature and they are fully shown in the novel.
2 Multiple Characters of Snape
In the beginning part of the story, Rowling described Snape as “a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and sallow skin” (Rowling, 1997: 126). It seems that he is less like a positive character. Even when he was young, “Snape-the-teenager had a stringy, pallid look about him, like a plant kept in the dark. His hair was lank and greasy and was flopping onto the table, his hooked nose barely half an inch from the surface of the parchment as he scribbled” (Rowling, 2004: 641). “Round-shouldered yet angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, his oily hair swinging about his face” (Rowling, 2004: 643).
At first, Snape was hostile towards Harry and was described as cold, sarcastic, calculating, and bitter. But as the plot progresses, the characters of Snape become more complex. When talking about Snape, Rowling once said in an interview, “He is not a particularly likeable man in many ways. He remains rather cruel, a bully, riddled with bitterness and insecurity—and yet he loved, and showed loyalty to that love and, ultimately, laid down his life because of it”(Heilman, 2009: 83).来~自^751论+文.网www.751com.cn/
In a word, Snape is a complicated figure. His multiple characters can be analysed in the following part.
2.1 Glum and Vindictive
Severus Snape gives us the impression that he is a glum person. He always keeps a complete poker face and a stiff upper lip. He has a not very warm relationship with his colleagues and students. Furthermore, he is good at some desolate magic, such as Occlumency, by which one can conceal one's emotions. He doesn’t let others spy on his thoughts, and at the same time, he shuts his feelings down and refuses to communicate with others. What’s more, he seems vindictive when it comes to Harry, seemingly using him to retaliate for the humiliation that Harry’s father James had forced him to suffer when they themselves were students at Hogwarts. The first time Harry entered Hogwarts, he noticed that Snape disliked him. As the Potions master and Head of Slytherin, he often makes difficulties for Harry. From the beginning of the first novel: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone (1997), Snape started to grab every opportunity to insult Harry, regardless of Harry’s good performance. Naturally, Harry doesn’t like him, either.
“ ‘What's that you've got there, Potter?’
It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.
‘Library books are not to be taken outside the school,’ said Snape. ‘Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor.’