“Voldemort himself created his worst enemy, just as tyrants everywhere do! Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back!”
—Half-Blood Prince (p. 510)
“What if one of the gods should carry away a slaveholder of fifty or more slaves out of his city and deposit him, along with his wife and children and slaves, in the wilderness where he cannot be helped by his fellow free citizens? Would he not be absolutely terrified that he and his wife and children would be killed by the slaves?”
—Plato (Rep. 578e)1
In the Republic there are a few different governments described in addition to the ideal society. One of the figures described in depth is the Tyrannical Ruler. Plato describes tyrannical men in their early stages as those who “steal, commit burglary, snatch purses, rob travelers, defile temples, and enslave people” (Rep. 575b). These activities find their parallels in Tom Riddle’s childhood in the orphanage, where he steals from other children and commits other escalating acts of cruelty toward animals and the other children (HBP pp. 267-76). As such people advance in tyranny, their attitude toward others shifts as well:
Before these people come to power, when they are on their own and
find themselves in need of anything, either they associate with
flatterers who are eager to serve them in any way, or they ingratiate
themselves with people who can supply their need; once they gain
what they want, however, they discard those who once helped them. .
. . Those with a tyrannical nature live their entire lives without ever
being friends with anybody, being either a master or a slave to others
as circumstances require, and never tasting freedom or true
friendship. (Rep. 575e-576a)
These attitudes toward both inferiors and superiors also characterize the future Voldemort.
These attitudes toward both inferiors and superiors also characterize the future Voldemort.
Plato describes tyrannical men in their early stages as those who
“steal, commit burglary, snatch purses, rob travelers, defile temples, and
enslave people” (Rep. 575b). These activities find their parallels in Tom
Riddle’s childhood in the orphanage, where he steals from other children and
commits other escalating acts of cruelty toward animals and the other children
(HBP pp. 267-76). As such people advance in tyranny, their attitude toward
others shifts as well:
Before these people come to power, when they are on their own and find themselves in need of anything, either they associate with flatterers who are eager to serve them in any way, or they ingratiate themselves with people who can supply their need; once they gain what they want, however, they discard those who once helped them. . . . Those with a tyrannical nature live their entire lives without ever being friends with anybody, being either a master or a slave to others as circumstances require, and never tasting freedom or true friendship. (Rep. 575e-576a)
These attitudes toward both inferiors and superiors also characterize the future Voldemort. In essence I've found an extremely accurate parallel in Voldemort and the worst of the governmental figures, the Tyrant.
Before these people come to power, when they are on their own and find themselves in need of anything, either they associate with flatterers who are eager to serve them in any way, or they ingratiate themselves with people who can supply their need; once they gain what they want, however, they discard those who once helped them. . . . Those with a tyrannical nature live their entire lives without ever being friends with anybody, being either a master or a slave to others as circumstances require, and never tasting freedom or true friendship. (Rep. 575e-576a)
These attitudes toward both inferiors and superiors also characterize the future Voldemort. In essence I've found an extremely accurate parallel in Voldemort and the worst of the governmental figures, the Tyrant.
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