[HPforGrownups] Hermione and The Winter's Tale

[Moonstruck]

No: HPFGUIDX 44396

>So, JKR chose the name Hermione because she *just*
> liked the name?   Yeah, right.

I don't believe for a second JKR chose the name
Hermione just because she *liked* it. There are
clearly many ways in which Shakespeare's Hermione
mirrors *our* Hermione. 

I find the plot of the play most interesting, though
and I think it provides a glimpse into the future of
the HP books.

 > 1.    Shakespeare's Hermione, a Queen of Sicilia,
is
> accused of treason by adultery, by her irrationally
> jealous and insecure husband, Leontes.  Surely JKR
> must have had Leontes' accusations in mind when she
> wrote the following Yule Ball dialogue:
> 
> "He's from Durmstrang!" spat Ron.  "He's competing
> against Harry!  Against Hogwarts!  You -- you're --"
> Ron was obviously casting around for words strong
> enough to describe Hermione's crime, "fraternizing
> with the enemy, that's what you're doing!"

All right...I agree with the inevitability of a
triangle involving at least Ron and Hermione, but I
don't think Krum is going to be the other man. 

In the Winter's Tale Leontes has invited his *best
friend* from school/youth, Polixenes, to come visit
his kingdom and -- more importantly, to Leontes --
meet Leontes' beloved wife, Hermione. Polixenes does
visit and the three (L-H-P) get along famously. When
Poli prepares to go, Leo does everything he can to
persuade him to stay. It is Hermione, under the wishes
of Leo, who finally convinces Poli to extend his stay.
For some reason, Leo misconstrues this as an
indication that Poli and Hermione are having an
affair. It's a completely irrational assumption, but
he gets his knickers all in a twist and loses it,
prosecuting his wife for adultery.

This fits perfectly with the plotlines left hanging
after GoF. Obviously, Ron and Hermione have developed
feelings for one another. Once Ron realizes he's
smitten with Hermione, it's not too much of a stretch
to assume he'll be very possessive of her. For Ron,
Hermione will be, in a sense, his prize -- the one
thing/person that's his and his alone, the person who
gives him the attention he feels he deserves.

Now in GoF, we know Hermione lavishes a great deal of
attention and admiration on Harry. So much so that
Krum suspects there's something going on between Harry
and Hermione, which isn't true. We all ready know Ron
has a predisposition of jealousy and spite toward
Harry, who, like his brothers, always casts a shadow
over Ron. In fact, Ron, like Leo, has a tendency
toward irrationality -- running with an unproved
notion to the point of explosion. I think Ron will, at
some point, misinterpret Harry and Hermione's
relationship the same way Krum does. 

Ron will see this perceived affair as the final straw
in his frustrations with Harry. They'll have a
terrible fight and quit speaking again. 

*Enter Voldemort*

Ron will be at his most vulnerable at this point,
making him an ideal victim of Voldie's evil schemes.
The fact that he's HP's best friend will make him all
the more appealing to Voldie. He'll strike Ron with
the Cruciatus Curse (as so clearly foreshadowed in
GoF) and use him to lure HP in to Voldie's hands. HP
and Hermione will figure out why Ron's behavior has
suddenly become so strange and and rescue Ron from
Voldie's grasp.

Ron will rejoin Harry and Hermione in the fight
against Voldie. His brush with death will knock some
sense into Ron and he'll begin to realize how his lack
of self-esteem (and the envy that results from it) is
dangerous to both himself and his loved ones.

That's when we'll REALLY see Ron potential as a -- I
think -- very powerful wizard.

-Jessica 



=====
"Oh, I'll settle down with some old story/About a boy who's just like me/Thought there was love in everything and everyone/You're so naive!/After a while they always get it/They always reach a sorry end/Still it was worth it as I turned the pages solemnly, and then/With a winning smile, the boy/With naivety succeeds/At the final moment, I cried/I always cry at endings"
- "Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying," Belle and Sebastian

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
http://sbc.yahoo.com