The Greek tragedy of the Weasley family

[vecseytj]

No: HPFGUIDX 80037

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "alshainofthenorth"
<alshainofthenorth at y...> wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> I'm getting rather fed up with the interpretation of Percy as nothing
> more than a power-hungry bootlicker. It just makes him a trivial,
> despicable and out-of-character toady, there has to be more to him and
> the split in the family than that. The Sorting Hat made him a
> Gryffindor, after all, and he's not IMO a bad person. So, I'm adding
> another twist to the Weasley story to save him a bit of dignity...
> 
> One of the classic tragedies about civil disobedience is the story of
> Antigone of Thebe. Her brother Polyneikes has tried to seize power in
> the city of Thebe by starting a war and is killed. Their uncle Kreon
> is made king and issues a decree that no one is to bury the fallen
> attackers. Antigone, not wanting to leave her brother's corpse to the
> vultures, disobeys the decree and is buried alive as punishment.
> 
> Percy's views of right and wrong has something of legal positivism in
> them (IMO), the law must be obeyed because it is the law. You can't
> disobey it just because you think it's wrong. You can't go against the
> Ministry of Magic and undermine its authority just because you think
> Voldemort is back. His position would be the one of Kreon, while the
> rest of the Weasleys would side with Antigone and the right to rebel
> against unjust laws and rulers.
> 
> And the tragedy is that both parties' values are right. Breaking the
> law creates chaos, blind obedience to it is the stuff that
> totalitarian regimes are made of. Right or Wrong is easier to resolve
> than Right or Right. 
> 
> Or is Percy nothing more than a pompous toady? Am I reading too much
> into the conflict when I want to put him inside a Greek tragedy?
> 
> Thoughts, comments? 
> 
> Alshain the Curious

Hello Alshain,  I would say reading between the lines, and finding a
whole new story is more acurate.  I'm glad You can like Percy. We all
have characters in Potterverse that we for some reason are drawn to. 
I love reading everyones ideas, and the differneces, between us all. 
I must say (IMO) the idea of a Greek tragedy; and Percy as Antigone is
a streach, because Antigone was not just concerned about the birds
picking her brothers bones it was his very soul that she was concerned
about.  She didn't want him to never rest in peace, so I also took
Antigone as expressing more of a religous motivation.  She was obeying
her religous, laws, not the kings law.  

In comparsion, Percy was laughing at Fudges poor jokes, and acting the
baffoon.  I can't see where he is helping anyone here except himself.
 But, I am going to go and re-read the DA' Army, chapter in DD office.
  I'm missing the part where Percy is upholding the law.  He seems to
be enjoying Harry's distress, and DD conflict with Fudge.  He is so
excited he has ink on his nose.  At the very least he should be upset
that his Headmaster (someone he used to admire) is cracking up (or so
he *says*)  Where is his compassion?  I don't want to rain on your
Greek tragedy parade, 'cause I really really like it.  But, I see
Percy *enjoying* hurting others too much to call him Antigone.    

Thanks  Tj  who is going to go and re-read Antigone. :)