HP as Morality Play (was Re: Harry learning from Snape )

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 114702


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dzeytoun" <dzeytoun at c...> 
wrote:
> 
> I would strongly disagree with that statement, but be that as it 
> may.  I sense that you see in this (and I may be wrong) a kind of 
> Christian parable with Harry being a sort of martyr/Christ 
figure.  
> Certainly that is one way to interpret things.


Alla:


Yes and from some of JKR's hints this interpretation is quite 
likely. It does not mean that we should forego other 
interpretations, of course (I cannot say that I am entirely happy 
with the exact Cristian parallel myself. At least if JKR follows 
it , I hope that the emphasis will be on resurrection of Crist-like 
figure)


Dzeytoun:

    Another way of 
> looking at it (developing this from some of M.Clifford's posts) is 
> that the characters all represent emotional/moral traits.  Thus 
Harry 
> is Love, Voldemort is Hate, Snape is Bitterness, Remus is Calm, 
> Dumbledore is Wisdom, etc.  In this context, the whole thing 
becomes 
> a kind of fleshed out morality play very similar to the type of 
thing 
> done in the Middle Ages where actors portraying different 
> moral/emotional/psychological traits went through ritualistic 
actions 
> to illustrate what were perceived as important truths.
> 
> I suppose if we look at HP as Morality Play then Wisdom nurtures 
Love 
> which will defeat Hate.  In that case, the interplay between Snape 
> and Harry (to use M. Clifford again) is about Bitterness devouring 
> itself and bringing about its own destruction due to its inability 
to 
> embrace Love.


Alla:

Could you educate me, please, a little bit? I know about those 
Middle Age plays, but in a very general terms.
Wisdom nurtures Love which will defeat Hate sounds like a rather 
standard interpretation to me, but is it what usually was supposed 
to happened with Bitterness according to the plot line?


If it is true , I doubt that everything in Potterverse would fit to 
the slightest degree.

Was Wisdom, for example supposed to make mistakes and admitting to 
them in those plays?