So, we've already turned in our papers comparing Harry Potter to the rest of the works thus far in the semester and I wrote about Harry Potter in comparison to both Paradise Lost and Dr. Faustus. However, as I realized in class, I wish I had added the connections between The Faerie Queene and Harry Potter. So, this is when the blog comes in handy. A lot of these were already mentioned in class, but I will list the similarities I found nonetheless.
First of all, both stories deal with kind of an underdog, or unlikely hero character, in which they are forced to overcome several obstacles throughout the course of the story. In the case of the Faerie Queene, this character was Redcrosse, and it was Harry in Harry Potter. Both characters were inexperienced, young, and thrown into a world where they had to prove their own. Redcrosse dealt with everything from deception to monsters in his quest to defeat the dragon for the Faerie Queene. Similarly, Harry Potter faced a giant troll monster, evil professors, jealous classmates, and deception in order to protect the sorcerer's stone.
The most obvious connection of deception to me that was evident in both stories was that of multiple identities, as Duessa and Fidessa were embodied in one character, as were Professor Quirrell and Voldemort. Redcrosse was tricked by Duessa much like Harry was unaware of Quirrell's dual identity.
Another connection was that of the spark that caught Redcrosse's beard and the spark that caught Hagrid's beard on fire. Both were from a dragon's breath and both signified a kind of warning or evil omen for each character.
A final connection that I saw fitting was the whole idea of a quest. Harry Potter was on a quest at Hogwarts to reveal the secrets that he saw lurking around the school, to find out the truth of what happened to his parents, and to protect the Sorcerer's Stone. Similarly, Redcrosse was on a quest to defeat the evil dragon under the orders of the Faerie Queene.
Oh wait, one more connection: the whole idea of the forest. In both stories, the forest represents danger, evil, and uneasiness.
1 comment:
i like all the comparisons you made between Harry potter and the faerie queene. i also did not focus on the faerie queene in my paper, and might have found it rather useful, during the times of frustration when looking for inspiration while writing.
Post a Comment