seriously, is Snape good or evil?

Question

I've read all six harry potter books and i can't decide if snape is evil and dumbledore is completely clueless, or if dumbledore is evil and snape is protecting harry. any thoughts?

Answer 1

Readers have always been left pondering about who Snape really is. Where do his loyalties lie? One moment, he’s the evil master, always taunting and picking on Harry, displaying his hatred for the boy for the entire world to see. But on the other hand, he had Dumbledore’s unstinting and unwavering trust. Dumbledore had always defended Snape, even against Harry’s many accusations and suspicions. For this reason alone, I have to believe that Snape is actually on the good side.

And I would be bitterly disappointed if Snape turns out to work for the Death Eaters after all. I feel that Snape is the most interesting character that Rowling has created, with his inner conflicts and mysterious past affiliation with the Death Eaters. With every line that Rowling writes about Snape, you would always question his motives, the real meaning behind what he says. He is always to me, an enigma. Dumbledore was no fool. He wouldn't have blindly trusted Snape for nothing. There just HAD to be a SOLID reason for Snape to kill Dumbledore. Maybe Dumbledore's death is a pre-meditated sacrifice for a final victory of good against evil.

Remember when Harry once overheard them both arguing? I suspect that Snape had told Dumbledore of the Unbreakable Vow he was forced to take part in with Draco’s mother. Snape would die if he didn't keep the vow to protect Draco and kill Dumbledore in the event that the boy failed to do so.

And Dumbledore would rather sacrifice himself than to loose the only link the Order of the Phoenix had with the inside workings of the Death Eaters' organization; Snape, the double agent.

Sure, Snape hated Harry's father. But I'd hate it if Snape was simply "getting his own back". Then there'd be no integrity in his character build-up so far.

Answer 2

Snape is Snape. He is beyond that sort of simplistic categorization, IMHO. I do believe he is not as evil as he appeared at the end of HBP. It would take too much space to really go into this in detail, but consider this:

It is well known that Snape played the double-agent prior to the death of Harry's parents, and there is no reason to believe he wasn't still a double agent on the anti-Voldemort side. Why then did he bind himself to the success of Draco's mission and then actually kill Dumbledore?
My answer: Dumbledore knew that destroying Slytherin's ring had fatally wounded him and Snape knew so too. Therefore he allowed himself to be bound to Dumbledore"s death, a death he knew was imminent and against which he knew Dumbeldore had taken precautions to ensure that his death would not derail the anti-Voldemort movement.

Now, on the other hand, if Snape has turned coats; why did he not kill Harry* or disable him and take him helpless to Voldemort? JKR made it clear that Harry is no match for Snape a a wizard (yet). If you look at Snapes "taunts" at Harry and put them into anyone else's mouth, they're very good advice on what Harry needs yet to learn to fight strong adult wizards on anything like equal terms.
My answer is that Dumbledore at some point shortly after Harry was orphaned made Snape take an unbreakable vow to protect Harry. This fits in perfectly with Snape's actions toward Harry in the books thus far. Yes, Snape is a mean SOB to Harry, but that is Snape's personality, and he didn't vow to be nice to Harry after all.

My conclusion is that in Book Seven, Snape will act covertly and eventually overtly to aid Harry, that he will likely live, and that Harry will be just as in the dark over Snape's motivations as when Harry entered Hogwarts. (BTW, the above is why I don't think Harry will die. If I'm right, then Snape dies too if Harry dies, and Snape is the ultimate survivor).

*My reading of the prophecy is that there is no requirement that either has to directly kill the other, just that one no longer lives, so I think Snape certainly could have killed Harry and talked he way out of it afterwards.

Answer 3

I tend to lean towards good.

I don't know what you mean by "dumbledore is evil and snape is protecting harry". Clearly, Dumbledore is the anti-evil. Voldemort is the evil character. Snape took the vow, and I think Dumbledore would sacrifice himself to keep Snape on the inside with the Death Eaters. If he was evil, Dumbledore would not trust him.

There's going to be a twist, and it's going to be huge. =]

Answer 4

I keep hoping that Dumbledore isn't really dead, it was just a plan with Snape and Dumbledore to fool Voldemort. But its probably just wishfull thinking! Actually though, in the scene where Voldermort comes back and counts the people that are missing from the circle, Snape is the one who is lost and will never come back. Only a few more months until we find out!

Answer 5

My thoughts on this are fairly simple, I suppose. I don't think that Snape is entirely good nor evil. I think he is merely a man (wizard, whatever) who is trying desperately to make his mark on the world. And Dumbledore is the same, he looks at ways to make the wizarding world a better place, but he hardly thinks about how these changes will affect the people around him.

Answer 6

I vote good. Here are some clues in the book that I think point to this conclusion:

1. I would make a case that Snape killed dumbledore at Dumbledore's request. here's why:
a. Dumbledore specifically requests "severus" and asks for him and only him repeatedly. Matched with the conversation overheard by Hagrid (Snape "didn't want to do it anymore") it points to dumbledore having made prearrangement with Snape for the coup de grace, if necessary.
b. Snape's look of "hatred and revulsion" on his face. Matches the language used to describe harry's actions in the cave (when he's giving dumbledore the terrible drink, it refers to him "hating himself, repulsed by what he was doing" (p. 571.) Remember harry is causing dumbledore this torture and anguish on Dumbledore's express orders and Dumbledore has been very firm with him that Harry's life takes precedence over his own. Points to Snape having been forced, unwillingly, into a similar arrangement.
c. Dumbledore's pleading. Dumbledore is an incredibly brave, wise and kind old man who has been behaving (throughout the entire book) as if he is preparing for his death. He's not afraid to die - he says "to the well-prepared mind, death is but the next great adventure." Dumbledore would never plead for his life. It makes no sense with everything else he does. He's ALREADY put himself in a defenseless position with Draco in order to take the time to stun and protect Harry. With Draco pointing the wand at him, Dumbledore never begs and pleads, simply speaks calmly and effectively to appeal to Draco's better nature. he's sick, he's old, he's weak, he knows he has very little time left and he's taken desparate steps to give Harry as much information as he can before he's not around to protect him. Knowing this about his character, reading the pleading as "please, Snape, kill me as you promised" makes a lot more sense than "please save me at all costs." The real-life analogy might be a dying person holding a relative or friend to a promise to remove them from life support.

2. When Harry confronts Snape after Dumbledore's death, Snape could have killed him, or at least seriously injured him. Instead he hits him with a harmless spell and throws in a little occlumency lesson ("blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed!") p. 603 Sounds like someone trying to protect harry, and also sounds like the incident in OOTP in Umbridge's office, where snape plays dumb and says nasty stuff to Harry's face when Harry gives him the coded warning ("he's got padfoot at the place where it's hidden!") but in reality alerts the Order to head to the ministry and tries to save Sirius and Harry's lives (his two least favorite people, ever.)

Answer 7

corse not....
well i don't think so.
what if dumbledor is enchanted or something, you know like to put him to sleep or freeze him like what happened to ron hermione cho and fleurs little sister in book 4?

it could just be a trick to bring voldemort out again so he can be killed onceand for all. draco was too scared to kill him and maybe dumbledor knew tht draco couldnt do it and asked him two, then he could throw himself out of the window as if snape had hit him with the spell. dumbledor can do spells silently so it is possible. the only reason harry wasnt let in on it was because he would have done all he could to stop it and keep everyone safe and not risk killing dumbledor.

Answer 8

As we know snape have been evil in the last part but there may be changes in last books.He may killed dumbledore because of the unbreakable ove and like voldemort dumbledore may also have parted his sole or something but I'm sure that dumbledor will have an important role in the last part.

Answer 9

I really think that he is good , despite the cruelty he suffered from Harry's father.i think Dumbledore saw something in him to make him trust Snape unquestionably.Otherwise , why let harry live?

Answer 10

Snape is definitely good I love Snape. Doumbledoor is not dead he is a pheniox. Again I love Snape.