Potterversity Episode 62: Harry Potter and Revenge

Potterversity Episode 62: Harry Potter and Revenge

Vengeance is sweet - sometimes. Explore revenge in Harry Potter and the ancient Greek Oresteia by Aeschylus.

We welcome back to the show classicist Dr. Mitchell Parks (Knox College), who presented on "Dumbledore, Agamemnon, and the Imperfect Legacy" at the 2024 Harry Potter Academic Conference. He was struck by the epigraph from The Libation Bearers, one of the plays that makes up the Oresteia, at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

We discuss the parallels between the play trilogy and the book series, particularly the intertwined themes of justice and revenge. Although there are some similarities between Harry and Orestes, the former spends much more time wrestling with his options and emotions than the latter. The two texts have very different gender politics, which have been reinterpreted in different ways over the years based on current contexts.

Although authorial intent is not Mitchell's main interest, the author made a very deliberate choice to include the epigraph, which is formatted similarly to the lightning bolt-shaped dedication. Still, if a reader can notice parallels and convince other readers of their significance, whether or not the author had a deep familiarity with the referenced text doesn't invalidate the meaning.

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Episoder(119)

Potterversity Episode 72: Harry Potter and Identity

Potterversity Episode 72: Harry Potter and Identity

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Potterversity Episode 71: Potter Meets Molesworth

Potterversity Episode 71: Potter Meets Molesworth

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Potterversity Episode 70: Harry Potter and the Call for Papers

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Potterversity Episode 69: Potter Gets Stranger

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Potterversity Episode 68: When in Doubt, Go to the Library

Potterversity Episode 68: When in Doubt, Go to the Library

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Potterversity Episode 67: The Best Hope We Have

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Potterversity Episode 66: Back to Wizarding Business

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14 Jul 202541min

Potterversity Episode 65: Potter & Trek Part 2 - The Reality Inside Your Head

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We're voyaging out to the farthest reaches of space and into the deepest recesses of the mind for another look at Harry Potter and Star Trek. Potterversity regular Louise Freeman, a retired psycholog...

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