[Please Note: this essay was written prior to the publication of Half-Blood Prince]
Full
Name: Severus Snape, Professor
Nationality:
British
Age:
35/36+
Height:
6 ft+?
Weight:
Your guess is as good as mine...
Hair:
Black
Eyes:
Black
Source:
Harry Potter books and films
Distinguishing
Features: greasy hair, sallow complexion, 'Dark Mark' on inner left
arm
Creator:
J.K Rowling
The 'greasy git' is my character of the moment, a marvellous blend of sadistic teacher and mysterious protector. He's an enigma, a character who we'll never find everything out about, and one who lies at the heart of a vast and rather overwhelming fan community. He's also been given an extra lease of life by actor Alan Rickman who took on the task of bringing the Potions Master to the big screen, and so far has given a representation of the character that has been a hit with fans of both the books and films alike.
So, what's to know about him? He's the Potions Master at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft & Wizardry, tall and lean, with black, lank, greasy hair, a sallow complxion and a protruding hooked nose. His age has been given as around 35 by the author (so if we take that as his age in Philosopher's Stone, he'll be 40 by the time we reach Order of the Phoenix), and, by the fifth book, we learn that he has been a member of staff at Hogwarts for twelve years, so he started three years after the fall of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. His childhood has been hinted to have been an unhappy one, so perhaps some of Severus's failings in areas of compassion and humour were dashed by a broken home as well as the fact that he was bullied at school. Perhaps, too, his unfortunate past led him to become one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters - in Book 4, we learnt that Snape, alike several others, had the Dark Mark imprinted on his left arm. Unlike Karkaroff, however (another Death Eater who fears for his existence once the Dark Lord returns), Snape seems to have a profound courage on top of his loyalty to Dumbledore and refuses to flee, even though his life may be at risk.
"...One who I fear has left me forever - he will be killed, of course." - Voldemort
Snape is also a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and acts as something of an undercover agent for the cause. We can only presume that he may be acting as a double agent, dallying between Dumbledore and the returning Death Eaters, finding out information to aid those opposing the second rise of the Dark Lord. Questions always remian open as to the risks Severus is taking, and more so why - why did he return to the 'light side'? What did he tell Dumbledore that allowed the man to trust him enough to give him a teaching post at Hogwarts? All may, or may not, be revealed in the two forthcoming and final Harry Potter books.
So what is his attraction? I think it's the darkness and the enigma - we are all intrigued by it, the wickedness and vice that lurks beneath the skin, and Snape exudes so much of this. There are so many unanswered questions hovering about his person, too, and the less we seem to know, the more interested we become. I don't find him physically an attractive character - you just have to read his description to know that this man isnt an attractive one - but his inner character is magnetically attractive, and that's the important thing. I think Rickman has unintentionally added a bit of a physical attraction to Snape in his performances as well - his voice and his simple gait can be quite alluring (his duelling scene with Kenneth Branagh in Chamber of Secrets is manifest with both, for example). I do not believe that Snape will ever fall in love, though. Many fanfiction writers tend to throw him into one twisted love affair or another, but I think that he's beyond love now; I feel that he loathes himself too much, and cannot bring himself to ever put his burdens onto anyone else's shoulders. He wouldn't allow himself to do that. He knows that he does not deserve any type of affection, and does not have (never mind want) any need to feel that emotion himself. Life has shaped him that way.
Alan Rickman portrays Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films, but he only adopted the role after fellow Brit, Tim Roth, backed out. I, for one, am rather pleased about that - I'm no expert on Roth, but I can't have seen his Snape being quite as definitive as Rickman's. However, Roth is actually the right age to play Snape, whereas (believe it or not) Alan Rickman is 20 years too old. The Potions Master should be around 38 in Prisoner of Azkaban - Rickman is currently 58 years old. It's ironic that some fans have complained about Gary Oldman being too old to be Sirius Black when he is, in fact, much closer to the correct age of his character than Rickman, who warrants no complaints. But being an actor is about becoming someone you're not, whatever age they may be, and Alan pulls it off wonderfully (besides, he doesn't look his age...). I think that his voice adds to his performance more than anything - it's a voice that commands respect and which is completely plausible in being able to control a class with the least bit of effort. Also, his body language is wonderfully done, throwing hints as to what he is thinking or feeling inside. And, finally, he looks the part, having the perfect hooked nose... bless him.
Just a few rhetorical thoughts that I have on the Potions Master:
1) What exactly would a Boggart turn into if faced by Snape? What is his worst fear? Could it even be himself?
2) Many people - myself included - have wondered what form Snape's Patronus would take, but the thought has struck me that he might not even be able to conjure one. Why? Well, Professor Lupin taught Harry that he must think of an ecstatically happy memory to enable the Patronus to burst forth - what happy memory or thought could Snape possibly hold onto? I can't imagine he'll have any truly happy memories to turn to, leaving it up to him to conjure some image that makes him blissful. What that might be, I dare not even think But, all of those thoughts aside, what form would his Patronus be? Everyone seems to aim for a reptile, especially a snake - but why not something completely at odds with his character? Why not an eagle, or a fox, or something more noble, telling of the fact that the man within is perhaps not completely rotten? I don't know...
3) Does Snape have a beard? I like to imagine him with one, but I don't reckon he really would have one, though there are other illustrators who thrust one upon him. It does make one wonder what it is that inspires their imagination to see him with a beard in the first place. Despite the fact that I reckon a beard would make him more attractive (so, naturally, it is a thought I like to consider) I just don't believe that a man who can't be bothered with his hair would preen a goatee every morning. ^_~ It's a nice thought, either way.
4) For God's sake, what did he tell Dumbledore in the first place that convinced the old wizard to take him on as a teacher rather than send him to Azkaban? Fans have been gagging over this question for years...
5) Another big fan question - where did Snape go and what did he do upon Dumbledore's request at the end of Goblet of Fire? It must have something to do with both the Death Eaters and Voldemort, but I don't think we'll ever fully be told about this.
Thanks go out to Tealin Raintree for giving me permission to use her Professor Snape fan art drawings. I'd appreciate it if you showed her my thanks by giving her site a visit:
Tealin's Harry Potter Celebration