I don't believe Draco Malfoy was ever a "bad" guy.
In fact, I think Draco is the most complex and sympathetic character in 'Harry Potter' -- and dare I say it, he may actually be my favorite character.
Draco spends the entire series trying to live up to his father's standards. In the films, Draco (Tom Felton) is not explored as thoroughly as he was in the books, but the pureblood wizard is used as a foil for Harry, to show him the darker side of the wizarding world. Yet Draco is never a threat so much as a tragic figure in the Potter franchise.
Being a 'Harry Potter' fan doesn't automatically mean you have to be a fan of Harry himself, a superstar who -- when the series begins -- hasn't done anything since he was an infant, arrives at Hogwarts and is automatically awarded favored status. Looking at the story objectively, can you blame Draco for hating Harry Potter? When Draco offers to show him around and befriend him, Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) rejects him.
As a Slytherin who'd probably been raised in the magical world and spent a lot of time anticipating his owl, learning all he could and immersing himself in wizarding, having someone like Harry Potter just show up and be rocketed to superstardom was rightfully annoying to Draco. He was jealous. And then to have that wizard reject him had to hurt.
But Draco has been rejected his whole life: by his father, who works to crush all of his weakness out of him. If anything, Draco is another, more direct, victim of Lucius Malfoy. In the films, Draco is more closely related to Judd Nelson's bully-with-a-soul character in the '80s classic 'The Breakfast Club' than to anything actually "evil." He strives to be powerful in any little way he can because he's so browbeaten at home.
Despite his father's cruelty, Draco very obviously suffers from a sort of Stockholm Syndrome in his desire to win his affections. This gives Draco's character more dimensions than just "evil" villain, showing him to have feelings and to grow as a character.
Last night, at the 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I' premiere on the red carpet, Felton, the actor portraying Draco, told Moviefone that he's happy with how complex his character turned out to be.
"I had no idea because in the first four movies he's really just a big bully," he said. "But yeah, he's in a very conflicted position. He's torn really between his parents and his heart, whether he wants to do right."
In fact, when push comes to shove and Draco is on the line to kill Dumbledore, he ultimately cannot do it and Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) has to step in. During the confrontation, he admits that he never wanted to kill Dumbledore but fears that if he doesn't, the Death Eaters will kill him. Draco is faced with an impossible choice.
Draco struggles because of out-and-out cowardice. He is a product of his horrible upbringing in which he's only heard what his racist parents taught him. As he grows up, he realizes that not everything they taught him was correct, and he starts to gain a morality of his own. Even when he becomes a Death Eater, he is quickly disillusioned with the lifestyle and he is afraid, knowing he is in over his head when it comes to his mission to help Voldemort.
The best example of this comes from Moaning Myrtle, to whom Draco confesses his feelings of trepidation in the haunted girl's bathroom.
Myrtle even says of Draco: "He's sensitive, people bully him, too, and he feels lonely and hasn't got anybody to talk to, and he's not afraid to show his feelings and cry!"
In the final parts of the series, Draco actually saves Harry and Hermione by convincing his former crony Crabbe not to curse them to death. He lies, saying Voldemort wants them alive, and also tries to avoid identifying them to his parents and other Death Eaters when they ask about the trio. In the end of the books, Draco turns out neutral -- he's not a friend of Harry's but neither is he a "villain" any more.
Draco was never a bad person, nor was he outright evil. Any well-written character has motivations and reasons for acting the way they do -- and Draco's were always made clear. If it is so easy for Potter fans to accept that Snape is actually a good guy in the end (and was all along) why can't they believe the same of Draco?
In fact, like Snape before him, Draco shows that a character does not have to like Harry Potter to be a " good" guy in the end.
Comments (37)
I have to agree with this article. I am a huge Harry Potter fan so I read all the books and seen all the movies so far. Since the first movie I loved Draco. He was so mean but at the same time you could tell that that wasn't really who he was. i don't believe he is evil because to me he's just trying to get his father's approval by being this big tough guy when in reality he isn't. Draco is one my favorite characters in this series.
ReplyHe has always been my favorite character, ever since I first read the books. I always felt sorry for him because of what this article said; he never got the approval he needed and Harry just waltzed into his world and took it over. Not to mention Tom Felton is perfect for this role and super hot.
Favorite? Wow. Not for me. I really enjoyed Hermione popping in the mouth. The boy is bigoted, a bully, a show-off, he has no redeeming features. It is really his parents that change in the books and in the end ask Harry to save Draco. Harry shows true his nature and does so.
Draco is a pussy bully, a High School American Archetype,a daddy's boy with issues. Freud would have a ball with him!
everyone knows it was his dad's fault. his dad's a crazy a-wad.
I agree with the premise of this article, but I don't think that Draco can really be considered a "good guy" in the end. It end up with him just not really being evil, but not really being good either. I could not vote in the poll at the end of the article, because I feel that he's neither good nor evil.
ReplyAgreed, couldn't vote 'cause Draco as portrayed in the books is neither good nor evil. As detailed in the article, the character is complex, has issues and is very compelling for those reasons.
I've read every book and pretty much agree...but many of the movie fans read articles like this. If they have not read the book, this article is a HUGE spoiler. You honestly should notify people in the beginning of the article with a SPOILER ALERT! Seriously,
ReplyWhat did you think it was going to be this late in the series?
so dum.
ReplyYou might want to learn to spell dumb correctly, so you don't look like the idiot. I mean, seriously, it's only 4 letters and you spelled it wrong.
Do NOT patronise theaters that advertise "Digital Projection." This is just video, the same as you watch at home but you'te paying 10 bucks to watch TV. Find a theater that is still showing film. Video is putting people out of work. Film will not freeze up on the screen. Keep Americans working. Watch only film presentations.
ReplyFilm breaks, jumps, melts and decays. Just shut up.
Film breaks, jumps, melts and decays. Just shut up.
Anne, lighten up. Spoiler alert, really? The books have been out for a long time and its been over a year since the last film. If anyone wanted to read the books i'm sure they would have done it by now before they went to see the movie. A lot of people don't care to read.
ReplyWell, yes. Draco had a horrible upbringing, and it shaped his attitude during his time at Hogwarts. But in both the book and the film, his offer to "befriend" Harry and show him around was disingenuous and surely would not have had a good outcome.
ReplyLet's get one thing straight -- he did not try to 'befriend' Harry and show him around - he tried to get him away from those he considered unworthy of notice -- Blood traitors and Muggle born. Hardly a gesture of friendship. He treated Harry like crap forthe entire series and I'd love to know how he got out of it in the end.
ReplyHe was never a bad person? Then he was a really great actor!
He is simply a scared little boy who got in over his head. ;3
ReplyHe isn't -evil-, but he was nearing it for a while, thanks to his prejudice and his willingness to join up witg and all. Even past that, he's a weasel, he's cowardly, and he's not quite as bright as he thinks he is. I don't like how this article sets up "Misunderstood" as the only option--misunderstood means you're doing good but people don't realize it. Malfoy doesn't intentionally do any sort of good. Heck, his -parents- are the ones who help swing things against Voldemort by the end--for their son. I liked how in the prologue (19 years after Voldemort loses), Malfoy's mentioned as going bald--receding hairline, I recall.
ReplyOops. *Join up with Voldemort and all and really, honestly, say that nothing a muggle or half-blood ever does would mean anything because of their parents.
Shouldn't comment first thing in the morning, while I'm letting breakfast cook...