Michael Donegan

11/05/2025

            English literature offers an author a way to create a character as they see themselves. The Byronic Hero is no exception; an English Romantic poet was born (Lord Byron 1788-1824). Lord Byron was not ashamed to live a life of the character he created, as himself. A Byronic hero is someone knowledgeable and self-aware. Confident to a tee to show arrogance, holding a past that has dark secrets from the world. The character shows an obsession with anything. This is precisely how Lord Byron lived his life, keeping secrets from his wife, Annabella Milbanke, and hiding the fact that he was in love with his half-sister, Augusta Leigh (Gordon). Eventually, these facts would come to light, alienating Lord Byron and labeling his characters as Byronic Heroes, leading to his exile from society (Gordon). This allowed future writers to create characters as a Byronic Hero. One, I am arguing that Severus Snape from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is made to be the Byronic hero for the series.

            The Slytherin House was for kids with a dark past or haunted ways. When Snape first arrived, he was not always a proud and arrogant boy; Snape was fearful of many things. Snape was always fascinated with the dark arts while also being in love with Harry Potter’s mother, Lily Evans, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Rowling).

Severus Snape was excellent at hiding the true meaning behind his work towards Harry Potter. As we read in The Sorcerer’s Stone, Severus Snape was the master professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. We read that he had a part in killing Harry Potter’s mother. After the killing, he vowed to always keep Harry Potter safe, even from Voldemort. Allowing Severus Snape to get his first taste of being a Byronic Hero. Showing that arrogance and self-awareness, we find out in the Goblet of Fire that most of the Slytherin House during Snape’s time became Death Eaters for Voldemort (Rowling).   

            Severus Snape was always jealous of James Potter, who was Harry Potter’s father. This created an opportunity for his intelligence to create a way to remove James Potter so Snape could have Lily Evans all to himself. But Lily was vowed to James, so she never once allowed Snape to take the upper hand in her emotions. This fueled Snape’s fire, allowing him to lose control of his feelings and completely submerge himself in the horrors of dark passions, hurting people. Professor Snape dresses the part of a lover of the dark side of life, with long black hair, all-black clothing, and a cunning demeanor that always keeps him just outside, never allowing people to fully see what he is doing to keep his mysterious ways secret from everyone.

            The only person who has any knowledge of what Severus Snape is or has been up to is Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. Dumbledore is always one step ahead of Professor Snape. Dumbledore was never able to keep track of the dark magic, as Voldemort was able to keep Professor Snape a double agent on both the good and bad sides of Hogwarts. Dumbledore asked Severus Snape to kill Harry Potter, as Malfoy did not have the bitterness to kill his enemy. Malfoy was the leader of the Slytherin House when Harry Potter was a student. We see that for Harry Potter to live, he must be killed, but in turn, being killed would be Voldemort as well. This is why Professor Snape must protect Harry Potter by killing him and his lord for the dark Voldemort. Professor Snape does his job by keeping Harry Potter safe. The problem is that the right tools for the job were not available at the time of the killing. Leading professor Snape to become an outcast to Harry Potter, knowing he’s trying to kill him for some reason out of his control, only knowing Voldemort has something to do with it. 

            Knowing the controls that Severus Snape has over the Slytherin House, while also being the Master of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, is precisely the reason why Severus Snape is the Byronic Hero in the books from Harry Potter. Becoming a double agent took everything he learned to defend his antics. Severus Snape is just as confident as Lord Byron himself and any character he created while he was alive in the Romantic Period of Literature.

Works Cited

Gordon, George. “Lord Byron 1788-1824.” Gordon, George. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. n.d. 353.

Gordon, George. “Lord Byron 1788-1824.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. n.d. 338.

Rowling, J.K. “Padfoot Returns.” Goblet of Fire. n.d.

Rowling, J.K. “The Prince’s tale .” Harry Potter and the Deathly hallows. n.d.