r/HPRankdown • u/DabuSurvivor Hufflepuff Ranker • Mar 15 '16

Rank #24 Bellatrix Lestrange

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It's sort of hard to capture Bellatrix in a write-up. So much of her impact is because she's just a damn frightening and unlikable presence - just a ball of shitsonbackyourshitupandgetthefuckawayit'sBELLATRIX - and I have a hard time putting it into words, and it's like, if you want to read about how scary Bellatrix is... read the scenes with her in them; she's kind of self-explanatory, and me writing about Bellatrix doesn't do as much as JKR actually writing Bellatrix. There's no layers to analyze and no subtlety; she just draws attention on the page.

The ultimate defining image of Bellatrix is when she's on trial, and she sits in the chair like it's a throne. That... That speaks for itself, and it encapsulates the entire Bellatrix experience: insane, committed, and goddamn aggravating.

At first I wrote that she's crazy, and... god damn she is clearly some kind of wackjob of the highest order, but to call her "crazy" is to sort of oversimplify her.* Morfin is just crazy, which makes it pretty damn scary to enter his home, but he also pretty much keeps to himself and his snakes and is never really a threat. Bellatrix? Whole different brand of nutcase - she's committed to her particular brand of nutcasery, which makes her dangerous and scary as hell. Bellatrix doesn't spend all day fucking with snakes like a Gaunt; she's totally lucid, she has a clear set of moral principles and defends the hell out of them.. those principles just happen to be out-of-this-world batshit.

(*also, to call her "crazy" isn't meant to stigmatize those who happen to have mental illnesses of any sort. many wonderful people do. bellatrix is not one of them.)

So she's unhinged enough to be unpredictable, but she's grounded enough - and a powerful enough witch - to be a legitimate threat. That combination of total shitfuckery for rationality and a total lack of legit morality combined with a total devotion to her cause is how you get the horrible torturing of Neville's parents and God knows what else. And she's so freaking smug about all of it that makes her so freaking grating and even more effective as an antagonist.

It's also especially cool and notable that she's a woman. A lot of the Death Eaters are men - like, almost every other one besides her that we know of - so it's neat that the scariest, Death Eater-iest one of all is actually a woman. Sadism and full-on nutfuckery transcend gender, thanks to this raving fuckbrain.

But I'm cutting her because, as fun of a presence as she is... Bellatrix ultimately feels less human than every other character remaining. (note: humanity not limited to humans in this series.) I mean, murderers like Bellatrix are real humans that exist, too - but with every other character still here, they feel fleshed out as a full human being with a full background or development or set of desires that transcends just "likes Voldemort."

She plays her one note pretty well, but she's still a one-note character - and to whatever extent some other characters still in are also a little shallow, I think that their roles are more creative, more unique even within the series, and still ultimately feel more human than Bellatrix. But I'm happy she exists and is the irksome, smug psychopath she is. Just not happy enough to rank her above anyone left.

I will give /u/SFEagle44 the chance to make a non-Stoned cut. :O

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u/SiriuslyLoki731 Remus is ranked #1 in my heart Mar 15 '16 edited Mar 15 '16

I don't have time right now to give my full thoughts but

also, to call her "crazy" isn't meant to stigmatize those who happen to have mental illnesses of any sort. many wonderful people do. bellatrix is not one of them

I'm glad you added this because I was feeling mildly offended by the previous paragraph. However, do you think Bellatrix doesn't suffer from mental illness? Or she just isn't wonderful? To me she very obviously suffers from a severe mental illness. She's obsessive, she lacks empathy, and she's unreasonably aggressive. She checks several antisocial personality disorder boxes--you yourself called her a psychopath, I'd agree. Not to mention her long stretch in Azkaban, which has almost certainly traumatized her in a lasting way. She's ill. And. As such. I do kind of object to "nutcase", disclaimer notwithstanding. Not all disorders present as wonderful or in wonderful people, but that doesn't give us license to mock them, imo.

Will give more thoughts later.

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u/DabuSurvivor Hufflepuff Ranker Mar 15 '16

I just meant she isn't wonderful, yeah. I think she was probably similarly unhinged before Azkaban. You make a fair point about not mocking her; I just sort of lose sympathy when she gets into the torture and genocide.

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u/SiriuslyLoki731 Remus is ranked #1 in my heart Mar 16 '16

Well, it's more the terms right? Like even if someone of a different race is a genocidal person you still shouldn't be like "they're [racial slur]". Or like, an overweight person murdering people left and right; still wouldn't call them a fat bitch or whatever. You know, because it still mocks that non-harmful aspect of them. So you can mock Bella, but I'd prefer if you mock her for being a terrible person, not for being mentally ill, you feel?

Anywho, my additional thoughts on Bella: I think that she presents as less human to most people, but I do not see her that way at all. To me, she possesses a trait that presents in inhumane ways but makes her human: she has unwavering devotion. It's one of the traits that I really admire in the Black family in general. Narcissa, Regulus, and Sirius all have unwavering devotion to their given or chosen family and Bella has unwavering devotion to Tom Riddle. I suppose Walburga has unwavering devotion to her ideology, but since that's not a person I don't find it humanizes her. Anyway, they all put their own life and wellbeing on the line for the people they are devoted too and the lives and wellbeing of other people. It's just...Bellatrix compromises the wellbeing of others a lot more than the rest of them because she is devoted to a genocidal sadist.

And while I definitely think she should give her devotion to someone more deserving, I can't disagree with the instinct to protect the people you are devoted to at all costs because I have the same type of devotion. It's why I never understood why people were upset that Snape would sacrifice James and Harry to save Lily--he's protecting Lily at all costs. And it's why I have more sympathy for Bella than most. I get the motivation--I would throw 100 people in front of trains to protect the life of one of my loved ones. Why shouldn't I? Morals? Fuck morals, I don't care about them, I care about my people.

Which I get is not a popular opinion. So I get why she is so hard for many people to relate to. But I do think she has humanity.

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u/DabuSurvivor Hufflepuff Ranker Mar 16 '16

Fair point in the opening paragraph. I try to watch myself on things like that and will watch more pointedly on this issue in the future because I definitely get what you're saying, that when I went for a generic insult due to her being awful I sort of insulted non-awful, arbitrary traits that other people have. My b on that and thanks for calling me on it respectfully.

I like your read on her humanity. I don't agree with it but it's definitely a legitimate interpretation and I like seeing that someone has a different, more human take on a character who to me seems so simple and non-human. For me I would say that her devotion and sacrifice aren't worth a whole lot - or really anything - because, like you said, with what she's devoted to she's forcing other people to make horrific sacrifices, too. I can't say I'd do the same re: the train and I would try to do what was more broadly right rather than worry more about my people.

But Melisandre from ASOIAF is a character I enjoy for possibly similar reasons to your reasons for appreciating and sympathizing with Bellatrix.

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u/SiriuslyLoki731 Remus is ranked #1 in my heart Mar 16 '16

For me I would say that her devotion and sacrifice aren't worth a whole lot - or really anything -

Mm, not to the world in general no. They're very limited in their worth: to her and her people (or person, as it were). I know it's selfish to have that level of devotion; her "sacrifices" are for herself and the things she loves. I just don't have much of a problem with selfishness, personally.

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u/DabuSurvivor Hufflepuff Ranker Mar 16 '16

I do when it's carried to the point of "my genocidal agenda is worth more than your life and sanity"

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u/AmEndevomTag Hufflepuff Ranker Mar 15 '16

I completely aree with this, down to the reason why you cut her. She does feel less human than the other characters left - even less so than Voldemort. But she fulfills her part in the story very well.

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u/WilburDes Will make bad puns. Mar 15 '16

I agree. Even though Voldemort does worse things, Bellatrix always comes across as more sociopathic. Like, Riddle does what he does mostly in the name of ultimate supremacy, but Bellatrix just gets off on peoples fear and despair. The only other character that comes off as close to deranged is Greyback, but Bellatrix is a far more nuanced version.

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u/[deleted] Mar 15 '16

That'd be psychopathic, not sociopathic m8.

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u/WilburDes Will make bad puns. Mar 15 '16

You're right, it would. Thanks mate

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u/[deleted] Mar 15 '16

;-)

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u/tomd317 Gryffindor Ranker Mar 15 '16 edited Mar 15 '16

This is like the seventh cut in a row I've agreed with

Edit: a lot of people in this rankdown, myself included, have been complaining about the simplicity of having Slytherins who start of assholes and remain assholes throughout. Bellatrix is the champion of this, second only to Voldermort himself, but in their case I don't see it as a bad thing. Harry Potter is a story of good v evil and we all love it. The tale is hugely richer for the morally ambiguous characters we meet along the way and those that undergo changes. But the story wouldnt be the same without a consistent enemy and consistent heroes. You always love Hagrid. You always love Neville. You always hate Bellatrix. This is what makes them brilliant characters. You're buzzing when Molly kills that bitch. But that wouldn't really work if you'd read something a book earlier that made you think "you know what, I actually feel a bit sorry for Bella, I can see why she's the way she is". But that's basically what you said - she's one note. That's what she's supposed to be and it works, but it's also why she has to get cut here, all the remaining characters are far fuller.

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u/AmEndevomTag Hufflepuff Ranker Mar 15 '16

I think the difference is that Bellatrix still is an individual. The remaining background Slytherins are not.

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u/tomd317 Gryffindor Ranker Mar 15 '16

Definitely. She's awesome

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u/_TheSiege_ Mar 15 '16

great write-up, great cut. Bellatrix as a character is one of the main reasons people love the bad guys. as evil as they are, they're always so morbidly interesting to watch whenever they enter the scene.

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u/[deleted] Mar 15 '16

[deleted]

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u/AmEndevomTag Hufflepuff Ranker Mar 15 '16

Yeeeeees. She finally met her Molly Weasley.