Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster at Hogwarts, Harry Potter's school. He is known to be the most powerful wizard in the world, and the only one stronger than Voldemort, the antagonist. Dumbledore had a great influence on Harry throughout his years at school and acted as a mentor to guide Harry through his fight with Voldemort as "the chosen one." In Harry's sixth year, the book of The Half Blood Prince, Dumbledore begins to work towards defeating Voldemort by destroying his horcruxes, pieces of his soul stored outside himself. As Dumbledore dismantles the individual horcruxes, he is weakened and slowly drained of his physical power.
Voldemort assigned Draco Malfoy, one of his followers, to murder Dumbledore to rid of his eternal enemy and leave Harry vulnerable. However, Dumbledore's tragic flaw overcomes Voldemort's plan, for his inability to remain passive in the face of evil in the world leads him down a path to maintain his dignity and benefit others in the process. Dumbledore arranges for his ally Snape to kill him instead of Draco to ensure Draco's innocence and break the cycle of evil within Voldemort's supporters. The break of this cycle prolongs Dumbledore's dignity for it advances his mission of promoting good in the wizarding world, and arranging his own death allows for a strong self-sacrifice opposed to a frail murder.
Dumbledore's sacrifice is also a key component in Harry's success in defeating Voldemort. He knows that the only way Voldemort can be killed is if he passes down his power to Harry, rather than letting it die with him. He passes down his tragic flaw of the constant defense of good over evil, which strengthens Harry's character to fuel him in the battle against Voldemort. Dumbledore says to Harry in The Deathly Hallows, "That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children’s' tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped" (709). Dumbledore taught Harry these values over his years in school, through both his mentoring and his example. His sacrifice was the final step in giving Harry all he needs to be successful. Harry developed the strength to defeat Voldemort, save the wizarding world from evil, and inherited a tragic flaw of his own. Dumbledore's sense of whats right in the world and his refusal to remain passive allowed for him to be the essential tragic hero; he ended his life in a way that ensured his dignity and empowered others to continue the legacy of his fight.
Voldemort assigned Draco Malfoy, one of his followers, to murder Dumbledore to rid of his eternal enemy and leave Harry vulnerable. However, Dumbledore's tragic flaw overcomes Voldemort's plan, for his inability to remain passive in the face of evil in the world leads him down a path to maintain his dignity and benefit others in the process. Dumbledore arranges for his ally Snape to kill him instead of Draco to ensure Draco's innocence and break the cycle of evil within Voldemort's supporters. The break of this cycle prolongs Dumbledore's dignity for it advances his mission of promoting good in the wizarding world, and arranging his own death allows for a strong self-sacrifice opposed to a frail murder.
Dumbledore's sacrifice is also a key component in Harry's success in defeating Voldemort. He knows that the only way Voldemort can be killed is if he passes down his power to Harry, rather than letting it die with him. He passes down his tragic flaw of the constant defense of good over evil, which strengthens Harry's character to fuel him in the battle against Voldemort. Dumbledore says to Harry in The Deathly Hallows, "That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children’s' tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped" (709). Dumbledore taught Harry these values over his years in school, through both his mentoring and his example. His sacrifice was the final step in giving Harry all he needs to be successful. Harry developed the strength to defeat Voldemort, save the wizarding world from evil, and inherited a tragic flaw of his own. Dumbledore's sense of whats right in the world and his refusal to remain passive allowed for him to be the essential tragic hero; he ended his life in a way that ensured his dignity and empowered others to continue the legacy of his fight.
A scene from the 2011 film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, that shows Dumbledore's passing down of his tragic flaw.
