Many comparisons can be made between the villain in the story “Hansel and Grethel” by the Brothers Grimm and the villain in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.
To begin with, both antagonists seem to be very kind at first, but eventually are shown to be very evil. In “Hansel and Grethel,” the witch is very kind to the children at first, but eventually proves to be wicked, revealing her intentions to kill and eat Hansel. In the Harry Potter series, Tom Riddle is a charismatic student, proven by how almost every teacher adored him and how he was able to easily persuade Slughorn to tell him about the Horcruxes. However, he eventually became a Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, who terrorized and killed many adults and children alike.
Furthermore, both Lord Voldemort and the wicked witch can be likened to animals, generally beasts or other animals with negative connotations. Both have red eyes, and Lord Voldemort’s eyes are even likened to those of a snake. The witch has a keen scent, “like the beasts.” Even Lord Voldemort’s house, Slytherin, reveals how he is similar to a snake. The witch is often likened to a beast, whereas Lord Voldemort is often liked to a snake, both of which have negative connotations.
In the end, both antagonists are eventually outsmarted by the protagonists. In both situations, it seems doubtful that the protagonists can beat the antagonists– Harry is an outlaw, while Hansel and Grethel are trapped with little choice but to obey the witch– but their own arrogance leads to their defeat. The witch didn’t realize that Grethel had guessed her plan and tried crawling into the oven herself, making her plan backfire. Lord Voldemort attempted to use the Elder Wand to beat Harry because it was termed unbeatable, but Harry, as the true master of the wand, won instead when the spell backfired on Lord Voldemort.
Clearly, comparisons can be made between Lord Voldemort and the wicked witch. Both of them seem to be kind and charismatic at the first, but are proven to be evil. They can also be likened to beasts. Finally, both antagonists are outsmarted by the protagonists simply because of their own arrogance.
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