Richard III as inspiration for You-Know-Who? Say it isn't so!

For Richard III's defenders, comparisons with Voldemort are déjà vu all over again

As fans of Harry Potter all over the world are savoring the back-to-back release of the latest film and the last book in the series, members of the Richard III Society are shaking their heads over a comparison of the last medieval English king to Lord Voldemort, the incarnation of evil in the Harry Potter series.

"When he wrote Richard III, Shakespeare created a character that everyone loves to hate," remarked Dr. Philip T. Stone, chair of the Richard III Society, headquartered in London. "We're used to columnists comparing the bad guy of the day to Richard – and the character has been parodied by everyone from Monty Python to Blackadder. But for a scholar to say that Richard was the inspiration for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, possibly the pre-eminent villain of the cinema this summer? That's hardly fair."

Stone is referring to a theory that Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling drew on Shakespeare's depictions of Henry V and Richard III as the inspiration for Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort in the later and darker books in the series. "We have enough trouble making the distinction between the dramatic Richard and the real Richard without adding Voldemort to the mix."

The scholar behind the theory, Professor Kathryn Jacobs of Texas A & M University, sees strong parallels between a scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where he is aided by the spirits of Voldemort's victims, and a dream sequence at the end of Richard III, in which Richard's victims curse him and bless his opponent the night before the battle of Bosworth Field. Writing in the online journal, Borrowers and Lenders, Jacobs also sees other parallels between Voldemort and Richard: "physical deformity, a trail of blood, tortured egoism, and an inability to take seriously his youthful opponent."

And therein lies the rub, according to Wayne Ingalls, who chairs the Society's American Branch. "Anyone who wants to look at a nuanced picture of the historical Richard III faces the constant struggle against Shakespeare's play." According to Ingalls, Society members who attempt to talk about Richard's real accomplishments as a soldier, administrator, leader and ruler, must contend with the physical and moral deformities Shakespeare gave him -- his hump, his seductive amorality, and his frenetic activity as he does away with most of his immediate family -- and a few friends and supporters into the bargain.

The real Richard, in contrast, had a solid reputation for loyalty, skill in commanding and inspiring troops in battle, and a keenly-honed sense of fair play in his administration of the north of England over a ten-year period before assuming the throne. Few scholars today would agree to the list of murders and extortions heaped on Richard's reputation after his death. Even the central charge, that he did away with his young nephews, aged 12 and 9, is subject to lively debate. The Richard III Society, with more than 3,000 members worldwide, seeks to broaden awareness of the historical Richard III through a variety of activities ranging from the placing of memorials to the support of research and study of fifteenth-century England. Along the way it sponsors member gatherings, lectures and tours, publications, and the conservation of historic sites and artifacts.

So how seriously does the Society take this new threat from the wizarding world? With a bit of a philosophical shrug. "The 'Voldemort is based on Richard III' theory is in an online journal and knowledge of it isn't all that widespread at the moment," says Stone, although he notes that a growing number of graduate students are including the link in their blogs and personal pages. "On the other hand, now that the last Potter book has been written, it's likely that the series will receive more attention from scholars of popular culture, as well. Or the theory could leap from the student blogs to general fandom. So we'll see."

In the U.S., Ingalls hopes the American Branch may be able to settle the question by going right to the source. "One of our members, who lives in Nevada, told us that her grandson won an essay contest and is traveling to England to spend some time with the author. She has e-mailed and asked him to ask Rowling if Voldemort really was modeled on Richard." No answer yet.

Finally, says Stone, things could have been much worse. "At least, no one's yet suggesting that Richard III was the model for Tolkien's dark lord, Sauron." For this he is grateful.

For additional information on the Richard III Society, visit http://www.richardiii.net/ or http://www.r3.org/