In 2012, London hosted the Summer Olympics. During the opening ceremony, the host city wanted to highlight some of its greatest contributions to world culture and unsurprisingly chose, in part, to focus on literature. Also unsurprisingly, both Harry Potter and Shakespeare got particular shout-outs during the celebration.
Pop culture and classic culture come together in these popular British literary phenomenons. Both names are well-known the world over, whether or not a person has actually picked up a novel or a play and read it. Once again, we bring two of Britain’s literary greats together and sort some of the most famous Shakespearean characters ever into Hogwarts Houses.
Viola (Twelfth Night) - Gryffindor
It takes a lot of guts to disguise yourself as another person and even more to try and get away with it under the watchful eye of a Duke and his household. Viola, the heroine in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, is a Gryffindor for sure. She not only takes destiny into her own hands, but isn’t afraid to go after the man she loves either. She survives a shipwreck too, which is impressive in its own right. She’s certainly got the daring and the nerve that Godric Gryffindor himself so desired in his students.
Juliet (Romeo and Juliet) - Hufflepuff
Juliet just wants to see the good in the world; it’s why she is able to look past the long-standing family feud and love Romeo despite his being a Montague. Loyal to the last ,she even plans to fake her own death so that she will not be married to two men at once and, more importantly, not betray her true love, Romeo. The entire world knows that Juliet’s plan does not go quite as planned, and the play does not have a happy ending for either of its protagonists. But that doesn’t mean that Juliet didn’t try very hard like a true Hufflepuff.
Hamlet (Hamlet) - Ravenclaw
Hamlet is not only a Ravenclaw because Kenneth Branagh played both Hamlet and Ravenclaw’s own Gilderoy Lockhart on-screen. Hamlet is a Ravenclaw because, in all honesty, the boy does nothing but talk and think. His soliloquies are famous for their philosophizing, and he certainly would have been able to write quite the essay if it were assigned at Hogwarts. His musings, of course, get him in trouble, and he spends a bit too much time thinking and talking to himself to take any successful action over the death of his father. He would have been luckier to have been stuck at Hogwarts.
Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) - Slytherin
Puck is a Slytherin, no question. He’s also a great example of a Slytherin who is not an outright evil villain. He is certainly cunning, with his tricks at the behest of Oberon.
Puck likes to play pranks and have fun, which makes him particularly Slytherin-like. Transforming Bottom’s head to make him look like a donkey? That’s not something that would come from the mind of a Ravenclaw. Most of the play’s trouble comes from Puck’s antics or mistakes — a Slytherin indeed.
Henry V (Henry V) - Gryffindor
Henry V is best known to Shakespeare readers as the eloquent king who performs the famous St Crispin’s Day Speech. Who else but a Gryffindor could encourage and lead an army against almost insurmountable odds and perceived certain doom with such passion and bravery? He doesn’t flee as a Slytherin might, to save himself, or even wisely lay out the truth as a Ravenclaw might. Henry V is all bravado and bravery, a Gryffindor for sure.
Horatio (Hamlet) - Hufflepuff
Despite Hamlet’s increasingly neurotic behavior throughout the course of the play, Horatio remains a supportive and loyal friend. Unlike most of the other characters in the story, he does not know about or participate in the murder of anyone else. He isn’t corrupt, as he has remained out of court politics, aside from his relationship with Hamlet. His role is only to try and assist Hamlet, to make him feel better and, finally, to live and tell the story of what happened in Denmark.
The Fool (King Lear) - Ravenclaw
The Fool in King Lear is not particularly foolish or funny. His closeness to King Lear and his family has allowed him an up close and personal look at the treachery and falsehoods that surround the family, but his not being part of the bloodline has also allowed the Fool to remain outside of the drama enough to see it all for what it is. He speaks truth to Lear throughout, understanding that the one who has been most foolish is the King himself, who is unable to see the true nature of his daughters or the court surrounding him.
Macbeth (Macbeth) - Slytherin
What do we know about Slytherins? Aside from often being called evil, members of Slytherin house are also known for being particularly ambitious. Who in Shakespeare’s work has been more ambitious than Macbeth? He never considered murdering the king until he learned he himself could take up the position. It takes a little prodding from his wife but in the end, Macbeth does all in his power to seize the crown and rule. His ambition, as ambition often can, leads to his downfall, like another famous Slytherin, Voldemort himself.
Othello (Othello) - Gryffindor
Othello is known as a military commander, but he struggled and fought throughout his life, working his way out of slavery before finding military success.
This success was in an all-white army. It takes work, guts, and certainly bravery to succeed in a world like that. Like many Gryffindors, Othello often jumps into situations before he has all the information he needs. His brash actions lead to his downfall, something all Gryffindors should take into account when they are thinking of leaping without looking.
Prospero (The Tempest) - Slytherin
Prospero, like all Hogwarts students, is a wizard/sorcerer. He knows his craft, but it is his scheming that places him in Slytherin rather than in Ravenclaw. He not only uses his magic but the knowledge he possesses of those around him to manipulate those around him for his own gains. Prospero doesn’t hide his power — think of how he treats Caliban. In the end, he isn’t evil (again, not all Slytherins are) but the way he uses the knowledge and power makes him a bit more cunning than truly wise.
