| “ | I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have you been beaten often? (Harry Potter: Oh yeah, loads of times.) I still don't like your tone, boy. If you can speak of your beating in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write to them if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case. | „ |
| ~ Marge's cruelty towards Harry Potter. |
Marjorie Eileen Dursley, often referred to as Aunt Marge or simply Marge, is a minor antagonist in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She is the older sister of Vernon Dursley, the sister-in-law of Petunia, the paternal aunt of Dudley and the adoptive aunt of Harry Potter.
Marge is considered to be by far the absolute worst of the entire Dursley family, as while the others are vile (with Dudley and Petunia both redeeming themselves), Marge crosses the line and is not only physically abusive but sadistic to boot, far more than her brother.
In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, she was portrayed by Pam Ferris, who also played Agatha Trunchbull in the 1996 movie adaptation of Matilda.
Biography[]
Marge lives in the countryside and breeds bulldogs, and has twelve of them with her favorite being Ripper, whom she has to take everywhere with her as he gets upset whenever she goes away. According to herself, she had one bulldog drowned for being "underbred". She lives next door to a retired soldier named Fubster, who looks after her dogs when she goes away. She is apparently in love with Fubster, but he dislikes her because she is vile. She is also known to "live" on brandy.
Marge sometimes visits her brother and his wife Petunia. She lavishes affection on their son Dudley, but frequently abuses their nephew Harry, who lives with them. Once, when Harry was about four or five, she hit him with her walking stick to prevent him from beating Dudley at musical statues. There is also an occasion mentioned in the book where Harry accidentally stepped on Ripper's paw (tail in the American version) and was chased up a tree by the dog. Marge refused to call the dog off until after midnight, intending to let it injure Harry, much to Dudley's delight.
During Dudley's 11th birthday in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Marge was unable to come as she ate a bad whelk while on holiday and got sick. Later, when Ms. Figg couldn't keep Harry on that occasion, uncle Vernon suggested his wife could send him to his sister, a proposal quickly dismissed by aunt Petunia.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Marge comes to visit her brother Vernon, her sister-in-law Petunia and her nephew Dudley. It is revealed that despite all the presents she gives him, Dudley actually hates Marge and only pretends to like her because it benefits him. During dinner, Marge repeatedly verbally abuses Harry, at one point recommending that Petunia write a letter to the teachers at his school (believing that Harry attends St Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys) telling them to use excessive force when beating Harry. However, she goes too far when she insults Harry's deceased parents and an enraged Harry begins losing control of his own magical powers, first blowing up her glass and then inflating her like a balloon, causing her to float around the room and, in the movie, out of the house and into the atmosphere.
That same evening, the use of underage magic was immediately reported to the British Ministry of Magic through Harry's Trace. Minister Cornelius Fudge's officials intervened took quick action undoing the damage and modified her memory to make her forget everything about the accident, which allowed for the other Dursleys to end the evening like usual and pretend nothing happened. Harry never saw her again, as she only met up with Vernon's family while Harry was at Hogwarts.
Personality[]
| “ | Marge: Actually, it's nothing to do with the father; it's always to do with the mother. You see it all the time in dogs; if there's something wrong with the bitch, then there's something wrong with the pup. Harry: SHUT UP! SHUT UP! |
„ |
| ~ Marge insulting Lilly Potter. |
Even by the limited standards of her family, Marge was without a doubt the worst member of the Dursley family. Cruel, cold, vindictive, rude, and incredibly unpleasant, Marge was disliked by almost everyone who met her. It is even implied in the novel that Vernon, Petunia and Dudley have issues with her.
Marge is also a sadistic bully to Harry, even worse than Vernon. Whereas Vernon’s antagonism is mostly reactionary, Marge constantly goes out of her way to instigate conflict with Harry. She once allowed Ripper to chase him up a tree and refused to call him off until past midnight in an attempt to injure Harry, went as far as whacking a young Harry in the shins to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues and also suggested that Harry be put into an orphanage instead of "being a burden" on the Dursleys. Marge also applies a double standard to Harry, as she mocks his parents for supposedly being "drunks" despite herself being an alcoholic.
Though one can argue her reprehensible behavior stemmed from being shunned by her crush Colonel Fubster, it must be stressed that she was always already loathsome to begin with, as Fubster understandably hated her as much as everyone else.
Either way, the rest of the Dursleys had enough and showed Harry the closest thing to kindness that they were capable of, by ceasing to have Marge over when Harry was home. Though this also means she didn't get reprimanded by Dumbledore when he visited them at last, it nonetheless spared her from repeating her mistake right in Dumbledore's presence thus warranting even worse consequences. Overall, Marge is the most vicious of the Dursleys that made Vernon and Dudley nothing more than nuisances in comparison.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Marge Dursley has been often compared by fans to Matilda's Agatha Trunchbull, though the latter is far more cruel and dangerous. This is due to the following:
- Both characters were played by Pam Ferris.
- Both Trunchbull and Marge are hostile to the titular characters/protagonists (Matilda and Harry respectively), who in turn use magical powers to teach the antagonists painful lessons in order to make them end their cruel acts and leave for good.
