Fans of the Harry Potter films noticed some key moments missing from the books. This missing part is odd because it helps explain the title.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) and his friend wonder about the self-proclaimed prince who owned the potions book Harry found.
This book has easy potion recipes written in the margins, and Harry becomes fascinated by the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. However, when he finds dark spells in the book, he has even more questions about who owned it.
The movie shows that the Half-Blood Prince is Severus Snape (played by Alan Rickman) when Harry tries to use one of the questionable spells against the Death Eaters who killed Dumbledore (played by Michael Gambon).
Snape stops him, blocking Harry’s sectumsempra spell and confirming his identity. But the movie does not give much explanation.
The reveal happens at a tense moment, right after Snape casts the curse that kills Dumbledore. While it reveals who the Half-Blood Prince is, it raises many questions.
How did Harry not recognize Snape’s handwriting after six years of classes? More importantly, why is Snape called the Half-Blood Prince? The film does not explain the nickname that inspired the title, but the books reveal more about Snape’s background.
Why Did Snape Choose the Name ‘Half-Blood Prince’?
Hermione (played by Emma Watson) points out that there is no Wizarding royalty, so the name Prince is hard to understand until she finds a record of a witch named Eileen Prince in the Hogwarts library. She believes Eileen could be the Half-Blood Prince, and if not, it could be someone in her family.
This means Prince is a family name rather than a title, which is what the trio first thought. Hermione is usually right.
After Snape claims the name, Hermione does her research and learns that Eileen Prince is Snape’s mother. This explains part of the name. Snape calls himself a Prince to honor his mother and her family, but that is only half of his chosen name.
The first part of the name is easier to understand because blood status is important throughout the series. Eileen married a muggle man named Tobias Snape, making Severus a half-blood wizard.
Even though his father was a muggle, Snape shows prejudice against non-magical people by calling Lily Potter (played by Geraldine Somerville) a “mudblood.”
His difficult home life, shown in flashbacks in the final book, gives Snape a reason to want to distance himself from his father and his muggle name.
This desire inspires him to create a different name for himself. As a half-blood wizard and, through his mother, half a Prince, Snape decided to call himself the Half-Blood Prince, writing it in his potions book for Harry to later find.
Why Did Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Cut the Explanation?
This omission is not the biggest cut the films made. Many details from the book were left out of the movie, and the brief explanation does not fit.
The ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince focuses on Dumbledore’s death, and adding a scene to explain this detail would interrupt the emotional impact of Harry losing his professor and mentor. Ultimately, this information does not change much of the story, which justifies the cut.
However, the explanation gives an early look into Snape’s past, helping to build his complex story.
At this moment, Harry and the audience believe that Snape is evil, but understanding his past shows he is more than just that.
Snape’s past becomes more important in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 when his dying memories reveal his love for Lily Potter and his role as Dumbledore’s spy.
But including his mother in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince lays the groundwork for this history. It hints at Snape living in a muggle area where he meets Lily and shows that there is more to his character.
