Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Essay Questions

How would you describe Harry as a parent? What contributes to Harry's lack of parenting skills? Why has it taken Harry so long to realize that he isn't a good father to Albus?

Is it possible for Harry to be a bad father to Albus, but a good father to his other children? Harry Potter does not try to be a bad father; in his case, he does not quite know how to be a parent, since he didn’t have his own to look up to. Being a father is entirely new for him. Though Albus is sometimes a difficult child, these problems could be a symptom of teen angst and trying to fit in a world where people expect too much from him. During the course of the play, Harry comes to understand that Albus requires "specific love" in order to feel loved.

How would you describe the relationship between Harry and Ginny Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? What causes conflict in their relationship in the course of the play?

At the beginning of the play Harry and Ginny have been married for 17 or 18 years. Their relationship is based on mutual respect and constructive criticism; Ginny has a strong attitude regarding her children. Ginny rebukes Harry strongly when she notices that he is doing the wrong thing with his children, especially when Harry tells Albus that he wishes Albus was not his son. It is important that Ginny is never just angry at Harry for his actions; she uses her experience with excellent parents to teach him about how to be a better father. She knows that it is ultimately up to Harry and Albus to work as a team, so Harry can be the father Albus needs and also Albus can be the son Harry would feel proud of.

How does Draco Malfoy change?

At the beginning of the play, Draco spends his time locked in his house at Malfoy Manor, where he maintains a collection of Dark artifacts. He spends his time mourning the death of his wife, Astoria. He has a devout love for his child Scorpius Malfoy and will go to any ends to protect him. When he begins to work with his old enemy Harry Potter, he begins a transformation. When he begins to work with Harry, Draco reveals that he has always been jealous of him, not because he was the Chosen One, but because he had two best friends in Hermione and Ron, while Draco only had lackeys. Draco wished he had friends just like them, later Ginny Potter reveals that she too had the same type of envy about it.

Who is the Cursed Child?

The identity of the titular "Cursed Child" is debatable, because readers can interpret it to be Albus, Scorpius, Harry, or Delphi. In Albus’ case, he feels cursed living in the shadow of his father Harry Potter. People expect very much from him, but in his case he feels that he doesn’t live up to these expectations, especially because he was named after two famous and accomplished wizards, “Albus” and “Severus”.

In Harry’s case, we see his struggle to get past his abusive childhood, and the PTSD he suffers during the events of his teenage years. As an orphan, he has no roadmap to raise his children. He has to rely on the wisdom of his wife and the advice from friends and mentors.

In Scorpius's case, he is marginalized because of the rumor regarding Voldemort possibly being his father, which caused him to be sidelined by everyone at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, during the second part of the story it is revealed that Scorpius has a disease in his bloodline, which later killed Astoria. As a result, Draco tried to keep his son safe and apart from others, which lead to the rumors that Scorpius might have been the son of Lord Voldemort.

In Delphi's case, she is the daughter of Voldemort, the most evil wizard who ever lived. She is cursed in the sense that his blood runs through her veins. Delphi believes in her father's ideology, and she regrets never having met him, since he died before she could remember him. She also was raised alone and friendless, and expressed jealousy of the childhoods of Albus and Scorpius.

Describe the last scene of the play. Why does Harry choose to take Albus where he does? What is the sense of their relationship at this point?

Harry takes Albus on a hike on the Hogwarts grounds. He takes Albus to Cedric’s grave, where his father asks him if he knew Craig Bowker extremely well. He said no. His father tells him that he didn’t know Cedric as well as he could have, but that doesn’t stop him from being hurt and sorry that he was responsible for his death. Albus thought that Harry was heartless when it came to Cedric's death, now he understands the weight his father carries. However, Harry makes it clear that he has thought about Cedric a lot and that he wonders what Cedric might have become, if he had grown into adulthood. The audience saw Harry's regret during the first scene involving Amos, but Albus did not. Albus made an assumption based on what he felt was true. We get the sense that Harry is making an effort to spend quality time and give Albus the specific love that he needs. In the last line of the play, we get a sense of the hope they have that their relationship will be mended.