I think, that given the correct upbringing he could have been good. If, for example, he'd been sorted into Gryffindor rather than Slytherin, he might have been a good guy.
He was really harsh and horrible to his students, but I think that was probably because of how he was affected by the 1st Wizarding War and the loss of Lily. If, none of those things had happened and he was still a professor, I think he would have been a lot nicer.

Also, I think he was just showing frustration for not teaching the subject he was so passionate about. I'd find that quite frustrating myself.

But a teacher should be able to not take his frustration out on his students, or he should be fired or have to resign.

you also don't insult people's parents, especially after they've died. even if they bullied you, people can change. he was twisted with jealousy of James

I can understand that he didn't like James, but he didn't even give Harry a chance.

I think that Snape is a good person but just grew up in the wrong environment. As JKR wrote, he seemed to have a poor childhood which does affect you in the long run...

And I think being rejected by the person you loved for your nemesis does leave you bitter. Which is why Snape is like he is... I say if Lily loved him back he would be a totally different person.

Nevertheless, there's no excuse for how he treated not only Harry, but other Gryffindords as well, while he shamelessly favored the Slytherins.

Snape could have been a good guy but instead he turned to the Dark Arts. He realized what he was doing was wrong but only because Lily had to lose her life. Once she was gone he tried to help and risked his life to undo what he had done. He had no right to treat everyone with hatred. I can't decide if he is good or bad. He turned good because he had done bad things and lost the woman he loved.

I agree with blackrose, because it wasnt his love, it was what he did about it that made him good

Is love enough of a reason?

First of all, I have to say, oh gosh, I love this topic idea. Secondly, I have to write an editorial for school and this caught my eye. This could totally relate to real life.

I think that love was not enough of a reason to justify Snape's actions. How can you say that just because Snape loved Lily he loved everyone else. That is completely untrue. Snape was extremely prejudice against Harry mostly because of his father. Does that still make him good because of his love for Lily? No. If he was only like this to maybe one person who had hurt him extremely in the past. Well then maybe love could justify his actions. But no. Snape was extremely mean to many people including Harry, Neville, Hermione, Ron, etc. So is love a good reason? No!!!

Also this could relate to real life because what if you were to say Hitlers love for say, Germany and the good of others, made him try to completely wipe out the Jewish and other minoritie races. No, that is not a good enough reason for Hitler's unbelievable actions. Well then why should this justify what Snape did?

First off, I don't think that just because he loved Lily that made him a good person. I, however, can see why he is how he is. He was abused as a child and he was continuously humiliated by James and his friends. He had no outlet so he was just a mean person to anyone he could push around, which just happened to be kids. I think he was especially mean to Harry because of James. I think he tried to help make up for it by helping Dumbledore because of his love for Lily, but just couldn't get over how much Harry reminded him of his father and all the stuff he had to endure.
Does that make him a bad person? Sure, but he didn't really have anyone after he lost Lily to help steer him the right way. We know he hung out with Death Eaters and kids that used Dark Magic, but we don't know when he became part of that gang. Snape wasn't loved, and perhaps he sought that from the Death Eaters. They are pretty much a gang. Some reasons people join gangs are because they seek approval, they want to feel wanted and be a part of something. They want to feel like they belong and are part of a "famly." Also some people want to be on the winning side, some want to follow someone else so they don't have to think and make choices on their own. They like being told what to do.
For me, Snape didn't fully redeem himself, but I understood. I still think he was a mean person because he could have made the choice not to become a product of his environment and not to continue the cycle. Although, sometimes I like to think that after Dumbledore had died he acted the way he did so as to not be found out and to help Harry the only way he knew how.

I agree with the last two posts.

for me, i really like snape as a character, but i dont know if i think that he really 'redeemed' himself. I realize that he saw James alot in harry [i do think that harry is a bit arogant, but deffinitely not to the extent that james was]. Also, i dont understand why he could only see harry as james potter's son, not lily's son, when snape was treating harry badly.
I mean, he kind of redeemed himself when he died, but grant, that was not because he like threw himself infront of a curse for harry, he was tecnically murdered by Voldemort, even though he probably could have talked Voldemort out of killing himself by expaining that the elderwand tecnically did not belong to him.

Yes, knowing that the only reason for how he acted and was so mean to Harry was because of one little breakup. It shows what a sensitive guy he is.

Hmm, interesting question. When you think about it, love is what drove him to become as evil as he was. The only reason he hated Harry was because he hated James. He hated James partly because he married Lily. Now, I'm not saying he wasn't mean before, calling Lily a Mudblood was probably a contributing factor to Lily and James's relationship, but seeing Lily liking James just drove Snape over the edge. He loved her so much, then she broke his heart. I know what that feels like, and it's enough to change any man's perspective on the world.

Snape's story is more complicated than that. He started out as just an average kid brought up the way he was, and he fell in love with the worst person he could have... And it changed him, ruined his life, to see her fall in love with another. It hurts a lot... He did make mistakes, but everyone does... Unfortunately, the pain of losing Lily turned him into a "nasty guy."

I think snape was good in the end. He sacrificed his life, to be a spy and help dumbledore. He loved and cared for lily and took so many risks in his life for her. So i think he was a "good" man.

I don't believe that to love makes you a completely good person but i do believ that it shows you have some of the qualities of a good person. To love proves you have a heart, proves that you care and proves that you care enough to endanger yourself for them. Snape is a person who has many bad qualities and even became a death eater but it was the power of love that made him realise what he was doing and the ideas he was supporting were wrong. Yes, he hates HArry without good reason, just because he hated James, and yes he made bad decisions but because he loved he understood so much more and it partially justified some of his previos actions. In fact, it could be argued that killing Dumbledore was an act of love, an act of mercy, of not wanting a person to suffer unduly. It was the mark of someone who cared. So you could say that Snape did bad things but because he loved, he saw things in a different way. It didn't make him a perfect human being. But i don't believe there's such a thing as a completely good human being anyway.

Snape actually killed Dumbledore because he had asked him to do it, so yes, that was an act of mercy.

Snape was really a good person, even if he didn't want to admit it. But his problem was that he ran with the wrong crowd in his younger days which cost him his true love - Lily.

I don't see how he could be "a good person", when he tormented his students if they came from the "wrong" house?

He is good guy! He has his bad part of past (Deatheater), but he was the best man after that. The barvest. He was doing behind Voldemrt's back! Yes, love is big reason.

Love can't justify all the things he's done. He was a Deatheater and was faithful to Voldemort, but love made him see what is right and what is the honorable thing to do. He was never nice, but he always did the best he could. It just took losing someone he loved for him to understand where he belonged. Because, if Voldemort had chosen Neville, I believe Snape would've still been loyal to Voldemort.

But in the other hand, maybe he will see that Voldemort is true evel... Not only because of Lily... He made mistakes, he was Deatheater... But, he sacrificed himself for Harry, Jamess' son...

But only after he had spent years tormenting Harry and other Gryffindors.

No..While it's true that Snape was a good man, his love for Lily can't justify what ever he has done.

Yeah, he did realize that what he was doing was bad, and this does make him a good person. But he had no right to torment Gryffindors and the others.