Dune

Dune

by

Frank Herbert

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen Character Analysis

The power-hungry Head of House Harkonnen with a dangerous intellect, who regularly engages in corrupt schemes. The Baron is an enormous man whose morbidly obese weight is held up by anti-gravity suspensors. He spends much of his energies designing ways to destroy House Atreides and Duke Leto Atreides. He thinks nothing of using manipulation, torture, and brute force to get his way, examples including his corrupting Dr. Yueh, deceiving Thufir Hawat, and killing individuals such as Liet-Kynes who get in the Baron’s way. He treats his family with the same cruel attitudes, using people and then tossing them aside or destroying them. Notably, though, he always orders someone else to undertake his dirty work, including his Mentat and chief collaborator, Piter de Vries. The Harkonnen leader and his Mentat manipulate the Padishah Emperor into joining forces to exterminate the Atreides, creating a cunning plan to gift Duke Leto the valuable planet Arrakis and there spring a deadly trap. The plan is largely successful, and the Baron gloats over capturing the Duke. His arrogance is almost his downfall when Duke Leto nearly kills him with poisonous gas. The Duke dies in this attempt and House Harkonnen re-take Arrakis, making life terrible for its populace. Some years later, the evil Baron receives his comeuppance when he is outsmarted by Duke Leto’s son, Paul, and killed by Leto and Jessica’s daughter, Alia.

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen Quotes in Dune

The Dune quotes below are all either spoken by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen or refer to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Power and Violence Theme Icon
).
Book 1, Part 13 Quotes

I must rule with eye and claw—as the the hawk among lesser birds.

Related Characters: Duke Leto Atreides (speaker), Paul Atreides / Muad’Dib, Lady Jessica, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dr. Liet-Kynes
Page Number: 165
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 1, Part 21 Quotes

The whole universe sat there, open to the man who could make the right decisions. The uncertain rabbits had to be exposed, made to run for their burrows. Else how could you control them and breed them? He pictured his fighting men as bees routing the rabbits. And he thought: The day hums sweetly when you have enough bees working for you.

Related Characters: Duke Leto Atreides, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Page Number: 285
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Part 4 Quotes

Let him sweat a little, the Baron thought. One must always keep the tools of statecraft sharp and ready. Power and fear—sharp and ready.

Related Characters: Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (speaker), Paul Atreides / Muad’Dib, Lady Jessica, Duke Leto Atreides, Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV
Page Number: 372
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 3, Part 10 Quotes

“I’m sorry, Grandfather,” Alia said. You’ve met the Atreides gom jabbar.”

Related Characters: Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife (speaker), Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Related Symbols: Gom Jabbar
Page Number: 753
Explanation and Analysis:
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Baron Vladimir Harkonnen Quotes in Dune

The Dune quotes below are all either spoken by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen or refer to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Power and Violence Theme Icon
).
Book 1, Part 13 Quotes

I must rule with eye and claw—as the the hawk among lesser birds.

Related Characters: Duke Leto Atreides (speaker), Paul Atreides / Muad’Dib, Lady Jessica, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dr. Liet-Kynes
Page Number: 165
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 1, Part 21 Quotes

The whole universe sat there, open to the man who could make the right decisions. The uncertain rabbits had to be exposed, made to run for their burrows. Else how could you control them and breed them? He pictured his fighting men as bees routing the rabbits. And he thought: The day hums sweetly when you have enough bees working for you.

Related Characters: Duke Leto Atreides, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Page Number: 285
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Part 4 Quotes

Let him sweat a little, the Baron thought. One must always keep the tools of statecraft sharp and ready. Power and fear—sharp and ready.

Related Characters: Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (speaker), Paul Atreides / Muad’Dib, Lady Jessica, Duke Leto Atreides, Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV
Page Number: 372
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 3, Part 10 Quotes

“I’m sorry, Grandfather,” Alia said. You’ve met the Atreides gom jabbar.”

Related Characters: Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife (speaker), Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Related Symbols: Gom Jabbar
Page Number: 753
Explanation and Analysis: