Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character created by Anne Rice for her novel series The Vampire Chronicles; born in the mid-1700s, he is an immortal vampire and the antihero…
Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character created by Anne Rice for her novel series The Vampire Chronicles; born in the mid-1700s, he is an immortal vampire and the antihero of the franchise, first appearing in Interview with the Vampire (1976) and last in Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat (2018). ◦
Because of his boldness, enthusiasm, and defiance, Lestat's vampire seniors affectionately call him "The Brat Prince," a title of which he is very fond. ◦
He is very vain and concerned with fashion, and will pause mid-narrative to remind the reader what he is wearing. ◦
He describes himself as six feet tall, with blond hair not quite shoulder length and rather curly that sometimes appears white under fluorescent lighting, and gray-blue eyes that reflect blue or violet from surfaces around them; like all vampires in The Vampire Chronicles, his fingernails look as though they are made of glass. ◦
Though illiterate as a mortal man, he learns to read and loves literature as a vampire, at one point becoming a hermit who spends every night holed up at home, reading. ◦
The townspeople of Lestat's village requested his help with a pack of wolves terrorizing the town; he rode into the mountains and killed the entire pack of eight, losing his horse, dogs, and nearly his own life. ◦
He headed for Paris intending to become an actor, and during performances attracted the attention of an ancient vampire named Magnus, who abducted him and transformed him into a vampire against his will; immediately after turning Lestat, Magnus committed suicide, leaving Lestat to fend for himself without any guidance, heir to a nearly inexhaustible fortune. ◦
Throughout his long life Lestat is plagued by common philosophical questions, such as "Are my actions good or bad?", "Is there a God?", "Am I in His plan?", "What happens after death?", and "What makes a person happy?" ◦
For a while, he sees life as "the Savage Garden," filled with beauty and death. ◦
He is primarily an atheist, though his relationship with religion changes throughout the series. ◦
He refers to the world as "the Savage Garden," as he considers the only true laws of the universe to be aesthetic laws, the laws that govern the natural beauty around us. ◦
In Memnoch the Devil he calls himself a sensualist, prioritizing the wisdom of subjective experience over abstract ideology. ◦
He has a disdain for rules and order, and states in The Queen of the Damned that he has always had to be his own teacher. ◦
He openly disregards and refuses to show fear to Armand, the leader of the Paris coven, even when confronted with the possibility of execution. ◦
He often curses his own impulsivity and blames many of his mistakes on his tendency to do things just to see what will happen. ◦
He shows a strong altruistic streak: upon being made a vampire he sent large gifts to his family and friends, purchased the theatre where he once worked, and settled the debts of his old manager Renaud. ◦
He also displays a moral inclination, frequently hunting evildoers instead of feeding on innocent victims, although he does not always abide by this rule. ◦
For a while, he sees life as "the Savage Garden," filled with beauty and death. ◦
He considers the only true laws of the universe to be aesthetic laws, the laws that govern the natural beauty around us. ◦
In Memnoch the Devil he calls himself a sensualist, prioritizing the wisdom of subjective experience over abstract ideology. ◦
He reflects on identity and the inevitability of becoming oneself: "None of us really changes over time. We only become more fully what we are." ◦
He describes the danger of genuine inquiry: "Very few beings really seek knowledge in this world. Mortal or immortal, few really ask... To really ask is to open the door to the whirlwind. The answer may annihilate the question and the questioner." ◦
He styles himself as death itself and as a new evil for a new age. ◦
As a vampire Lestat performs on stage as both a mortal actor in Paris and as a vampire in his rock band, called The Vampire Lestat, which he forms with a group of humans in the 1980s. ◦
Though illiterate as a mortal man, he learns to read and loves literature as a vampire, at one point becoming a hermit who spends every night holed up at home, reading. ◦
He killed the entire pack of eight wolves terrorizing his village. ◦
He is very vain and concerned with fashion, and will pause mid-narrative to remind the reader what he is wearing. ◦
In books he narrates, he is described as weeping or crying easily. ◦
He notes that he is "good at being what he is." ◦
He tells his mother of his hatred for his father and brothers: "I dream sometimes that I might kill them all. I kill my father and my brothers in the dream. I go from room to room slaughtering them as I did the wolves." ◦
He declares his defiant unbelief to his mother Gabrielle: "I don't believe in anything, Mother," I said. "You told Armand long ago that you believe you'll find answers in the great jungles and forests; that the stars will finally reveal a vast truth. But I don't believe in anything. And that makes me stronger than you think." ◦
He declares his role as the modern monster: "Don't you see? It is a new age. It requires a new evil. And I am that new evil." ◦
He styles himself theatrically as death itself: "I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the heart of the rose." ◦
He voices both his loyalty to those he loves and his hunger for love despite his nature: "I never lie," I said offhand. "At least not to those I don't love." ◦
He is primarily an atheist, though his relationship with religion changes throughout the series, while simultaneously being plagued by questions such as "Is there a God?" and "Am I in His plan?" ◦ ◦
Underneath his cheerful facade he is a tortured soul often preoccupied with existential questions and periods of despair, despite his boldness, enthusiasm, and defiance. ◦ ◦
He shows a strong altruistic streak and a moral inclination to hunt evildoers, yet he has a disdain for rules and order and does not always abide by his moral rule. ◦ ◦
He admits, "My bitterness that I'm evil, that I don't deserve to be loved and yet I need love hungrily... As you said yourself once, I am very good at being what I am." ◦
Though the villagers presented him with a velvet cloak and boots made from the wolves' pelts, he went into a deep depression — earning the nickname "Wolfkiller." ◦
[citation needed]
"I don't believe in anything, Mother," I said. "You told Armand long ago that you believe you'll find answers in the great jungles and forests; that the stars will finally reveal a vast truth. But I don't believe in anything. And that makes me stronger than you think." ◦
"Don't you see? It is a new age. It requires a new evil. And I am that new evil." ◦
"I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the heart of the rose." ◦
"None of us really changes over time. We only become more fully what we are." ◦
"Very few beings really seek knowledge in this world. Mortal or immortal, few really ask... To really ask is to open the door to the whirlwind. The answer may annihilate the question and the questioner." ◦
"I never lie," I said offhand. "At least not to those I don't love." ◦
"My bitterness that I'm evil, that I don't deserve to be loved and yet I need love hungrily... As you said yourself once, I am very good at being what I am." ◦
"I dream sometimes that I might kill them all. I kill my father and my brothers in the dream. I go from room to room slaughtering them as I did the wolves." ◦