Lestat

The Vampire Lestat
_{The Vampire Chronicles}

---

Lestat epitomizes an aristocratic vampire in 18th century Paris. A bold, enthusiastic and defiant being, who delights in his own arrogance and conceited attitude, Lestat carries himself with the aura of richness and entitlement that comes only from a privileged upbringing, gaining him the affectionate title "the Brat Prince" by his vampire elders, a title he takes great pleasure in. Egotistic, Lestat is greatly concerned with fashion, taking the time to pause mid-narrative merely to remind the reader what he is wearing, and as a singer and musician who plays both the piano and violin more than reasonably well, he relishes the attention that comes from performing on stage to a crowd, which began in his mortal life as an actor and continued into his formation of a rock band called The Vampire Lestat which he formed with a group of humans in the 1980s. However, underneath this façade, he is a tortured soul scarred by the turmoil and betrayal of his past.

Having been illiterate as a human, after becoming a vampire Lestat learned how to read first in French and then in English, developing a great love of literature that made him quite the academic and a fondness for colloquialisms. It can be argued that Lestat is far from being a monster as he was painted in Interview with the Vampire. In his autobiography The Vampire Lestat he is quick to defend his behavior, repeatedly attempting to convince people that he is hardly the monster previous narrators have portrayed him to be.

Lestat is a creature capable of love, being first portrayed in the series as a bisexual who is attracted to whoever interests him. He spent most of his early experiences with male lovers and spending his time in the company of men, because as he admits men in the past centuries were more interesting than women and secondly he is frightened of women, finding them extremely distracting. Over time Lestat developed a greater love for humanity than ever before despite his savage relationship with mankind, and so viewed his life as "the Savage Garden", filled with beauty and death.

Lestat is capable of showing concern for the welfare of others, exhibiting a strong altruistic nature at several stages in the series, for instance, 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. Later, following the murder of his brothers and family in the French Revolution, Lestat stepped forward to care for his ailing father, the only surviving member of his family, despite their hate filled relationship. Lestat also displays a moral inclination, frequently hunting evildoers instead of feeding on innocent victims, although he does not always abide by this rule.

---