Alia Atreides is the 24-year-old regent to the Atreides empire and the novel’s tragic figure. From the time of her birth, Alia has been an outcast due to her condition as a “pre-born.” Alia represents abandonment, isolation, and the loss of agency and innocence. Deserted as a young woman by both her mother and brother, Alia was desperate for support. Until the birth of the twins, no other person was like her, and she spent much of her youth neglected and alone. Vladmir Harkonnen’s possession of her consciousness heightens this tragedy, as the only person she could turn to was her worst enemy. When possessed, Alia functions as the novel’s main antagonist, as the villainous Baron directs her treacherous actions.

Since becoming the regent, Alia’s confidence has only weakened. Gone is the 15-year-old girl from Dune Messiah who defiantly trained in the nude, striking 11 lethal targets with agility and bravado. In her new political position, Alia must fend off both the real adversaries of the Atreides empire and the ancestral multitude who vie to possess her: She “wanted to scream against them and against all the other voices but could not find her own voice” (86).