mads himself said will is the closest hannibal has ever been of loving anyone, so... idk š
I think Word of God (or in Madsā case, Word of Saint Paul) is always an important thing to take into consideration when arguing or thinking certain points, but those inputsāsuch as Mads saying that about Hannibal and Willāshould only serve as support to the evidence found in the text. The text is, to some extent, objective; while there is room for subtext, metaphor and audience interpretation, the text is ultimately its own entity, devoid of its own desires, views and mindset. It presents what it is, and we take from it what is there and build upon it like a foundation.Ā
Mads is not an unbiased source, nor is he without his own interpretations, mindset and set of information that we are not privy to. We have no idea what love he means ā whether itās romantic, brotherly, platonic, whatever. That, and the actors/writers are notorious for shifting in their perception of Hannibal and Willās relationship, so arguably theyāre not the most reliable source for arguments on the complex nature of love in Hannibal.Ā
(See: Hugh/Mads insisting it is platonic or non-romantic vs theĀ āIs Hannibal in love with me?āĀ āYes.ā conversation, which is more valid when arguing the romantic perception of their relationship?)
So, I always take into consideration the WoG and WoSP when coming up with interpretations/analyses of the text, but ultimately the text itselfĀ is the most important partā¦ and frankly, I donāt think the text supports that statement, or the general belief that Hannibal is incapable of feeling love.Ā
First of all, Hannibal as a series blurs the lines of different types of love. The character himself also has no consideration for those sorts of boundaries either, constantly defying professionalism, platonic lines, etcetera. He also has been commented on in the text by its other characters to have more than one motive with every action. Him wanting to manipulate, hurt, lie to, murder, eat any other character doesnāt mean he canāt also want them to be happy (he just wants them to be happy in a way he approves of) or he canāt also love them and care for them. Whether or not that is healthy love or qualifies as love considering the abusive nature of that is another discussion, and even if we viewed it through that lens then Hannibal loving Will would be a no-go either, but we as the audience are supposed to view Hannibal (as a series) existing on a different level of existence than our own reality. It exists within the same sort of realm, but works with different rules, different logic, if that makes sense. Itās a Gothic, so emotional manipulation, torment, unhealthy dynamics etc. are like, the thing.Ā
But I digress. There are multiple instances of Hannibal that proves or implies his deep affection and love for others: allowing Alana the chance to leave, unharmed, in Mizumono, if only she decides to do (if he didnāt love or care about her, he wouldnāt have given her the option, because itās ultimately more risky than anything else); trying to convince Will to run away with him without the dinner with Jack, so that there is no unnecessary sacrifice and Jack doesnāt get hurt (again, this is a sign of care/love on his behalf, because he knows that Jack knows/is suspicious, and is ruthless in hunting him down as the Chesapeake Ripper, and yet heās willing to spare him, but this also goes into theĀ āmultiple motivationā thing, because it alsoĀ functions as a test of Willās faith, which doesnāt negate the former motivation, simply co-exists); allows Bedelia to leave unharmed when she decides to in Florence, despite his desire to consume her and kill her; his shedding genuine tears for Bella Crawford after hearing of her death. Iām sure there are other instances, but these are the ones I remember off by heart.
Now, I donāt think Hannibalās love is synonymous with compassionā¦ I donāt think he necessarily feels compassionĀ for the people he adores (and I do think he adores them). Which makes his confession to Will in TWOTL so meaningfulāmy compassion for you is inconvenient, Willābecause, of courseĀ he can love, and accept that he loves others (on varying levels), of course he can adore and care about things. Heās loved Mischa, heās loved Alana, Bedelia, Bella, Jack, Abigail. Heās inĀ love with Will, just like heās in love with art and music and food and finery. He perceives the world in shades of beauty or ugliness, and rights what he feels is ugly, and celebrates what he feels is beautiful, and he loves that which is beautiful. Love has never been the point of ambiguity for Hannibal, except when we consider what levels there are to his love (if there is indeed any). To say he was incapable of love beforehand does a disservice to him, and it does a disservice to every character heās had a meaningful relationship with.Ā
