“The romanticism of Hannibal manifests in multiple ways; the mise en scène has Baroque quality with dark lighting and warm colours, there are surreal dream-like sequences shot in slow motion, metaphoric imagery, and poetic language. The characterization of Will and Hannibal are evocative of romantic protagonists of the nineteenth century: art and beauty are Hannibal’s raison d’être and he exists in a sensual world unconfined by the trappings of civilization and normalcy. Will’s alienation, misanthropy and melancholic tendencies allude to a Byronic heroism. In Fred Botting’s definition of the Romantic-Gothic protagonist, Hannibal represents the demonic villain ‘retaining a darkly attractive allure as a defiant rebel against the constraints of social mores’ (2014: 84) and Will is the suffering, doomed loner.”