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See, Hannibal snaps Franklyn Froideveux’s neck in the same episode we get him discussing his obsession with Will with his own therapist, Bedelia. Hannibal’s disgust with Franklyn is a disgust with himself, and he kills Franklyn only to find himself more desperately fascinated by Will than ever

In contrast, Will kills Randall Tier at Hannibal’s prompting, and ostensibly he does it as part of his becoming, to maintain the “illusion” that he is going to run away with Hannibal, but this isn’t the only time Will kills a serial killer that’s more evolved in their Becoming than he is- but it is the first time he did it with his hands.

The very act of killing Tier, of trying to kill off the savage animal part of himself, brought him closer to that brink, closer to monsterhood. For what is more savage than self denial, and the killing of brethren?

The Many-faced god

now. i know what you're thinking. i know. "kallie oh my god let this quote die". but no. because i've had yet another thought.

"achilles, lamenting the death of patroclus. whenever he’s mentioned in the iliad, patroclus seems to be defined by his empathy."

"he became achilles on the field of war. he died for him there, wearing his armor."

i think by now we've all already seen the posts or recognized that hannibal and will have swapped clothes for the battle between them and dolarhyde. if not, here's a nifty little visual (2x13 mizumono, 3x10 ...and the woman clothed in the sun)

and if you're like me, you'd think "oh that's really sweet. he's wearing hannibal's shirt. it shows their lines beginning to blur". but you know what else it shows?

"[...] he died for him there, wearing his armor."

will went into war (the fight against dolarhyde) wearing hannibal's armor, and he (presumably) died there. he died in hannibal's armor, as patroclus died in achilles'.

and even THEN.

"he did. hiding and revealing identity is a constant theme throughout the greek epics."

"as are battle-tested friendships."

where will embraces his becoming, and steps into himself - where he casts off the persona of the man he'd been displaying and reveals who he really is underneath, which is a very constant theme throughout hannibal and will's relationship ― the battle to see each other, to understand.

"achilles wished all greeks would die, so that he and patroclus could conquer troy alone. took divine intervention to bring them down."

if you know me then you know, of course, i love love love the religious symbolism that hannibal is drenched in. and i think it's a very lovely parallel to the fact that hannibal, who sees himself as above but so intertwined with religion, and views will as his god, went to his death with the very man he worshipped.