Hannibal 1.07 Sorbet
Much has been made of Will’s inscrutable expression in this scene. What could he be thinking? The dramatic music playing in the background may provide a clue.
It comes from an opera rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, called Patria Oppressa! It plays during Act IV, Scene I. The beginning of the Act is Macbeth’s return to the Three Witches. He asks them to reveal the truth of their prophecies. They summon apparitions that tell him that "none of a woman born / shall harm Macbeth," and that he is safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Macbeth is relieved and feels secure because he knows that all men are born of women and forests cannot possibly move. At the end of the play, Macduff is revealed to have been born via c-section (and thus not “of a woman born”) and the English army advances to Dunsinane Hill using tree branches cut from Birnam Wood as camouflage. Macbeth is slain by Macduff in battle.
How does this relate to the scene at hand? If we go with the interpretation that Will is looking upon Hannibal as a savior here based on visual and storytelling cues (Hannibal is saving the life of Silvestri’s victim, he is bathed in light, elevated, while Will is in the darkness. Will trusts and regards Hannibal even more positively after this experience, even going later to Hannibal’s house to give him wine). Will is given a false sense of security in the vision of Hannibal saving someone’s life, while failing to see/suppressing the darker ramifications, that Hannibal’s surgical skills on display here means that he fits the profile of the Chesapeake Ripper. Just like Macbeth, Will believes he’s safe when in reality his doom is sealed.
