“Great wits are sure to madness near allied,
And thin partitions do their bounds divide.”
John Dryden
Hannibal Lecter. Genius, or madman? Some might say neither. Some might say both. Well, truth is… its a fine line. Its easy for us to look at someone we think is a genius and forever see them as an incredible individual who is guaranteed success and wealth, or for us to hear someone make one iffy remark and immediately dismiss them as a psychopath. However, it’s never really. That simple.
So, we’re going to make it simple.
What makes a genius?
Some would say genius is simply someone who speaks using big words. According to Mensa, a genius is someone whose measured intelligence exceeds 98 percent of the population, but, other sources claim that a genius is one who is extremely creative or outstanding in a particular field. Considering the fact that experts tend to disagree on its definition and the fact that most tests intended to detect “genius” have been ruled as ineffective or inaccurate, it is in fact truly hard to statistically define genius. However, we do have a good idea of what it means: a genius idea or a stroke of genius is an occurrence where a person does, says, or thinks something inexplicably remarkable. As such, we can conclude that a genius is one who is prone to these occurrences. Does Lecter fit this description? We’ll see in a bit.
What makes a madman?
Madness and insanity are words that tend to get tossed around a lot, much like the word “genius.” Perhaps the key difference is that people tend to attribute madness and insanity to acts and individuals they see as holding deeply negative characteristics, as opposed to the largely positive portrayal of genius. Both of these words, in a more literal sense, are often attributed to mental illness, and while they are at times used accurately when describing violent or pathological criminals and the like who are legitimately afflicted, these terms are often attributed to individuals where this is not the case. Oftentimes, the terms we should be using are words like evil, cruel, sadistic, or just outright mean. There is an important difference between someone who does things due to a mental condition that is out of their control and someone who simply wishes to watch the world born. It will be especially important for us to observe this difference when referring to Doctor Lecter.
What is Hannibal Lecter?
Considering the fact that we have not been provided with information concerning Hannibal Lecter’s exact IQ or confirmed history of mental illness due to his fictional status, we will have to analyze.
First, I would say that Lecter is most definitely a genius by nearly all definitions. Mensa testing aside, Lecter has shown himself time and time again to be capable of extremely creative thinking, being able to come to accurate conclusions without the slightest effort due to his unique ability to think differently. This is also shown in his capabilities as a forensic psychiatrist. Through spontaneous statements and intricate guesswork based on loose fact, Lecter is able to wholly piece together large parts of Clarice Starling’s history, having never met or even heard of her prior to their meeting in person. Assuredly, this would make Lecter outstanding in his field of work, marking yet another requirement for genius status.
When it comes to madness, the issue is somewhat more tedious. Given that I have no professional background, I am in no position to attribute any individual’s behaviors to specific disorders or illnesses, and as us, would be incorrect to use terms such as mad or insane. However, if I were to analyze his behavior, the words I would use to describe Lecter would be sadistic and vile. Lecter is fully aware of what he’s doing; he never acts irrationally, never does anything accidentally, and knows the importance of every little detail. As such, I would not call him mad, nor would I call him insane. I would simply call him unpleasant, and be done with it.
Lecter has the capabilities of a genius, no doubt. But does his wicked use of those capabilities make him a madman? No. In truth, he is simply a sadist. And a cannibal.
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