Hannibal Lecter showed signs of an individuated being and being enlightened but there is also evidence contradicting these statements. The shadow is described by Carl Jung as being "an unconscious aspect of the personality which is the entirety of the unconscious, i.e everything of which a person is not fully conscious, the dark side" (Wikipedia). All individuals have shadows and acknowledging the shadow is an important step towards both enlightenment and individuation. Hannibal was a master at acknowledging his inner demons and being able to not only analyze himself but others as well. It was with these talents that Hannibal was able to manipulate people to his own amusement. In addition, Hannibal Lecter not only completed the part of individuation involved with acknowledging the …show more content…
Hannibal's encounters with Mason Verger not only display more of his antihero complex but also his control of his anima. Verger was a patient of Hannibal's and was also a wealthy child molester, it was because of this that Hannibal tricked him into a somewhat intimate relationship only to drug and proceed to influence Verger into his own mutilation. From a Freudian perspective Hannibal seemingly is controlled by his Id, the Id part of the individual unconscious, as described by Sigmund Freud, is the part that encourages the individual to act on pleasure principals and desires instant gratifications. The super ego conversely, is socially conscious and guides people towards socially acceptable behaviors and actions. In a normal person there exists an ego that acts as a balance between the id and the superego as well as consequences of actions. Having harmony between the three is essential in having a healthy and balanced mind. As mentioned before Hannibal followed the guidelines applicable for an individuated