The Sauce to Meat Is Ceremony: Cannibalism and Hospitality Serve as Horror and Culture Tropes in Hannibal and Macbeth

When examining Macbeth (1623) as a case study within Shakespeare’s canon, we see all the obvious horror tropes - murder, witches, a ghost, bodies, blood and gore. What is less pronounced is the horror that lies within eating, drinking, feasting, and the ceremony of banquets. On the other side of the spectrum, and unlike the character of Macbeth, we have a figure that epitomizes all things horror, and has been read about in novels, watched on film, and as of late (2013-2015) has been the subject of a Television show, aptly named: Hannibal. In both works, we encounter men/monsters/killers that live their lives from feast to feast, with ceremony and appearances playing a crucial part within that performance space. This article will explore both physical and psychological horror tropes in these pieces, adding to the collection of works that is growing in the field of Shakespeare and pop culture. Using key scenes and quotes, metaphors, analogies and imagery, this piece will examine how horror is as relevant today when discussing key themes in our collective humanity as it was in Shakespeare’s time, and why bringing Shakespeare into the horror genre is a great way to cultivate new generations of Shakespeare lovers.