Cannibalism: A Metaphor for Love?
- Bhargav Sen Bhowmick
- Jan 6
- 6 min read
Summary:
The text delves into the metaphorical use of cannibalism to explore themes of love, intimacy, and obsession. It examines how the desire to consume and possess a beloved parallels the primal, raw, and often destructive nature of human relationships.
Greek Mythology: Kronos swallowing his children symbolizes a destructive need to maintain power and control.
Hindu Traditions: The goddess Chinnamasta decapitates herself to feed others, embodying themes of self-sacrifice, love, and unity.
Hannibal Lecter: His intellectual and physical hunger for Clarice Starling highlights love's selfish and consuming aspects.
Film "Raw": Cannibalism mirrors the protagonist's journey through love, identity, and transformation.
"Titus Andronicus" by William Shakespeare: Cannibalism is used to portray revenge and maternal love. In a notable scene, Tamora eats a pie made from her children’s flesh, symbolizing her twisted maternal instincts and her ultimate union with her offspring.
"‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore" by John Ford: Forbidden sibling love culminates in Giovanni murdering Annabella and displaying her heart at a banquet, metaphorically consuming her to possess her eternally.
Cannibalism as a metaphor for love offers a profound exploration of human emotions. By examining the destructive and possessive facets of love through mythology, literature, and drama, it compels us to reflect on the primal forces shaping our relationships.
Introduction:
Have you ever loved someone?
Loved someone so much that you wish to be a part of them, or for them to be a part of you? A love that's all-consuming, all-encompassing, an unbending mania for your partner?
We see many metaphors for love in classical literature and contemporary media, and it is fascinating to know that love can be experienced in so many different ways. But a love that demands the entirety of your existence—physical existence—and consumes your very being toeing the delicate line between passion and obsession? The irrational desire blurs the lines of separate physical bodies and the hunger to incorporate somebody else's body into your own?
Now, that is astounding.
TRIGGER WARNING: FURTHER DISCUSSIONS INCLUDE SCENES INVOLVING SEVERE GORY AND BLOODY IMAGES. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Cannibalism as a metaphor for love is not just a shocking concept; it reveals the primal, raw, and often destructive nature of our deepest emotions. The desire to possess and consume, to make the beloved an inseparable part of oneself, echoes in stories and characters that push boundaries.
Cannibalistic Motifs in Mythology:
Cannibalistic motifs in mythology are quite prevalent—often describing themes of union and ultimate connection. Consider Kronos, the Titan lord from Greek Mythology, who swallowed his children. This horrifying act was not out of affection but out of the need to assert power and maintain control.
In Hindu traditions, the goddess Chinnamastika or Chinnamasta is a fierce manifestation of the divine feminine. She decapitates herself, spewing out three streams of blood from her neck to feed her two attendants and her own head. This story deals with the themes of the insatiable hunger of the world, likened to the hunger of her attendants.
By offering her blood to them, she embodies the transformative power of love and unity, dissolving boundaries between herself and others in an eternal balance of giving and consuming.
Cannibalism in Literature and Media:
In literature, cannibalistic love has been explored in visceral ways. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs exemplifies this consuming passion—his "love" for Clarice Starling is an intellectual and physical hunger, manifesting in his literal consumption of those he deems unworthy of her. The metaphor becomes grotesquely tangible, forcing us to confront the question: Is love inherently selfish?
Similarly, contemporary media plays with the cannibalistic metaphor to explore themes of intimacy and dependence. In the film Raw, the protagonist's awakening desires are portrayed through literal cannibalism, underscoring the consuming and often painful nature of love, identity, and transformation.
Early Modern English Drama:
The theme of cannibalism in early modern English dramas serves not merely as a sensational plot device but as a complex metaphor for love, power, and primitive human desires. In William Shakespeare’s "Titus Andronicus" and John Ford’s "‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore," the acts of cannibalism are intricately linked to the often destructive nature of love. This blog explores how cannibalistic imagery encapsulates the perverse dynamics of love and desire, highlighting both the corporeal and metaphysical aspects that shape human relationships in these plays.
Cannibalism and Revenge in "Titus Andronicus":
Written by William Shakespeare in the late 1500s, "Titus Andronicus" presents themes of cannibalism in a most gruesome and abominable light. For the context of this blog, it is imperative to understand that Titus, the title character, and his children are in conflict with a woman called Tamora and her children, Demetrius and Chiron. The cannibalism part of the play is not until the very end, the 'bloody banquet scene' where Titus feeds Tamora a pie made of her children's flesh.
Yes, you got that right.
In Act 5 Scene 2, Titus says the following to Demetrius and Chiron,
Hark, villains! I will grind your bones to dust/ And with your blood and it I'll make a paste,/And of the paste a coffin I will rear/And make two pasties of your shameful heads,/And bid that strumpet, your unhallow'd dam,/Like to the earth swallow her own increase./This is the feast that I have bid her to/And this the banquet she shall surfeit on;
Which translates to:
Listen, villains! I’ll grind your bones to dust, and with your blood and that dust I’ll make a paste, and of that paste I’ll make two pies out of your shameful heads. And then I’ll tell that whore, your unholy mother, to eat you and swallow her own children. This is the feast I’ve prepared for her, and this is the food she’ll eat.
Houghton, Eve. "Titus Andronicus: A Shakescleare Translation." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 19 May 2017. Web. 4 Jan 2025.
Now, what is most interesting is that in this scene from the moment where Titus feeds Tamora the 'Son Pie' till he kills her, Tamora has no lines. Since there are limited stage directions in the play indicating what the character's reaction might be, it is completely up to the reader's imagination of Tamora's reaction to eating her sons.
A recent Globe Theatre production of Titus Andronicus does an impeccable job of providing the audience with a compelling interpretation of what Tamora's reaction must have been.
A song is sung in the second half of the performance which relates to a parable in which a mother rabbit upon realizing that her young ones are defenseless against predators and other perils of the world, eats them in order to return them to the safety of her body, just how they'd been inside her while she was pregnant with them.
And then during the 'banquet scene', when it was revealed to Tamora that what she was eating was her sons, she reacted by eating more of the pie in an attempt to stuff as much of it as possible inside her mouth. The context of the song thus shifted the narrative from Tamora's grotesque inversion of maternal love where affection transforms into betrayal and violence, to her voraciousness to provide shelter to her children's remains in her own body.
Tamora's love transcends the physical boundaries of existence, it collapses the borders between separate bodies in a desperate need to consume the other and incorporate them into her very being.
The Conflict of Forbidden Love in "‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore":
In this siblings-turned-to-lovers play, written by John Ford, cannibalism serves as a metaphor for the taboo love between brother and sister, Giovanni and Annabella. After exchanging marriage vows in secrecy, the sibling-couple consummate their marriage leading to Annabella conceiving a child. In a desperate need to conceal her pregnancy, Annabella marries another man named Soranzo.
Angered by this act of his sister-wife, Giovanni feels betrayed and thwarted (naturally as anyone would). Driven by his madness, Giovanni’s obsession turns violent, culminating in his murder of Annabella during a final kiss. He displays her heart at a banquet as a grotesque token of his love and vengeance, symbolizing his desire to possess her entirely, even in death.
Giovanni’s actions reflect a metaphorical consumption of Annabella, ensuring no one else can claim her. His assertion that her unborn child owed him both its life and death underscores his godlike delusion of control. The presentation of her heart acts as a monstrous sacrament, exposing the destructiveness of their forbidden love.
Conclusion:
Cannibalism as a metaphor for love offers a disturbing yet profound exploration of human relationships. By examining the consuming, possessive, and often destructive dimensions of love, these narratives compel us to confront the primal forces underlying our most intimate connections. Whether through mythology, literature, or drama, the metaphor of cannibalism continues to captivate and challenge our understanding of love and its boundaries.
Citations:
GlutenbergBible (2024, December 10). Cannibalism in Early Modern English Drama: a Brief Overview [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/fBjwDZ2Qc4M?si=VhMRJhSo0YByTBLg
Think. Ponder. Contemplate. Is this a Needless Narrative?
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