Okay, so every book has a romantic hero–or heroine, or both. They’re the ones we cheer for as the story unfolds. They’re the ones we fall in love with. They’re strong, and smart, and honorable and generous. Sure, they have their faults–after all, they’re human, right? (Well, within the context of the story, they are.)
Who are the most memorable? I can hear you hollering, Rhett Butler, from Gone With The Wind. Johnny Depp, from Pirates of the Caribbean. Jamie Fraser, from Outlander. Gandolf, from Lord Of The Rings. James Bond. Tarzan. The Cat In The Hat.
And maybe you’re wrinkling your nose as I add, Hannibal Lector. To me, Hannibal is a great hero, perhaps more than a little flawed–that unfortunate taste for human flesh. But he bravely rescued Clarice from the wild boars, he introduced her to fine wine and sumptuous living, he took care of her.
He said, First principle, Clarice. Simplicity. Of each particular thing, ask What is it, of itself?
Intelligent. Brave. Caring. Yup, Hannibal is a romantic hero.
You agree??
Surprisingly, I’ve never seen ‘Silence of the Lambs’, but I know enough to love that you chose Hannibal as a favorite hero! I enjoy the offbeat heroes, as well. I come from a soap opera background. I’ve been watching them since high school. I always tend to gravitate to the tortured soap hero. He is a dark, slightly tortured soul, but ultimately a good guy. He often has to fight against himself. I guess maybe I enjoy the heroes who are part hero and part villain, all wrapped up in one hunky body! 😛
My brother and I used to play Tarzan all the time–I was older than he, and bigger, so I always got to be Tarzan. I used to tie him to a rope and lower him from the shed roof, poor little blighter. And one day the rope got stuck. I left the premises, and he hung for quite some time before my mother rescued him. Tarzan got a few hard licks on the rear over that one.
I love, love, loved Tarzan when I was a kid. Did back flips for D’Artagnan and Frodo in my teens. And continue to re-read Shogun every couple years even now because of the relationship between Mariko and Blackthorn.