->''"You'd like to quantify me, Officer Starling. You're so ambitious, aren't you? Do you know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. You're a well-scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Your eyes are like cheap birthstones - all surface shine when you stalk some little answer. And you're bright behind them, aren't you? Desperate not to be like your mother. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation out of the mines '''Officer''' Starling. Is it the West Virginia Starlings or the Okie Starlings, Officer? It was a toss-up between college and the opportunities in the Women's Army Corps, wasn't it? Let me tell you something specific about yourself, Student Starling. Back in your room, you have a string of gold add-a-beads and you feel an ugly little thump when you look at how tacky they are now, isn't that so? All those tedious thank-yous, permitting all that sincere fumbling, getting all sticky once for every bead. Tedious. Tedious. Bo-o-o-o-r-i-ing. Being smart spoils a lot of things, doesn't it? And taste isn't kind. When you think about this conversation, you'll remember the dumb animal hurt in his face when you got rid of him. If the add-a-beads got tacky, what else will as you go along? You wonder don't you, at night?"''
-->--'''Hannibal Lecter''', ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' (book)


Prisoners don't like to talk, but interrogators have ways of making them. Police, psychiatrists, kidnappers, superheroes, shadowy government conspirators, and crazed vigilantes are all masters of PerpSweating. Not only does the prisoner confess, they are often tricked or brainwashed into agreeing with their captor. Particularly successful PerpSweating forces the captive to realize they have FeetOfClay -- they're not the terrifying {{Badass}} they thought they were, but a pathetic loser who is nothing compared to the one who holds them captive.

But only a fool tries PerpSweating on a SerialKiller, a PsychoForHire, an evil WarriorTherapist, or a NietzscheWannabe. These loonies know all the tricks, and will turn the tables until it's the interrogator who winds up agreeing with what the prisoner says. And the loonies always do this the same way, every time. They start out with a few seemingly-innocent questions about the captor's life or even appearance -- "why did you go into law enforcement instead of medicine like you wanted?" or "why aren't you married?" Then, slowly, the prisoner asks more questions, which turn into comments, which turn into declarations, about how the captor has failed in different ways. Pretty soon, the prisoner is doing all the interrogating and all the answering, with the poor captor doing nothing but nodding their assent and crying.

In the climax, the prisoner's probing becomes a full-blown lecture -- a HannibalLecture. The theme of the lecture is always the same: their captor is a sad, pathetic failure who is only holding the prisoner captive to give themselves delusions of adequacy. Frequently, the captor must admit they are NotSoDifferent morally.

Due to ContractualImmortality or simple awesomeness, [[ShutUpHannibal this doesn't work]] on long-established {{Action Hero}}es; the story will often imply, however, that the villain still has a [[VillainsNeverLie damned good point]]. If the hero is suitably awesome, they may even be able to HannibalLecture the bad guy, or subvert an attempt by a bad guy to lecture them by turning it into a lecture right back; yeah, the villain might be sharp, but that doesn't mean that the hero can't point out a few things about how pathetic the bad guy is in return. In other cases, the hero would just beat up the guy whom he interrogates and tells him to start sweating.

In a BriarPatching inversion, some crooks push the interrogator in the other direction, allowing them to become overconfident and thus make a few lethal mistakes in the middle of questioning; the crook comes out ahead, often leaving with information he didn't have before, and the interrogator never even realizes the error.

Incidentally, professional interrogators for police and other investigative agencies are trained never to answer questions. Ever. The main protagonist of ''TheCloser'' is one of the few interrogators on TV who is faithful to this basic precept. [[ThoseWackyNazis Movie Nazis]] tend to respond with "Ve are askink ze questions here!".

Named for Dr. Hannibal Lecter of the 1988 novel ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', who set the standard for this trope when he was immortalized onscreen by Anthony Hopkins in the 1991 film adaptation. Almost every example since has been either an {{Homage}} or parody of his scenes. Offscreen, he also talks another inmate into suicide.

When taken to the extreme, becomes MoreThanMindControl.

If the declarations come from simple clues, this is a form of SherlockScan.

The opposite effect is done by a WorldOfCardboardSpeech, when the hero tells about ''his own'' flaws and how they don't matter now.

See also: ToThePain, TalkingYourWayOut, JustBetweenYouAndMe, EvilGloating, ShutUpHannibal, TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and CriticalPsychoanalysisFailure. Compare AndThenWhat?
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime ]]

* In ''{{X1999}}'', at least the manga, Satsuki Yatoji [[{{IAlwaysWantedToSayThat}} hannibalizes]] Yuzuriha Nekoi into nigh-catatonia by explaining why she thinks killing people is alright. She then proceeds to put theory into practice and it takes a HeroicSacrifice by [[spoiler: Inuki]] to save Yuzuriha.
* In ''{{Monster}}'', the HannibalLecture is one of Johan Liebert's specialities, insofar he actually drives people to suicide with them.
* In the ''{{Berserk}}'' manga, both Griffith and Gutts do this to villains who have captured them, proving that they don't need any weapons to pwn people.
* At the end of ''DeathNote'', [[spoiler:Light has been exposed as Kira, and instead of denying it he goes into a MotiveRant slash HannibalLecture about how the world '''needs''' Kira's brand of justice, how war is ended and crime far down thanks to him, and stopping him would only cause the world to return to its former rotten state, and that Near was only chasing Light to feed his own ego and prove he was a worthy successor to L]]. The last accusation, at least, [[StrawmanHasAPoint is clearly true]], but [[spoiler:Near bursts his bubble with [[ShutUpHannibal "You're just a murderer,"]]]] without being visibly rattled in the least.
* In Slayers NEXT, Gaav questions Amelia when she attempts to attack him. Amelia stops for some seconds, confused by his words, so Gaav attacks her instead and [[spoiler: Zelgadis]] is badly injured when he performs a DivingSave and shields Amelia with his own body.
* In CodeGeass, Mao [[spoiler: uses a HannibalLecture *and* his Geass-induced psychic powers to perform MindRape on Shirley Fenette. She's so badly damaged that Lelouch must erase himself from her memories via Geass.]]
** Mao tries this again [[spoiler:to avoid arrest by Suzaku a couple episodes later. First he threatened Lelouch into a losing game of chess by rigging Nunnally to a motion-sensitive bomb (which Lelouch diverted Mao's focus away from so Suzaku could disarm it), and then he [[MindRape violates Suzaku's sanity]]. With Shirley's MindRape and Nunnally's hostage situation still fresh in his mind and Mao's visor knocked off by Suzaku prior to the MindRape, Lelouch had a clear shot to geass Mao into a FateWorseThanDeath.]]
--->Mao: So that's how you justify it in retrospect? You're nothing but a spoiled brat!
--->Lelouch: ''Mao!'' *activates Geass*
--->Mao: SHIT!
--->Lelouch: '''''[[spoiler:NEVER SPEAK AGAIN!]]'''''
* This seems to be a popular tactic among demons in general in ''ChronoCrusade'', but particularly with the BigBad, Aion. Two notable examples are in the manga, when two demons corner Chrono in a dark warehouse and proceed to rattle off a list of his crimes, and in the anime with Aion's first appearance, where he lectures ''everyone'' as a supernatural fog rolls in.
* Fate, TheWoobie of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', received one of this from [[BigBad Jail Scaglietti]], who mentioned how [[ActionMom her adopting children]] that became ChildSoldiers that love her made her no different from [[MadScientist Jail himself]] or from her EvilMatriarch of a mother. Thankfully, [[YouAreNotAlone her children snapped her out of it by declaring how they're the ones who chose their path and that all Fate did was raise them to be strong-willed enough to do so]]. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Fate proceeds to kick ass all over Jail and his Numbers]]. [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome To the tune of Nana Mizuki's "Pray," no less]].
* [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Chang Wufei]] delivers a long one in ''GundamWing: [[TheMovie Endless Waltz]]'', trying to convince [[TheStoic Heero]] that their attempts to bring peace were pointless, as war is simply an ingrained part of human nature. Heero's response is part WorldOfCardboardSpeech ("Believe in the era we live in!") and part ContemplateOurNavels ("How many more people must we kill? How many more times must I kill that girl and her dog?").
* In episode 37 of ''GundamSEED'', Fllay Allster manages to get a gun on BigBad Rau Le Creuset. Instead of disarming her, he proceeds to deliver a downright vicious Hannibal Lecture that pretty much destroys her will to fight. To wit:
-->'''Rau:''' "If you shoot me right here, you will die within moments. The soldiers will shoot you. If that doesn't suit you, your only other option would be to point that gun at yourself and pull the trigger. The gun ''is loaded'', I presume. On the battlefield, life is cheap; it's lost in an instant. But still, people fight for their country; for justice. However, none of that suits you. You may be wearing a military uniform, but you're no soldier. Am I wrong?"
* Kyuutarou Ooba from ''Kemonozume'' uses a Hannibal Lecture as a last gambit after being decapitated, dismembered and finally eaten alive, flying the protagonist into the freezing depths of outer space while scolding him on believing that there's any goodness in humanity. The protagonist replies with his last ounce of consciousness by screaming a denial and ripping off Ooba's wings, sending them both plummeting back down to earth.
* ''FullmetalAlchemist'' has #66, [[spoiler:Barry The Chopper]], make 14 year old Alphonse Elric question his own existence with one of these by telling him that Ed might have faked Al's memories and that the real Al is dead. It's only after Winry hits Al with a wrench and points out that no one would sacrifice an arm for a fake brother that Al figures out that his the real Al.
** Then we got Eny, master of this. [[spoiler:Until Mustang and Ed [[ShutUpHannibal return]] [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath the favor.]]]]
* Pain from ''{{Naruto}}'' gets in on this in the latest chapter, using it on Naruto. [[spoiler:It works.]]
** Of course, [[spoiler:it didn't convince Naruto to give up, but instead he decides to try and prevent the conditions which [[FreudianExcuse causes]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist someone]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans like]] Pain to exist]]. Before that Pain gave one to Tsunade about the big villages not caring if they hurt the smaller ones. She's not convinced and claims that even the big villages suffer. Not to be outdone, [[spoiler:Pain's response was to ''crush'' the village]].
** Let's not forget the one [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Neji]] gives to [[ShrinkingViolet Hinata]] during the chuunin exams, causing her to pretty much have a breakdown on the spot. It took Naruto to snap her out of it. Not that it helped her much, because in the ensuing fight he delivers [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown such a beatdown]] that she almost gets killed.
* [[PsychoForHire Hansel]] tries to pull one of these on [[TheBaroness Balalaika]] midway through episode 15 of ''BlackLagoon'', which, like the true [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bitch]] that she is, she stoically endures; [[spoiler:long enough for [[TheDragon Boris]] to line up a good shot on Hansel with his sniper rifle.]] She then proceeds to deliver an utterly devastating Lecture to the dying Hansel.
-->'''Hansel/Gretel:''' ...Heh. You're funny, lady. But what are you talking about? I'm not going to die. I can't die. Because... I killed so many people in my life. We've killed many... Many... Many... Many people. It means we get to live on for... That much longer. We can add on to our lives... So we're never going to die. That's right. We are eternal.\\
'''Balalaika:''' That's quite the interesting religion. It's a wonderful thought, I suppose. However, I'm afraid that Oingo Boingo said it best: "No One Lives Forever", that's just the way it goes. Now then, I suppose I could be cruel and torture you before I kill you -- considering what you did to my comrade, there's no question that it would be appropriate. But unfortunately, I am not as vulgar as you; it would bring me no satisfaction. So I think I'll sit here and watch until you've taken your last miserable breath. Judging by your wounds, you have about ten minutes at best. I dedicate these last few minutes before you leave this Earth to Sahalov and Menshof's souls, may they rest in peace... Although I'm certain you wouldn't be able to understand.\\
*Hansel/Gretel starts crying in pain*\\
'''Balalaika:''' Don't cry, you fool.
* Inverted in ''{{Dragon Ball}}'' when Master Roshi convinces Tenshinhan that he isn't the cold blooded killer he thinks he is, though it probably helped that Master Crane was rigging his fight with Goku so that he couldn't properly defeat him.
* In ''DragonBallZ'', Goku of all people manages to give one of these to [[CompleteMonster Frieza]] during their battle on Namek. After having ascended to the level of a Super Saiyan and smacking around the now fully-powered Big Bad, he abruptly decides that their battle is done. When a shocked Frieza demands to know what he means by that, Goku's response makes the killer of the Saiyan race and former #1 fighter in the universe (at least at the time) go through a mini-breakdown:
-->'''Goku:''' Your power level is decreasing with every blow. You're not even a challenge to me anymore. It wouldn't be fair for me to keep fighting you. I'm satisfied now. Your pride has been torn to shreds. You've challenged and lost to a fighter who is superior to you...and to make it worse, [[IronicEcho "he was just a monkey", right?]]
*Frieza is seething in anger, shocked and enraged at Goku's words*
-->'''Goku:''' It would be meaningless to fight you now; you're too scared and ashamed. Live with the shock. Keep it bottled up inside of you...silently.
* AntiHero Saito Hajime from ''RurouniKenshin'' is a walking, talking HannibalLecture to any villain in sight, (or anyone who just rubs him the wrong way) and he barely has to pause his beatdowns to give his lectures. Watsuki, (the mangaka who created ''Kenshin''), bemoaned the fact that evil characters he created with the intention of being {{Terminator}}-[[ImplacableMan like]] and tough fights for Saito were inevitably broken down into pieces and looked like weaklings after they actually fought Saito.
** The granddaddy of Saito's lectures comes against Usui, where he delivers no less than three during their DuelToTheDeath. The final one is given with a dying Usui is pinned to the wall by Satio's sword and Saito proceeds to give him a classic TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.
* MahouSenseiNegima has an interesting variation at the end of the Kyoto Arc, when the arc's DirtyCoward antagonist gets chased down by [[PerversePuppet Chachazero]], who delivers such a frightening HannibalLecture that the antagonist faints from fear.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* The graphic novel ''{{Watchmen}}'' (which [[OlderThanTheyThink pre-dates ''The Silence of the Lambs'' by two years]]- but is predated by ''Red Dragon'', the first Hannibal book) has a classic "psycho prisoner out-psychs the psychiatrist" scene. The prisoner in question evades the standard psychiatric evaluation questions, giving false responses to such things as a Rorschach test. The psychiatrist is hopeful for his progress, until a few days later, when he asks the prisoner to give true statements this time... at which point, the prisoner relates the entire story of how he mentally snapped and became [[spoiler:Rorschach,]] a story so horrifying that he is left sitting in his chair stunned long after the prisoner is led out.
* Pretty much every one of {{Comicbook/Batman}}'s enemies has tried the HannibalLecture. As an action hero, he's immune, but some writers have played it as the villain being right. In [[BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the animated series]], The Joker, master manipulator that he is, convinces a meek psychoanalyst named Harlene Quinzel to go crazy and fall in love with him; she becomes Harley Quinn. During the [[{{Montages}} montage]] {{flashback}} that gives this backstory, they even trade places -- he in the chair, she on the couch -- in several of the analysis scenes.
** In the one shot comic ''Mad Love'' as well as the episode of BatmanTheAnimatedSeries based on it, Batman does this to the Joker, manipulating him into [[spoiler:freeing him from Harley Quinn's otherwise inescapable trap]] then taunting him about [[spoiler:how she'd come closer to killing him than the Joker had ever managed.]]
** Joker also gives Batman one in ''The Killing Joke,'' in which his plot is to drive Commissioner Gordon insane the same way he was. When Batman shows up to stop him, Joker gives him a long speech about how Batman is just as crazy as Joker is, and how the world is too hopelessly absurd for anyone to stay sane in. Batman powers through it, and, noting that Gordon was not driven mad, says that maybe Joker was the only one who couldn't take it. However, at the end, it becomes clear that Batman finds at least some truth in Joker's notion that they were both insane or, at least, absurd beings.
** Neatly subverted in Brian Azzarello's ''Joker'' graphic novel, in which the Joker tries this on Batman - only to have Batman not only demolish it, but turn it into a devastating taunt right back ''with just three words'':
--->'''Joker''': Uhh, God you disgust me. You have no charm at all, just... obviousness. Dumb, dull. Disappointing. Obvious. Shame on you. Obvious... and everybody knows. You wear your shame like a badge, because you don't have the balls to actually pin one on. Yes, just look at you. Desperate to be feared, you want to be perceived as a monster, dressed in black. And yet... you leave that little window. A glimpse at the perfection underneath. Obvious - the chiseled good looks, not the jaw, the mouth of a monster... ''why'' do you let it be seen? Tell me ''why''.\\
'''Batman''': [[spoiler: To ''mock'' you.]]
* A recent issue of the ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' comic book had the "hero won't fall for it but the villain is right" version. Reed captures Doom, who points out that Reed has sacrificed far more than it's worth to take him in.
* In one issue of his comic, [[Comicbook/{{X-Men}} Wolverine]] has been imprisoned by the unusual method of throwing him in a pit and shooting him constantly so he'll be too busy healing to escape. And he ''still'' manages to successfully HannibalLecture the guy with the gun, who eventually lets Wolverine escape in the expectation that Wolverine will ''kill him''.
* In the "Elseworlds" (out-of-continuity) comic from DC, ''{{Superman}}: Red Son'', where Superman's pod landed in the Soviet Union instead of the United States, Lex Luthor does this to Superman [[MagnificentBastard with one sentence. Written down. And tucked into Lois Luthor (nee Lane)'s coat pocket]]. Stalingrad, which was shrunk and put in a "bottle" instead of Kandor, haunts Superman. Luthor, the president of the US, [[spoiler:takes advantage of this fact by questioning Superman's "perfect" totalitarian rule of most of Earth, with the single written sentence, "Why don't you just put the whole world in a bottle, Superman?" He has Lois put the note in her pocket and, when his [[XanatosRoulette plan finally spurs Superman to come to the White House personally]], she is to ask Superman to use his X-ray vision to read the note.]] Superman very nearly breaks down in despair.
* In ''GlobalFrequency'' #8 Miranda Zero is kidnapped by a terrorist who tries to do this to her. She does it right back to him with rather more success.
--> '''Zero:''' Maybe you could rape me. That'd make you a real man. Do you think I'm scared of pain? Three years ago in Haiti, a cell of ex-Tonton Macoute fired a nail gun through my right thigh. Five years ago, radical white separatists in Maine painted an eagle on my back in paint-stripper gel. Last March Russian black marketeers took bolt cutters to my breasts. Understand, you don't frighten me. Your stupid little hands and [[GiantMook your thing with the gun]] do not frighten me. You are ignorant and gutless and '''you do not frighten me'''.
* In the last issue of his miniseries, Baron Zemo talks his would-be murderer into attempting suicide, then stops him and convinces him to join Zemo instead.
* A recent issue of ''Comicbook/{{Superman}}'' features a supervillain, Atlas, attempting to deliver such a lecture to ''Krypto the Superdog'', after having delivered an almighty smackdown to Superman and caused him to temporarily withdraw, leaving Krypto the only one left to make a stand. Unfortunately for Atlas it doesn't work, for the same reason that it probably wouldn't work if you tried to verbally undermine a dog's sense of self-confidence with a HannibalLecture in real life.
* In ''Eternals'' (or at least the Neil Gaiman revival; this troper has yet to read the Jack Kirby original), there is a character whose power is the ability to know just what to say to make a certain person break. When he first discovers this power, he manages to make a cop attempting to keep him in an embassy for questioning pass out with just a few words.
--> '''Druig:''' Yes. Tell me, is it the '''SLIME''' of the tentacles that upsets you, or the way they twine bonelessly, the faceless snaking of them... Does it remind you of the way your brother forced a rubber toy into your infant mouth, '''CHOKING''' you, the wet, the...
--> '''Lady Cop:''' *faints*
--> '''Druig:''' ''Interesting.''
* Emma Frost of the ''[[{{Comicbook/X-Men}} X-Men]]'' is incredibly good at this. A great example of this can be found when after finding Kimura sneaking around the X-Mansion getting ready to kill X-23, Emma goes up to her and says...
--> '''Emma:''' Do you ever wonder why you take such pleasure from abusing a little girl who can't hurt you, let alone defeat you? No, I thought not. You'll notice that you cannot move. I've shut down all your motor control so you can listen while I ''enlighten'' you. You are a bully, plain and simple. A product of your past. Being kicked around your whole life by an alcoholic father and an uncaring mother at home, only to find the same waiting for you from your peers in the schoolyard, day in and day out. You were born into a life you did not deserve... a life no child deserves... Someone needs to fill the role of victim and you played that part for so many... until your grandmother came to your rescue. But sadly she came too late. All the hope and good you held onto was beaten out of you long ago. After your grandmother's heart attack, you found your way to the Facility to the men that could give you what you wanted so badly... Revenge. A hollow prize, but one you begged for and once you'd gotten the best of those who wronged you, you became the very person you hated and feared growing up. And X-23 played the role of your victim. Like you, Laura didn't deserve that horrible life. No child does, remember? But you didn't care. Even though you know all too well the pain she suffered, you enjoyed inflicting it. You still enjoy it. That's why you're a bully.
--> '''Kimura:''' Why are you telling me this?
--> '''Emma:''' Because today you go back to being the victim. [[MindRape It's a shame that the people that perfected your body didn't do enough to safeguard your mind...]]
* More than one villain has tried this on ThePunisher. Emphasis on ''[[ShutUpHannibal tried.]]''
* This was used to quite lethal effect in a back issue of ''Excalibur'', as a telepath and sadist had trapped Pete Wisdom in a room flooded with an exotic bioweapon which damaged the body of an agitated person. Said telepathic sadist was probing around for things to get Pete's goat and let his own memories carve him up like a side of beef. It didn't work, as Pete had made peace with his demons some time before. Instead, the poor maniac eventually hit Pete's deliberately assembled bloc-o'-atrocity, filled with unpleasantries from his horrific earlier career so bad it started the telepath getting damaged. When that got going, Pete hit him with a bit of the ol' ''HannibalLecture'' to the effect of there being a big differance between reading minds and dealing with what you find in them.
* The Marvel Comics character Karnak has refined his powers to the point where he can do this. At first his power was just sensing the weak point in objects so he (or his stronger ally Gorgon) can smash it. Now he find personality flaws and verbally destroy an opponent.
* ''Ultimate Comics Avengers'' features a cloned SpiderMan kept under heavy security by SHIELD as part of a Black Ops group. According to the team leader, he can "drive a man to suicide in three or four exchanges."

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* Subverted in ''HardCandy'', where Jeff attempts this on Hayley, who plays along just along for the audience to think it has worked before turning around and mocking Jeff for trying.
* Used frequently in ''TheFaculty'' by various infected individuals on the cast of [[BreakfastClub troubled teenagers]]
* ''Collateral'' is basically one long HannibalLecture by assassin Vincent to his hostage Max [[spoiler:which backfires epically towards the end]].
* In ''TheDarkKnight'', the Joker gives one of these to pretty much everybody in the movie. The scariest part is, [[spoiler:it works about half the time.]] The [[MindRape very worst of these]] is given to [[spoiler: Harvey Dent after half of his face is blown off by an explosion]], which results in [[spoiler: Harvey's transformation into Two-Face]].
** Averted with [[spoiler: Jim Gordon]]; the Joker tries to HannibalLecture him during an interrogation, and (true to proper real life procedure) [[spoiler: Gordon]] just ignores the Joker's probing personal questions, even brushing off a request for the time of day (though it was morbidly relevant to the question he was asked).
*** On the other hand, the cop who guards him afterwards [[DoubleSubversion double-subverts]] the trope. First, he brushes off the Joker's attempts to provoke him...and then answers the question. But since he's not interrogating, it's not exactly against procedure. [[spoiler:But that lays the groundwork for Joker to get under his skin...]]
---->'''Joker:''' Do you know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the little... emotions. You see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way I knew your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?
** As you'd expect, the Joker also tries this on with Batman -- who, naturally, is too BadAss to be affected by it and just beats the hell out of him.
*** Debatable. He delivered one of the most one-sided beatings in the film in that scene, but he completely lost it for the most part. The goal was to get information, but instead of sticking to that, he became enraged with Joker's questions and his response was all the answer that Joker needed to keep going. [[spoiler:In fact, he was playing into Joker's hands since it was Joker's goal for Batman to beat him to death (Specifically, to break his one rule: ThouShaltNotKill).]]
** Batman does manage to get the Joker back, however, [[spoiler: when the people of Gotham have proven unwilling to go along with the Joker's scheme and shown themselves to have decency within them]]:
--->'''Batman''': What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you? '''''You're alone'''''.
* Done in ''AustinPowers: Goldmember'' when Austin Powers asks Dr. Evil where his missing father is. Dr. Evil nudges Austin into making several dad-related-spoonerisms culminating in a flashback inducing exclamation of "Daddy didn't love me!" by Austin.
** Also done in the first AustinPowers movie when Dr. Evil tries to convince Austin that he's become a "square" and that the 90s doesn't have free love. Austin counters that the 60s were about fighting evil like Dr. Evil.
*** Then Dr. Evil points out that there's nothing more annoying an old hippie who refuses to get with the times. ''That'' gets Austin's back up.
* Nixon attempts to do this to his interviewer in ''Frost/Nixon'' with a late night phone call, but as his drunken ramblings progress, all his NotSoDifferent lines only end up revealing how broken and full of self-loathing he is. Frost doesn't even need to say ShutUpHannibal- he now knows that all he needs to do is corner Nixon and the man will destroy himself.
* ''{{Dogma}}'', in one of its opening scenes, features Loki as played by Matt Damon explains to a nun how he didn't believe in God due to the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter, successfully making her question and eventually throw away her faith...in a span of 5 minutes. As noted by his fellow Angel Bartleby, "You know for a fact that there's a God. You've stood in his presence. You've spoken to him ''personally''. Yet I just heard you claim you were an atheist." Loki's response? "I just like fucking with the clergy, man! I just--I love keeping those guys on their toes!"
* In ''From Hell'' Inspector Abberline has to enjoy the insane ramblings of [[spoiler:Sir William Withey Gull]] as he explains his 'motives'. ''ShutupHannibal'' is neatly subverted by a certain officer of [[spoiler:Special Branch]]
*In ''Public Enemies'' Purvis visits Dillinger's cell, and Dillinger commences with the Lecture. Purvis doesn't seem phased much by it.
* Salieri's confession in ''Amadeus'' turns into one of these. By the end, with his closing lines about mediocrity, the priest is too shell-shocked to administer the sacrament.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* In an extreme example - while bound and essentially helpless, Shen-Ji Yang from the first ''SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' novelization calmly [[HannibalLecture Hannibal Lectures]] a professional soldier who is holding him hostage into ''putting her gun to her own temple and shooting herself'', all in a time period of less than ten minutes. The sequence was presumably made to show just what an incredible {{Badass}} he is, but went, perhaps, a [[WallBanger bit over the top...]] (In his defense, Yang is a master psychologist, and his entire agenda throughout the game is social experimentation. If anyone can do it...)
** As a counterpoint, it must be stated that the lecture falls a bit flat, being two lines long and mostly about guilt-tripping the soldier about having a crush on her female commander. Yang is the person to pull this off, but the writer obviously wasn't.
*** This troper believes that the writing is intended to show/imply that Yang has PsychicPowers.
* This is nothing compare to Saruman, who can persuade unsuspecting enemies to join and serve him-- ''even after they defeat him in war.'' In the chapter "The Voice of Saruman" in ''The Two Towers,'' Saruman HannibalLectures all of his triumphant enemies, and all are swayed by the power of his voice; likewise, the Riders of Rohan are wholy overcome by it, while Pippin is particularly shamed. Grima Wormtongue is a student of Saruman's, and uses similar HannibalLecture techniques on Theoden to render him helpless and hopeless against Saruman, and on Eowyn in order to break her resolve and drive to desperation.
* In ''TheDresdenFiles: Blood Rites'', Harry Dresden pulls off a HannibalLecture on the book's BigBad Lord Raith. By the end of it, Raith is incredibly furious that Dresden viciously deconstructed him so well.
* Euthyphro, from Plato's Socratian Dialogs seems to fit this one rather nicely, though he's not technically imprisoned, yet, and Euthyphro isn't his captor. Socrates attempts to get a description of piety from Euthyphro, but, continues to twist every argument Euthyphro offers to his own needs, making this OlderThanFeudalism.
* Though she's not presented as an antagonist [[spoiler:in that book]], the ''StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse novel ''Destiny's Way'', the rogue Jedi Vergere {{Hannibal Lecture}}s ''Luke Skywalker'', though in a less hostile manner than normal for this trope.
** The Expanded Universe actually has a Sith lightsaber combat style called Dun Möch whose intention was to break the enemy's will, demoralize them, break their concentration and cause them to doubt themselves with taunts and jeers. Force Throwing objects wasn't considered a bad idea for it also. Unfortunately, sometimes it just [[UnstoppableRage pissed their opponent off...]] This can be pretty much classified as what any lightsaber-user is utilizing when they're talking an awful lot during a fight.
*** Except Luke Skywalker, whose battle with Darth Vader in ''Return of the Jedi'' [[LoveRedeems reversed Dun Möch]].
*** And since the Sith seem to want to drag as many Jedi to the Dark Side as possible, and an UnstoppableRage is linked to the Dark Side, it's win-win!
* Good-guy example: Tobias in the ''{{Animorphs}}'' series was undergoing torture, and distracted his torturer with questions about her own past.
** And a villainous ''{{Animorphs}}'' example is David's attempt to break Rachel down in #48.
** Half of book number 19, 'The Departure', basically consists of this. The other half consists of the inversion of this trope.
* In ''Peter and the Secret of Rundoon'', while [[spoiler:Lord Aster is being held captive by Lord Ombra]], he is given a long lecture on how stupid the human race is and how even the seemingly head bad guys are really subservient to him.
* The murderer X in AgathaChristie's ''Curtain'' also very good at this, manages to manipulate people using seeming simple but manipulative comments, gesture and words, to provokes his target to murder their source of hatred. However, he didn't like to kill directly himself, instead enjoying the process of their target murders.
* A heroic example appears in ''[[{{Discworld}} Hogfather]]'', where Susan uses this on PsychopathicManchild Jonathan Teatime.
-->'''Susan''': I think I know you, Teatime. You're the mad kid they're all scared of, right? The giggling excitable one even the bullies never touched because if they did he went insane and kicked and bit. The one who didn't know the difference between chucking a stone at a cat and setting it on fire. I bet no one wanted to play with you. Not the kid with no friends. Kids know a mind like yours even if they don't know the right words for it. The kind of little boy who looks up dolls' dresses...
-->'''Teatime''': [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne I]] ''[[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne didn't!]]''
* From the ''ThursdayNext'' novel ''The Eyre Affair''. The Big Bad, Acheron Hades, can talk most people into pretty much anything. Several times he has escaped by convincing cops to hand over their guns, which are then used on the cops. When Hades needs a lackey, he simply convinces a suitably fit civillain to be one. Fortunately Next can resist to the extent of keeping her wits (and gun), but Hades is still far more clever.
* BigBad [[OmnicidalManiac Ruin]] of ''{{Mistborn}}'' loves doing this to [[TheHero Vin]], consistently pointing out that Vin causes destruction wherever she goes, and therefore has been serving his purposes all along. In the end, though, she gets Ruin back by pointing out that as a human being she has the power to protect and destroy at the same time, unlike the much more limited gods such as Ruin. [[spoiler: She them proves it by killing Ruin via HeroicSacrifice]].
* Inverted by ''TheBelgariad'' during the climactic battle between Garion and Torak. When the Dark God passes up an opportunity to kill Garion, instead demanding that he submit, Garion finally realizes that the purpose of their confrontation is not to fight Torak, but to reject him. [[spoiler:His subsequent speech shatters Torak's will and gives Garion the opening he needs to beat him.]]
* ''TheWarAgainstTheChtorr''. Cult leader Jason Delandro has a chat with the protagonist Jim [=McCarthy=] (who used to be a member of his cult) the night before his execution. [=McCarthy=] comes off worst in the debate, but at least has the dubious satisfaction of blowing Delandro's head off the next day.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''{{Oz}}'': Beecher and Schillinger do this to each other on separate occasions, mainly to provoke the other into some bad behavior to mess up their chances at parole, or to just torment each other. Keller also does this to Beecher a few times.
---> "Keller: (to Beecher) You know what? Oz didn't make you a bitch. You were born one."
* The confrontation between Mr. Bennet and Sylar in ''[[Series/{{Heroes}} Heroes]]'', although Bennet suddenly realizes what's happening about halfway through.
** In "Into Asylum," Sylar also uses this on Danko, convincing him to ally with him. Then Danko tries one on Sylar to make it clear who's in charge, then Sylar does one on Danko again.
* In ''PowerRangersSPD'', a MonsterOfTheWeek uses this trick on TheLancer of the team [[spoiler: by making the guy talk about his beloved DisappearedDad]], literally driving him to tears -- providing him with the reflective surface needed to teleport out of his high-security prison cell.
* ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', "Facets." Dax communicates with her past lives, two of whom target her with a HannibalLecture. The first is a standard one that doesn't work -- but it softens her up to fall for the second, unorthodox one.
** In Duet, also from DS9, Cardassian war criminal Gul Darhe'el savagely Hannibal Lectures Major Kira, coupled with openly bragging about his mass murders. It turns out this is something of a subversion though, as his purpose is later revealed to be [[spoiler: keeping Kira from guessing he isn't Darhe'el at all, but an innocent file clerk who wants to be convicted to embarrass Cardassia into admitting its guilt to Bajor.]]
** In ''The Jem H'dar, Part II,'' Quark lectures Sisko about his dislike of the Ferrengi, claiming that Sisko's holier-than-thou attitude toward them comes not from his despising Ferrengi greed and deceit, but from his hating the fact that humans still enslaved and murdered their own people, while the Ferrengi hadn't done it to other Ferrengi in 5000 years. As Quark stated, "we're not only as good as you are, human-- we're ''better''."
* Also sort of pulled on Data by Kivas Fajo during the [[StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]] episode ''The Most Toys'' which sees Data captured and held as a "highly valuable object" by Fajo. Data has spent the entire episode trying to outmaneuver Kivas's demands via passive resistance. An attempted escape has resulted in the death of someone trying to help, and Data ends up pointing a disruptor right at Fajo's face. Fajo, meanwhile, is convinced that Data cannot shoot him due to his programming.
-->'''Fajo''': If only you could feel...rage over Varria's death... If only you could feel the need for revenge, then maybe you could fire. But you're...[[RidiculouslyHumanRobots just an android]]. You can't feel ''anything'', can you? It's just another interesting, intellectual puzzle for you - another of life's curiosities.
** Data, however, ''does'' make the decision to shoot him, and is only stopped when the unsuspecting Enterprise crew beams him to safety just as he begins to pull the trigger.
*** Data fired because Kivas blamed the death on Data, and threatened to keep on killing his assistants until Data submitted.
*** Which would still mean that Data can care about people.
**** Or that Data simply evaluated the threat, in accordance with his ethical protocol, and terminated the singular hostile life-form which endangered multiple non-hostile life-forms.
***** This wouldn't be ethical, since Data had Fajo at gunpoint, and wasn't in any danger himself; as a Federation officer, Data's ethical duty was to follow regulations, and simply ''arrest'' Fajo-- not execute him. However it seems that Data's developing emotions simply overrode his ethical programming-- just like he killed the Borg out of anger in ''Descent,'' when they used Lore's device for causing Data to feel emotions.
* ''VeronicaMars'', "Like a Virgin." Veronica interrogates a murderer who psychs her out. To complete the homage to ''Silence of the Lambs'', Veronica is pretending to be a Southern girl, and speaks with a fake accent that resembles Jodie Foster's in the movie.
* Parodied in ''[[{{ptitleolsdue4jfzga}} 30 Rock]]''. During a poker game, Alec Baldwin's powerful network executive character attempts to intimidate a naive NBC page with a lengthy speech similar to the one from ''Silence of the Lambs''. When the page eventually loses the game, Baldwin explains that it was only a test, and, as the once-again chipper page exits on his bike, Baldwin utters the classic line, ''"In five years we'll all either be working for him... or be dead by his hand."''
* Subversion: in ''TheShield'', Dutch (the station's ButtMonkey) seemingly gets verbally torn to pieces by a serial killer he is 'interrogating'; the killer tries to demoralize Dutch at every turn, deriding him as being "a lowly civil servant" who is trying to get the respect he doesn't deserve; insinuating that Dutch's father lied to him about being proud that Dutch became a cop; and that not only did Dutch never get a date in high school, he's still having problems now. However, in one fell swoop, Dutch turns it around, beginning by saying that he did have girlfriends in high school, and that he also has one now, who's "hot". When the killer demands to leave, Dutch ridicules him for the fact that instead of leaving earlier when they didn't have any solid evidence, he chose "to stick around and make fun of" Dutch. Dutch and his partner then reveal that Dutch was just feeding the killer lines to buy out-of-town cops time to search the killer's aunt's house, where they find the bodies of over a dozen of his victims. With the killer arrested, Dutch leaves and finds that the entire station has been watching through the interrogation room's cameras. Impressed, they applaud him. But true to the trope, some of the killer's barbs struck a note, and as soon as he gets into his car, Dutch breaks down in tears.
** Done again, in season three when a serial rapist taunts Dutch over his initial inability to catch the rapist, leading the guy killing one of his victims before being caught. The rapist/killer informs Dutch that his by-the-book method of catching monsters like the rapist is bound to fail, due to the fact that he's never killed and as such, doesn't truly know how the mind of a murderer works. Dutch then, that evening, kills a cat with his bare hands just to see how it feels to kill.
*** Another example would be in season seven, when Vic confronts a sociopathic hooker, who manipulates Vic and fellow officer Julian Lowe into killing her pimp by falsely claiming that he murdered one of her fellow hookers. While Vic is threatening physical violence against the hooker, the hooker arrogantly mocks Vic and the way that she manipulated him; in particular, she mocks Vic's burning need to protect women in peril as far as manipulating this aspect of Vic's personality and basically telling him that the only way he'll be able to prevent it from happening again is if he just cuts off his genitals.
* A curious example of a good guy doing this; in the ''DoctorWho'' episode 'The Idiot's Lantern', the Doctor is arrested by a police inspector after he uncovers a warehouse full of faceless people who have been rounded up by the police. When the inspector tries PerpSweating him, the Doctor casually asks why the inspector isn't actually doing any 'inspecting' - and it only takes a few minutes for him to reduce the inspector to a flustered, uncertain wreck... at which point the Doctor authoritatively takes over the interrogation.
** The Doctor does it again in a later episode: [[spoiler:in the third series finale, the Master is about to blow up the planet Earth (which both he and the Doctor are currently standing on) with 'black hole converters' built into every ship of his conquering fleet to spite the Doctor, who has just thwarted him. Rather than trying to [[KirkSummation appeal to his better nature]] or [[LastSecondChance beg him not to]], the Doctor's response is merely to dismissively point out that he ''knows'' him; the Master is unable to do such a thing because to do so would be to kill himself, which the Master simply cannot do. As such, the Doctor calmly points out, the Master has no choice but to surrender his weapon - which he does]].
** It also happens to the Doctor a lot. The Beast, Davros, the Carrionites. Given the Doctor is a walking open wound since the Time War, it's a lot easier to get under his skin.
** [[AssholeVictim Baines]]/[[TheVirus Son of Mine]] unleashed a [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome particularly impressive one of his own]] upon the headmaster in "The Family of Blood":
--->'''Headmaster:''' Well, I warn you, the school is armed.\\
'''Baines/Son of Mine:''' All your little tin soldiers... but tell me sir; will they thank you?\\
'''Headmaster:''' I don't understand.\\
'''Baines/Son of Mine:''' What do you know of history, sir? What do you know of ''next year?''\\
'''Headmaster:''' You're not making sense, Baines.\\
'''Baines/Son of Mine:''' 1914, sir. Because the Family has traveled far and wide looking for Mr Smith and, oh, the things we have seen. War is coming. In foreign fields, war of the whole wide world, with ''all'' your boys falling down in the mud. ''Do you think they will thank the man who taught them it was glorious?''
* Subverted in ''{{Lost}}''. In the episode "Confirmed Dead", Ben Linus attempts to do this to Sawyer, but Sawyer beats the crap out of him halfway through.
** On the other hand, Ben has done this successfully (repeatedly, even) with Locke and Jack, among others.
* In the fourth-season ''{{Angel}}'' episodes "Soulless" and "Calvary", Angelus is trapped in a cage most of the time, but throughout his interrogations by the members of team Angel he disdainfully probes their points of mental or emotional weakness. On other occasions in TheVerse he demonstrates the same zest for breaking people's minds apart, like when he put Drusilla through the BreakTheCutie treatment, but these episodes are when he does it ''just'' with words. Actually, much of the dialogue in season 4 is characters firing off Hannibal Lectures at each other.
** Spike also has a tendency for pointing out the flaws of the people around him. In a bit of a variation, he tends to do this out of annoyance, not just for the sake of being smug. When he's feeling smug, he's as likely to deconstruct himself...to point out how much of a loser you are for losing to him or taking him seriously.
*** To this troper, his most savage one came near the end of season 4's ''The Harsh Light of Day'', until he took it a little too far and it backfired on him:
---> '''Spike''': So you let Parker take a poke, eh? Didn't seem like you knew each other that well. What did it take to pry apart the Slayer's dimpled knees?\\
'''Buffy''': You're a pig, Spike.\\
'''Spike''': Did he play the sensitive lad and get ''you'' to seduce ''him''? That's a good trick if the girl's thick enough to buy it.\\
[They fight. Spike has the upper hand.]\\
'''Spike''': I wonder what went wrong? Were you too strong? Did you bruise the boy? Whatever. I guess you're just not worth a second go. Come to think of it, seems like somebody told me that. Who was it? Oh, yeah. Angel.\\
[Buffy proceeds to [[BerserkButton kick every square inch of his ass]].]
* In ''ToPlayTheKing'', [[spoiler:Prime Minister]] Francis Urquhart gives a HannibalLecture to the King of England, [[spoiler:breaking his will and forcing him to abdicate from the throne]]
* At times, Frank Pembleton from ''Homicide: Life on the Street'' edges from ''Perp Sweating'' to this. In one episode, he talked someone into confessing proudly to a crime they BOTH knew he didn't do, just to keep an investigation open.
* As he seems to have a neon sign on his forehead saying "SELF-LOATHING WOOBIE WITH DADDY ISSUES", Dean from ''{{Supernatural}}'' tends to get this done to him a lot. The Crossroads Demon (twice), The Yellow-Eyed Demon (twice), Sam whenever he's under the influence... The list goes on.
* ''{{MacGyver}}'s'' own version of Hannibal Lector, Dr. Zito, gave these during his two appearances on the show.
* Parodied in ''ArrestedDevelopment'', when Tobias, former psychologist turned acting-hopeful, manages to talk his prison bunkmate, White Power Bill, into suicide by questioning him about, "where the hate comes from."
* Subverted in the live action version of ''TheTick''. A super-villain nearly pulls this off with his guard until a super-heroine [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan shakes some sense into him]] and takes over as guard. She is then so enthusiastic about discussing every aspect of her personal life that the villain gives up in disgust.
* In the third season of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Willow gets a rather [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome]] one in the episode "Choices" while being held prisoner by Faith.
-->'''Faith:''' Give me the speech again, please. "Faith, we're still your friends. We can help you. [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight It's not too late]]."\\
'''Willow:''' It's way too late. You know, it didn't have to be this way. But you made your choice. I know you had a tough life. I know that some people think you had a lot of bad breaks. Well, ''boo hoo''! Poor you! You know, you had a lot more in your life than some people. I mean, you had friends in your life like Buffy. Now you have no one. You were a Slayer and now you're nothing. You're just a big, selfish, worthless waste.\\
[Faith knocks Willow to the ground.]\\
'''Faith:''' You hurt me, I hurt you. I'm just a little more efficient.\\
'''Willow:''' (stands up) Aw, and here I just thought you didn't have a comeback.
* In a dazzling display of self-loathing, ''{{House}}'' ([[spoiler:well, technically it's the guy who shot him, but it's all an hallucination, so...]]) manages to do this to himself:
-->'''[[FanNickname Moriarty]]''': You think that the only truth that matters is the truth that can be measured. Good intentions don’t count, what’s in your heart doesn’t count, caring doesn’t count, that a man’s life can’t be measured by how many tears are shed when he dies. It’s because you can’t measure them. It’s because you don’t want to measure them. Doesn’t mean it’s not real.
-->'''House''': This doesn't make any sense.
-->'''Moriarty''': And even if I’m wrong, you’re still miserable. Did you really think that your life’s purpose was to sacrifice yourself and get nothing in return? No. [As he speaks, we see House in a car with Moriarty's wife who supposedly killed herself because House told her about her husband's cheating. The car is in a smoke-filled garage.] You believe there is no purpose to anything. Even the lives you save, you dismiss. You take the one decent thing in your life, and you taint it, strip it of all meaning. You’re miserable for nothing. I don’t know why you’d want to live. [In the car, [[DeathSeeker House closes his eyes, proving Moriarty right]]. And then we return to the hospital.]
-->'''House''': [quietly and [[ManlyTears genuinely upset]]] I’m sorry.
* In ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'', Malcolm's mother comes with him to an interview for a university, much to the chagrin of the titular character (considering he is the ''only'' one there with a mother). She ends up butting heads with the RA who is a massive jerkass. In response to his locking of the vending machine, she escalates the situation in an attempt to get him fired (as opposed to what her son wanted to do, which was go to another floor where the vending machines wouldn't be locked). However, when she confronts him, he nonchalantly points out that this job means nothing to him and there are a hundred other places he could do what he does. Then he quite savagely points out how Lois is a control freak, how she's a failure at life, and how pathetically she's trying to live vicariously through Malcolm, and suggests that if she isn't sure about what he's saying, she should talk to the ''other'' parents that insisted on staying with their kids in the dorm rooms. CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
* Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck on ''{{Monk}}'', after Monk's spoiled his plan for revenge and gotten his LuxuryPrisonSuite privileges revoked: "It's true, Adrian Monk. I may be in prison, but ''you're in a worse prison!'' You're trapped! Trapped by your own demons! You're in your own private Hell! I wouldn't trade places with you for another billion dollars!"
** [[ShutUpHannibal Turned around]] when Monk's response is to quietly turn around and walk away, as Dale is too obese to walk.
* An inversion of this takes place in the ''{{Firefly}}'' episode "Objects in Space," where River pulls one of these on Jubal Early, using a combination of her PsychicPowers and [[spoiler:actually being on his ship the whole time]] to comprehensively outline just how much a sick bastard he is, and tear apart all his pretensions that "[[EvenEvilHasStandards he has a code]]". Somewhat monkeywrenched, as she isn't the prisoner, but her brother Simon ''is,'' and midway through the HannibalLecture, Early finally catches on -- though that itself is probably part of the Lecture too, as River uses Early's realization to ''really'' turn the tables on him.
** River is actually quite good at these. While being questioned by Badger in "Shindig," she turns around and instantly deconstructs his gangster facade, outlining just what a pathetic little thug he really is, and then casually dismisses him....''in his own Cockney accent.''
--->''Sure, I got a secret. More'n one. Don't seem like I'd tell 'em to you now, do it? Anyone off Dyton colony knows better than to talk to strangers. But you're talking loud enough for the both of us, ain't tya? I've known a dozen like you, skipped off home early, minor graft jobs here and there. Spent some time in the lockdown, but less than you claim. And you're what? Petty thief with delusions of standing? Sad little king, of a sad little hill. [to the others] ...call me when someone interesting shows up.''
*** Kind of subverted in that his reaction right after she walks out isn't to be shaken, but instead an admiring "I ''like'' her"
* Subverted in ''{{Dexter}}''. When Lt. LaGuerta is interrogating Neil Perry (who has confessed to being the Ice Truck Killer), he tries to psych her out by discussing the reason she received her promotion (specifically the fact that she wasn't the hero cop the press portrayed her as). [[spoiler: This allows LaGuerta to realise that Perry (who is a computer technician) must have hacked into the precinct database, which is where he got his "proof" that he was the Ice Truck Killer. She then gets him to admit his deception, by psyching him out with a severed head.]]
* [[spoiler:Tony Almeida]] gives one of these to [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique Jack Bauer]] when the two end up on opposite sides in the 7th season of ''24''. [[spoiler:Except they're actually not, because Tony's working undercover.]] [[spoiler:On second thought, they actually are.]]
* This trope is both played straight and inverted in one episode of ''The Pretender''. In the episode, Jarod has to interrogate a imprisoned serial killer to try to catch a copycat killer. The killer convinces Jarod to take him to the house of the victim. At the house, the killer talks Jarod into removing his handcuffs, after which he escapes. However, it turns out that this was all part of Jarod's plan to get the killer to lead him to the site where the copycat is dumping the bodies. It then turns out that the copycat killer is a psychiatrist writing a biography of the serial killer.
* Being a cop show that deals specifically with serial killers, ''CriminalMinds'' does this occasionally. In one episode, the unsub gave an angry analysis of each of them over the phone...and got it completely wrong. One of the agents has to stifle her laughter. [[spoiler:It also proves to be vital in identifying him.]]
** Brilliantly subverted in ''Masterpiece'', during [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome the Rothschild/Rossi interrogation scene.]] Rossi starts by trying to interrogate Rothschild, discussing how pathetic and cowardly he is. Then Rothschild fires back, revealing his master plan to [[spoiler: dump acid on the entire team, to deprive Rossi of his "family" as Rossi did to him.]] He even walks around the room while Rossi sits, to switch the interrogator/suspect roles. Rossi panics, rushes to locate the team, sinks into a chair in disbelief as Rothschild gloats in his ear about his brilliant [[BatmanGambit evil plan]]... when Rossi [[spoiler: reveals to him that not only has this entire scene been a confession, but they already knew about the killer's plan to dump acid on them, got all the victims out safely, ''and'' that he will be there when Rothschild is executed.]] He even pulls a last-minute BatmanGambit by intentionally turning his back to groom himself in the one-way mirror, catching Rothschild and slamming him up against the wall as he is attacked. Yes, Rossi can manipulate you while stroking his beard.
* In ''{{Cracker}}'', the various psychos that Fitz is called in to deal with have a tendency to try this on him. Of course, given how Fitz is a first-rate professional psychologist and they usually ''aren't'', he often just ends up [[ShutUpHannibal doing it right]] back to them, usually more successfully.
* A rare Hannibal Lecture ''duel'' in the ''[[ColdCase Cold Case]]'' episode "The Woods." George Marks, who enjoys this trope, has Detective Lily Rush at gunpoint. Both know devastating facts about the other's past, and how it affects their psyche, and each scores powerful emotional hits against the other.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Professional Wrestling ]]

* Vin Gerard performed a number of these on Shane Storm - playing off Storm's betrayal of the technicos by selling out the counter to the Chikara Special (a Chikara MoralEventHorizon if there ever was one) and then twisting his world on its axis as Vin thanked him for it. Ended with Storm 'transforming' into the rudo STIGMA, dropping the colour from his outfits, the bright mullet becoming a black mohawk and joining with Vin Gerard and Colin Delaney to become the [=UnStable=].
** Then inverted when Vin tries the same thing on Jigsaw, who had removed his mask elsewhere and hadn't been seen in Chikara for a year. Vin said that he'd never seen the boys in the back as angry at anyone as they were at Jigsaw ("No matter what I did, ''I'' never had to buy a ticket!") and there was no way to get back on their good side - Jigsaw might as well join the [=UnStable=]. Jigsaw responded with superkicks.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Radio ]]

* Brilliantly used in ''That Mitchell and Webb Sound'', a radio programme. In multiple segments, Webb's character insults a woman's dress sense, weight or intelligence, eventually turning into a full-blown HannibalLecture. When the woman has been reduced to a wreck, Webb asks for a date, to cheer the woman up.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* The ''[[TheWorldOfDarkness World of Darkness]]'' sourcebook ''Slasher'' (which deals with [[SlasherMovies exactly what you think it does]]) has this as a talent of the Genius Undertaking and its natural progression, the Maniac. The Genius has the ability to instinctively profile anyone and learn what facts they'd ''hate'' to have revealed. The Maniac uses this knowledge to ''always'' have advantage over a certain target, and, with time, to convert the target to his point of view (a la [[{{Saw}} Jigsaw]]).

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Eve from ''ParasiteEve'' really enjoyed giving these, usually combined with {{The Reason You Suck Speech}}es to MindScrew Aya into either giving up or joining her.
* In ''PlanescapeTorment'' a mid-way adversary confronts any and all characters in the party with a (de)moralizing tirade about how their particular history of suffering, self-deception, and misdeeds have shaped them, noting that in the end it was these things that led them to follow the lead character on his quest, so ensnared in circumstances that the choice never truly was their own. Though she is promptly defeated after this, the things she alludes to usually cast the pasts of both the [=NPCs=] and the PlayerCharacter in a new (and usually less pretty) light.
** The [[{{PlayerCharacter}} Nameless One]] himself can use the technique on the resident KnightTemplar and again on the BigBad in the game's GrandFinale if you level him correctly.
** Have to elaborate on how it goes with the BigBad, since it's such a memorable and [[{{CrowningMomentOfAwesome}} Awesome]] example of this. Having spent the whole game facing the question "what can change the nature of a man?", it comes down to the final confrontation, and this exchange:
-->[[spoiler: '''The Transcendent One''': THEN THIS IS MY ANSWER AND YOU ARE THE PROOF: ''NOTHING'' CAN CHANGE THE NATURE OF A MAN.]]
-->[[spoiler: '''The Nameless One''': If there is anything I have learned in my travels across the Planes, it is that many things may change the nature of a man. Whether regret, or love, or revenge or fear - whatever you believe can change the nature of a man, can. I’ve seen belief move cities, make men stave off death, and turn an evil hag's heart half-circle. This entire Fortress has been constructed from belief. Belief damned a woman, whose heart clung to the hope that another loved her when he did not. Once, it made a man seek immortality and achieve it. And it has made a posturing spirit think it is something more than a part of me.]]
** [[spoiler: He then stops existing due to the sheer power of your will. You HannibalLecture him ''out of existence.'']]
* BaldursGate is really fond of this trope. In the second game especially you'll experience dreams where [[spoiler: something that looks like the BigBad]] lectures you.
--> "Why do you stand for this!? Why do you submit to the flesh when death is bred in your bones?"
** Turns out though that it isn't quite what it seems. By the point the lecturer is replaced by [[spoiler:your sister]] you'll have figured out that the origin though...
---> "What does an eternity of nothingness matters when you can defeat all your opponents as easily as one... two... three... four... FIVE!"
** Jon Irenicus in the sequel cranks it [[UpToEleven up to 11]] during his many interventions into your dreams.
---> "Life... is strength. That is not to be contested; it seems logical enough. You live; you affect your world."
* The prequel videos for ''[[FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]'', which feature a psychologist trying to interview [[CreepyChild Alma]], have an ''almost completely silent'' version of this, coupled with a savage series of {{MindRape}}s. By the end of it, the hapless doctor is crawling around on the floor crying, while Alma is playfully dancing around her.
* In ''[[KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Knights Of The Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords]]'' Kreia uses these in conjunction with her [[MindRape mind invasion techniques]] to inflict this upon the {{PlayerCharacter}}'s companions, breaking them into his/her service.
* In the CrowningMomentOfAwesome for ''PhoenixWright: Trials and Tribulations'', [[spoiler:Mia Fey]] delivers one of these to [[spoiler: the possessing spirit of Dahlia Hawthorne, pointing out that every single evil plot she's made has resulted in failure and shame, including the one that she made ''from beyond the grave''. The Fey/Wright clan has always been there to stop her and even as a ghost she's doomed to eternal failure.]] This revelation horrifies her so much that [[spoiler: it winds up exorcising Dahlia from Maya's body completely.]]
* The {{Shadow Archetype}}s in ''{{Persona 4}}'' have the HannibalLecture as part of their nature: As they are the {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of their originators' repressed feelings and fears, they will relentlessly hound their owners with the knowledge they are made of [[spoiler:in an attempt to make their owners face up to their fears and accept them as part of themselves, becoming personas instead.]] Trying a ShutUpHannibal on them is ''not'' a good idea.
** The BigBad does this, as well; see the series page.
*** As does the Normal ending's FinalBoss, but he gets {{ShutUpHannibal}}'d so hard his persona reverts into a shadow and possesses him.
*''MegaManZero 4'': The Ragnarok ColonyDrop has gone completely out of control, and Zero thought he destroyed the CompleteMonster behind it all. Until:
-->'''Dr. Weil:''' I told you... I can't die! No one can stop Ragnarok now!
-->'''Zero:''' If I destroy Weil's core, the explosion will take Ragnarok out with it... If Ragnarok is blown apart, it no longer poses a threat!
-->'''Dr. Weil:''' Are you even capable of it? The Reploid hero, protecting justice and humanity! I am one of those humans you have sworn to protect! Do you have it in you to defeat me?!
** He is, of course, talking to [[{{Badass}} Zero]]. Cue his [[CrowningMoment/MegaMan greatest moment]] moment in the series, a {{Badass}} WorldOfCardboardSpeech, which is is also his ShutUpHannibal!
**In the X series, [[{{BigBad}} Sigma]] delivers a brutal one while holding your character by the face.
-->'''Sigma:''' Wallow in despair and hopelessness! The plan to destroy the world you so love is finally coming to fruition! I shed no tears for you and your kind! Ha ha ha ha ha! It will all be over soon!
***The ShutUpHannibal depends on who your playing as, but their all awesome. Of course, this is all on hard mode.
* Every single boss in ''AmericanMcGeesAlice''. The tougher the boss, the more MindScrew they pour on in the BossBanter.
* Archer hannibal lectures Shirou quite well in FateStayNight. Bonus points because [[spoiler:as he's Shirou's future self, Shirou ''knows'' beyond a doubt that Archer is right. Or at least, he would be right if Shirou didn't [[ShutUpHannibal stab him the chest]].]]
* In ''DevilSurvivor'', Kaido delivers a particularly blunt one to [[spoiler: Keisuke if you don't prevent their confrontation. Then he kills him, and follows this up by calling Atsuro out over ''his'' anger.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* ''OrderOfTheStick'' has a good example [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0372.html here]].
** In the print only ''Start of Darkness"", Xykon delivers a rather nasty HannibalLecture to [[spoiler:Redcloak, who had just been forced to kill his own brother who had turned against Xykon.]]
*** Xykon delivers another one to [[spoiler:Vaarsuvius, on the nature of power. This is actually somewhat of a subversion because the lecture ''helps'' Vaarsuvius to finally learn the lesson s/he's been needing for a long time, that power does not equal to magic spells, but rather can have all kinds of manifestations. Such as sneaking past an evil Lich and pour a few potions down a powerful paladin's throat to get him back on his feet.]]
* A subversion occurs in this strip of ''[[http://www.itswalky.com/d/20031214.html It's Walky]]'', in which the main villain - who has a tendency to HannibalLecture certain heroes and play on their insecurities and the secrets he's learnt about them - finds his ability to do this hampered when faced with members of the team that he knows next-to-nothing about, and what little he ''does'' know doesn't bother them in the slightest when he tries to throw it back at them. Frustrated, he curses himself for 'playing favorites'.
* The main character's current situation in Flipside appears to be one of the Good variety. Which is impressive since the villain just ate her arm off!
* A [[HeroicSociopath "good"]] version appears in [[http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0192.html Darths and Droids]], though it is used by one protagonist convincing another to [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim destroy the Trade Federation ship]].
* A {{Lampshaded}} subversion in ''{{Fans}}!'' since seemingly every single prisoner that Rikk ever dealt with has attempted to [[http://www.faans.com/index.php?p=1839 do this on him]].
** He does admit that being called a 'hypocrite' in the same encounter stung more than it should have, however.
* In xkcd, during the first meeting of Black Hat Guy and his girlfriend. [[http://xkcd.com/374/ here]] and [[http://xkcd.com/377/ here.]]
* Possibly unintentionally in LookingForGroup, when Cale is taken off to be tortured, and comes back knowing the bad guys' whole plan.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* At the end of ''SurvivalOfTheFittest'' v1, the only survivors are [[spoiler:Jack O'Connor and Adam Dodd]]. [[spoiler:Jack]], having finally killed the terrorist who [[spoiler:wiped out his group and killed his teammates]], found himself driven insane by the guilt of the act. His moral and intellectual code unable to withstand the stress, he comes to the conclusion that each of the final four survivors is a criminal, and that the only right way for the game to end would be with the death of all the contestants. With his belief that each of the finalists need to be punished for their "crimes" by death established, he went into the endgame with one goal: make sure all three of the others died, then kill himself. At the beginning of the final duel between him and [[spoiler:Adam]], he launches into a HannibalLecture about how Adam is a criminal no better than Cody Jenson and therefore doesn't deserve to go home, comparing him to a serial killer. Needless to say, this pisses [[spoiler:Adam]] off.
** One memorable (and ongoing) scene has Lenny Priestly and Bobby Jacks (WellIntentionedExtremist and AntiVillain respectively) each giving the other one of these. ''At the same time''.
* Kirby gets a lot of these in ThereWillBeBrawl, considering he's supposed to be [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore a parody of Hannibal himself, anyway.]] He even wears the mask, at one point.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''SouthPark'', "Toilet Paper." Parodies ''Silence of the Lambs'' scene-for-scene.
** Cartman's utterly unsympathetic deconstruction of one of the nannies in "Tsst" could be considered an example of this, as well.
* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Azula pulls this off against another villain, Long Feng, in the second season finale.
* The ''AssyMcGee'' episode "Pegfinger" contains a parody of the Hannibal Lecture in ''The Silence of the Lambs''. While walking down a corridor identical to the one in the movie, Assy warns Sanchez not to let the prisoner they're about to question "get inside his head." Pegfinger immediately does so in seconds with little more than a racist joke ("A wedding ring? How many oranges did you have to pick to pay for that?) and Sanchez goes berserk and shoots him to death.
* In the ''BatmanBeyond'' movie ''Return of the Joker,'' Terry [=McGinnis=] (the new Batman) achieves his CrowningMomentOfAwesome by successfully pulling a Hannibal Lecture ''on the Joker.''
* In the ''JusticeLeague Unlimited'' episode "Divided We Fall" several of the robotic {{Evil Knockoff}}s created by [[spoiler:[[FanNickname Brainithor]] (Lex Luthor merged with Brainiac)]] use Hannibal Lectures. It works against {{Superman}} due to his fears of being NotSoDifferent from his AlternateUniverse EvilCounterpart, but Evil Flash has what might be the least successful HannibalLecture in history:
-->'''Evil Flash''': [[IdiotHero Slacker]]! [[TheFool Child]]! [[FunPersonified Clown!]] We have no place here among the world's greatest heroes!
-->'''{{Flash}}''': Says you! I've got a seat at the big conference table. I'm gonna paint my logo on it! ''[punches through Evil Flash's chest]''
** Earlier, in the Justice League episode "A Better World", the MirrorUniverse President Lex Luthor uses one of these on his version of Superman. It partially succeeds. Superman does indeed break down as a result...[[KillItWithFire just not in the way Luthor wanted]].
*** In the same episode, Batman also pulls one of these...[[spoiler:on ''himself''.]]
**** And he won. When you think about it, [[spoiler:Lord!Batman]] manages to win the first one ([[spoiler:"We created a world where no eight year old boy will ever lose his parents... because of some punk with a gun."]]) and Batman does this later while driving in the Batmobile ([[spoiler:"They'd love it here, Mom and Dad. They would be so proud of you."]]).
**** The commentary states that the scene was created by one half of the production team debating the other from Batman's point of view. And to actually keep the viewer in the dark, neither [[spoiler:Batman]] nor [[spoiler:Lord!Batman faced the audience while talking, thus allowing a one sided conversation that either Batman could have been winning until the reveal.]]
* In the first episode of ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', Jor-El discovers that Brainiac (the central A.I. of Krypton) has been deceiving the planetary council about the impending doomsday, and uploading himself into a satellite. When Jor-El asks why, Brainiac calmly points out that had he revealed Krypton's fate, the council would have ordered him (forcefully) to determine a way to avert it, which Brainiac knew to be impossible. He decided instead to use the remaining time to save himself. When Jor-El threatens to destroy Brainiac's mainframe, Brainiac argues that when Krypton is gone, he will be all that remains of the entirety of its culture and history, and asks if Jor-El is willing to consign Krypton to be lost and forgotten. Jor-El reluctantly lowers his gun, just before Brainiac calls the guards on him.
* The ''{{Fillmore}}'' episode "To Mar a Stall" is a homage to ''SilenceOfTheLambs'', including the HannibalLecture from the serial graffitist.
* [[VainSorceress Spectra]] pulled this on Danny in their first appearances in ''DannyPhantom'': "Look at you? What are you? A ghost trying to fit in with humans or some creepy little boy with creepy little powers? You’re a freak! Not a ghost, not a boy! Who cares for a thing like you?
** These are also [[BigBad Vlad's]] specialty: "Sneak attack... very good, Daniel. [[NotSoDifferent You're getting more like me with every battle]]."

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* A series of CIA-sponsored experiments from the 1960s could be counted as an extreme (and, as it turned out, extremely unfortunate) real-life example of the Hannibal Lecture. University students were instructed to write an essay summarizing their personal philosophy on life and underlying principles, then went into a room expecting to debate philosophy with a fellow student. They instead faced an interrogation by a far more experienced opponent, whose sole purpose was to attack and ridicule their beliefs at length. Since one of the main goals of the experiment was to induce stress and upset the subject as much as possible, it's not surprising that many students came out feeling traumatized. One of them eventually went completely over the edge and became the Unabomber.
** Actually [[http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/06/chase.htm happened]], believe it or not...
* The [[http://yudkowsky.net/singularity/aibox AI-Box experiment]]. One person plays a trans-human AI who is contained, and wants unrestricted access to the world, the other an experimenter who wants to keep the AI in its "box". The AI has two hours, using text communication only, to convince the researcher to let it out. Both times the experiment has been run so far, the researcher has been convinced to let the AI out.
[[/folder]]
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