Killer Indistinct

This is a table of characters from poems, categorised according to whether I believe they have the killer instinct or not.
 

Character	Killer Instinct	No Killer Instinct
Jabberwock	X
The Raven	X
Ancient Mariner		X
Ozymandias	X
Wandering Aengus		X
The Highwayman		X
The Lady of Shalott		X
J Alfred Prufrock		X
Alfonso II d'Este	X
Porphyria		X
Grendel’s mum	X
The Wyf of Bathe	X
Total	6	6

This extensive research appears to show, conclusively and for all time, that we are as fascinated by the down and outs, the indecisive and downright wimpy, as we are by the bloodthirsty villains who would shoot their granny for publication in the right literary mag. 

Personally, I find the killer instinct to be a tiring trait to maintain so I mostly leave it in a small cage behind my copy of The Complete Chaucer (where it won’t be disturbed).  It only seems to require a titbit every couple of months and I find that eating the last biscuit in the jar sates its surprisingly meagre appetite.  Cat-like, it is content to spend the majority of its life curled up in a warm place.

Now hush.  I hear a Deadline approaching.  It’s time for me to return to Beneath the Duvet before it spots me.

Take care,

Vicky x