So according to this, Sweeney Todd is an INFP. Someone said this was a bit odd (I will admit, I was also surprised), but I’m going to see if I can’t reason this out using the information I’m gathering from here.

This could get long, so it’s under a cut!

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So, according the the website:

As an INFP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit into your personal value system. Your secondary mode is external, where you take things in primarily via your intuition.

Intuition is defined as: “a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.”

With both of those things in mind, we should examine Sweeney’s behavior during the course of his story. I will be using the movie adaptation, as that is what I am familiar with (and it seems to be what the tvtropes website is basing its claim off of).

The Portrait website also mentions frequently that INFPs goals are to make the world a better place.

Sweeney Todd is a sad and broken man facing emotional turmoil after being separated for many years from his wife and newborn daughter. This fate was brought upon him by Judge Turpin, who wanted Sweeney’s wife to himself. Never, from the time he arrives back in London with Anthony to his demise in the underground, does Todd reveal this about himself. He asks vague questions and alludes to his darkened past, but he never seeks any way to resolve it with others. He has already decided on how he is going to right the wrongs granted upon him and he doesn’t seek any help that others do not outright offer. His actions (to kill the Judge) seem a bit rash, but they are indeed a reflection of how he feels about the situation. Evidence of his ‘secondary mode’ can be seen during the course of the Joanna song.

During the course of the song, Sweeney apathetically slashes the throats of his customers and sends them to be made into pies by Mrs. Lovett; with a single exception. A man comes in with his daughter and wife, looking for a shave. Sweeney obliges and performs the shave without murdering the man and it becomes clear that he doesn’t wish for anyone else to go through that same pain he did upon losing his loved ones. One of the final scenes where he kills Mrs. Lovett, despite the new life he has built for himself (including his revenge having finally been realized) could also be said to be following this form of reasoning. It was his feelings of betrayal from Mrs. Lovett’s withholding of information combined with his own grief at having killed his wife that both inspired him to kill the woman who had been helping him for so long as well as allow himself to die at the hands of the young Tobias.

What about the whole, making the world a better place thing?

Due to his experiences, Todd has an interesting outlook on life. Take a look at the following lyrics from “Epiphany”

No, we all deserve to die
Even you, Mrs. Lovett, even I.
Because the lives of the wicked should be made brief
For the rest of us death will be a relief
We all deserve to die.

Death is what makes the world a better place. According to Todd, it is in death that the good finally find peace and the wicked get what they deserve. His murder of the various men throughout the Joanna sequence could be seen as a mercy, as they are all implied to have no one who cares about their being missing. His murder of the Beedle, the Judge, and Pirelli could be seen as actions of Justice; a removal of those who would seek to hurt others from the system. Furthermore, both his and Mrs. Lovett’s deaths fit this idea as it could imply a realization by Mr. Todd that the world would be a better place without them (as they were rather dangerous killers and because Todd had just killed his own wife, revealing he had become the sort of “wicked” person he didn’t wish to muddy the world).

Generally thoughtful and considerate, INFPs are good listeners and put people at ease. Although they may be reserved in expressing emotion, they have a very deep well of caring and are genuinely interested in understanding people. This sincerity is sensed by others, making the INFP a valued friend and confidante. An INFP can be quite warm with people he or she knows well.

The best example of this might actually be “By the Sea” where Mrs. Lovett tells a seemingly uninterested Mr. Todd about her dreams of the furture with him. “A Little Priest” is also a good example of this, as it shows the relationship the two of them have over their business. Sweeney makes Mrs. Lovett comfortable. She tells a frightened Tobey that it is Sweeney who is looking out for them. Anthony also turns quickly to Sweeney when he is in need of assistance (and it’s implied they had some form of ‘friendship’ over the course of the long ship ride). With both people who manage to ‘befriend’ him over the course of the story, Sweeney does what he can to help them out (even if his methods for doing so are a little odd and his motives a little self centered).

INFPs do not like conflict, and go to great lengths to avoid it. If they must face it, they will always approach it from the perspective of their feelings. In conflict situations, INFPs place little importance on who is right and who is wrong. They focus on the way that the conflict makes them feel, and indeed don’t really care whether or not they’re right. They don’t want to feel badly. This trait sometimes makes them appear irrational and illogical in conflict situations.

Sweeney engages exactly once in a conflict, that being the competition against Pirelli. All of his other conflicts end with the opponent being dead (most of whom had never seen it coming). Sweeney’s feelings are fairly obvious: he is angry with those he has conflict with. He cares only for how they have hurt him and seeks to correct that. His methods are extreme (killing people) but match with the expected irrational and illogical actions expected. In his particular issues regarding Judge Turpin, Sweeney avoids a direct conflict by tricking the man into his place of work in order to kill him. Even when Anthony messes this up initially, Sweeney still does not go out of his way to confront the Judge. He instead finds another way to lure the man in without expectation before exacting his revenge.

INFPs are flexible and laid-back, until one of their values is violated. In the face of their value system being threatened, INFPs can become aggressive defenders, fighting passionately for their cause. When an INFP has adopted a project or job which they’re interested in, it usually becomes a “cause” for them. Although they are not detail-oriented individuals, they will cover every possible detail with determination and vigor when working for their “cause”.

This speaks for itself. It’s clear as the movie begins and the tale of Benjamin Barker is told that one or more of Sweeney’s values has been violated. This is the root of the whole story. Killing the Judge and exacting his revenge is Sweeney’s cause.

INFPs have very high standards and are perfectionists. Consequently, they are usually hard on themselves, and don’t give themselves enough credit. INFPs may have problems working on a project in a group, because their standards are likely to be higher than other members’ of the group. In group situations, they may have a “control” problem. The INFP needs to work on balancing their high ideals with the requirements of every day living. Without resolving this conflict, they will never be happy with themselves, and they may become confused and paralyzed about what to do with their lives.

Sweeney’s impatience in achieving his goals makes this part apparent. The fact that it takes him so long is frustrating, as he knows it shouldn’t take long as soon as the Judge is to arrive. His explosion of anger and subsequent feelings of self doubt over the course of “Epiphany” also point to this. At the end of the song, Sweeney is actually left in something of a stupor until Mrs. Lovett starts into “A Little Priest”.

INFPs generally have the following traits:

• Strong value systems
• Warmly interested in people
• Service-oriented, usually putting the needs of others above their own
• Loyal and devoted to people and causes
• Future-oriented
• Growth-oriented; always want to be growing in a positive direction
• Creative and inspirational
• Flexible and laid-back, unless a ruling principle is violated
• Sensitive and complex
• Dislike dealing with details and routine work
• Original and individualistic – “out of the mainstream”
• Excellent written communication skills
• Prefer to work alone, and may have problems working on teams
• Value deep and authentic relationships
• Want to be seen and appreciated for who they are

Most of the above are true in some way (most of the explained previously) about Mister Todd. The exception might be the written communication skills, as those are never represented in the film to a discernible point.

In conclusion, it is fair to say that (at least the film version of) Sweeney Todd is, indeed, an INFP. He is an excellent example of how brutal and terrifying this personality type can be, especially considering how the type is more often seen as a person who is a bit more sweet and fuzzy.

It just goes to show, we can be quite scary, and you will still root for us in the end.