...Through the character of Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates that the more powerful an individual is, the more likely they are to pose a danger to others. This is because of the nature of power itself. When one is in a position of power, one is able to influence people and events. In weak characters, this becomes a corrupting element as power is then used to secure their own interests, often at the expense of others. This is true in Macbeth’s case, as he used wicked means to obtain power and then secure it. Seduced by the witches’ prophecy, urged on by his ambitious wife, he murdered his king, ruthlessly eliminated competitors to his own throne, and shaped Scotland according to his own foul desires. Obtaining power through such evil deeds,...
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...“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” (Aung San Suu Kyi) In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, a man named Macbeth is approached by three witches who tell him his future. Macbeth tells his wife Lady Macbeth and they plan and follow-though with killing the king for power. Macbeth gets in over his head with the desire for absolute power and fears that his friend’s son will kill him for power as the witches predicted so he sends hit men to kill his friend and his son. William Shakespeare uses personification, diction, and characterization in Macbeth to reveal the theme of power corrupting innocent people. Shakespeare...
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...Power of the Thrown The play Macbeth has characters that fit the profile of a bully and abuse of power. Physical violence was used to bully characters in the play. Intention to kill was linked to the Macbeth play as well. The cause of imbalance of power was brought through the characters of Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth. In the Macbeth play the intentions to kills was big part of the abuse of power. In the play Macbeth was very greedy and always wanted more power than what he had. Macbeth was the Thane Of Cawdor before he went on the verge of wanting more power. Just like a bully Macbeth started with a bit of power but ending up wanting more. Macbeth decided he wanted to be king; nothing would get in the way of that. Just like a bully he wanted to have all control. When telling Lady Macbeth about the plan she had agreed it was he right thing to do. Macbeth had second thoughts about...
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...Power is a thing that isn’t tangible, but still able to be seized. I wouldn’t seize power that leads to disrupt in a community. I would strive to get power the correct way, through election. I wouldn’t kill for power, as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth did, because I want the people’s approval. You can see what happens to people with power without the people’s approval by looking at what happened with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. I wouldn’t abuse my power either. Abusing power leads to rebellions and the downfall of a country. I would base the way I use my power through votes, as America does. But unlike America you would have to pass a Common Knowledge Literacy and Education Test to be able to vote. By using that method it weeds out those of our...
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...Essay: Abusive Power “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. ” In a statement by Abraham Lincoln it is identified that the greatness of man is tested by how he utilizes his power. As demonstrated in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and The Time Magazine article Adolf Hitler, one can see how the abuse of power creates chaos in society. By analyzing the actions of the characters Macbeth, Abigail Williams, and the character Adolf Hitler, it is evident how the misuse of power will lead to the loss of structure in society. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A statement by Lord Acton which illustrates that those who gain power ultimately become corrupted by it - thus leading one to abuse their power. This statement is well demonstrated in the actions of the character Macbeth, from William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, in his rise to power from Thane of Glamis to the King of Scotland. Within the first scene of the play, Macbeth is given the gift of knowledge of the future, by the three witches, which he ultimately uses to gain more power. “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis ... All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii. 48-50). When given this prophecy from the three witches, Macbeth utilizes this information, once he becomes Thane of Cawdor, to plan the death of King Duncan. The power of knowledge is not the only power that he possesses...
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...The quest for power could have both positive and negative effects, but in cases like these, the cons outweigh the pros. Although the outcome of a situation may depend on the person and their actions, there is always the chance that they could have a change of heart and the outcome could be positive. The majority of occasions has outcomes that are negative because of someone's quest for power. In the 1800s the United States began to imperialize other places in search of power. The Macbeths were greedy in their quest for power and resulted in more than one terrible outcome. For few reasons, stories such as The Metamorphosis could be considered an example of abuse of power as well as movies like Profoundly Normal. This is because they both show...
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...The Most harmful creation on Earth is named Mankind. The ones with power abuse it and the ones with none suffer greatly. The question is, is it that of ambition that motivates corruption? The answer is yes. Ambition is typically a strong desire to do or to achieve something, requiring determination and hard work. Once a goal is reached there is either an evaluation from others deciding on whether or not to congratulate the achievement that has been reached or, a self-celebration suitable to the goal that was reached. Self-celebration is the easiest way to abuse power for it raises self-confidence making a person truly believe that he/ she are better than others. One must find a certain level of maturity in order to have power and use it to help others rather than hurt them....
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...qualities makes a person or business greedy? To consider one greedy, one must possess excessive or inordinate desire for wealth. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth uses his abusive, greedy ways to overthrow King Duncan and become King of Scotland. Similarly, those in the circus business use these tactics of abuse as those in Macbeth do to gain excessive amount of money from each of their shows. Although they may seem unrelated to each other, they in fact have common themes. Both Macbeth and the circus business use acts of cruelty, false appearance, and greed in order to achieve their goal. When we first meet Macbeth he is portrayed as a loyal soldier who serves to protect his country, Scotland. After his encounter with the three witches and their fortunes, we begin to see Macbeth’s appearance alter into a cruel dictator. This change was caused by his wife, Lady Macbeth, who wants Macbeth to kill King Duncan so he can become King of Scotland himself. Lady Macbeth tells him to “look like the innocent...
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...There are a myriad of ways that the females of the play Macbeth cause various conflicts to occur throughout the plot. It is seen throughout the entire play the conflicts which tear apart friends and the country while the plot continues to develop and the theme of murder shrouds the play. The first conflict that takes place when the witches’ prophesize to Macbeth that he would be not only the Thane of Cowdor but king of Scotland. This triggers an inner conflict within Macbeth. He begins to wonder if he has to commit a heinous crime or if it the title will come with time. It becomes clear to Macbeth that he has to do something insidious when king Duncan announces the successor to the throne, Malcolm. Before hand Macbeth had written a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, stating his new title and what the witches had prophesized. The Lady knew her husband well enough that although he knew what was to past he would never do the things that needed to be done to obtain the throne. She becomes the strength behind Macbeth. That night king Duncan is welcomed into Macbeth’s castle. The inner conflict continues as Macbeth begins to think of all the reasons not to murder the king who had awarded him for his bravery. Then walks in Lady Macbeth who mocks him and questions his manhood. From here on out it becomes character vs. character. Fueled by his wife’s mockery he eagerly accepts when Lady Macbeth proposes a plan to execute the king. Driven by his wife and the hallucinations plaguing him...
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...All hail, Macbeth! In the future, you shall be king! The person who is the most responsible for the murder of Macbeth is Lady Macbeth. She constantly makes Macbeth question himself, his masculinity and his love for her, which causes him to feel the need to prove his manhood and passion to her on a regular basis. While some say that the witches are at fault because they give the prophecy in the first place or that Macbeth is responsible for his own demise because he allows himself to become too driven by his ambition of being a king. However, Lady Macbeth is the most at fault for her husband’s demise due to the fact that she uses her husband's’ flaws to work against him. The witches play a significant...
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...“[I] Shall Sleep No More”: How Self Respect Affects One’s Response to Justice in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” William Shakespeare’s psychological drama “The Tragedy of Macbeth” follows a highly respected soldier caught between his morality and his passion for power. As a result of Macbeth’s overconfidence and fatuitous expectations, he goes down a tragic path ultimately isolating himself from others and leading to his downfall. It is obvious that Macbeth’s mind starts degenerating after murdering King Duncan for his selfish interests. When Macbeth overtakes the throne he uses the crown as an impenetrable shield which eradicates all justice that blocks his path. As Macbeth gets comfortable on his blood covered throne, he does not realize...
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...Conrad. The play Macbeth is written around the centralized idea of ambition and the consequence of guilt that one bears after their deed. Macbeth by William Shakespeare; Shakespeare presents a man and wife hungry for power living in 1600s dark Scotland. One day Macbeth encounters three wicked sisters who reveal a prophecy which leads Macbeth on a murderous quest for power. The power of guilt can ultimately lead to one's demise; Furthermore the desire for power driven by Macbeth's impulsive actions. Shakespeare presents this idea heavily on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth along with providing symbolic references throughout the entire play....
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...Animal Farm Comparative Essay Rebellion, gluttony, and manipulation are all common themes when it comes to the struggle for power. Animal farm by George Orwell, a book which all of these take place is remarkably similar to the Crucible by Arthur Miller and Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Animal farm, The Crucible, and Macbeth are all written similarly and revolve around the same themes, such that many characters in Animal Farm and Macbeth portray similar characteristics. Animal Farm and The Crucible share common themes and conflicts. In all three books the structure of peoples values change drastically for a turn for the worst. These novels and play all follow popular foundations of literature which revolve around inner evil, the addiction to power, and the loss and regaining of self-identity. Animal farm and Macbeth’s antagonists, Napoleon and Macbeth portray similar characteristics. Napoleon and Macbeth both share important roles in their respective books in that they directly influence and change the fate of many. The two power hungry tyrants go to an extreme to achieve their goals but in two very different ways. Napoleon a more cunning character abuses his superior intellect to deceive the other ignorant farm animals in order to gain power. Through Machiavellian methods he slowly begins to take over the farm by convincing the animals to be more reliant on him, ultimately making his self-proclamation of leader a reality “No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon...
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...Whether the feeling is a tinge or consuming, the effects of it may be deadly, to say the least. In the tragic play Macbeth, written by the infamous William Shakespeare in the 1600s, the sense of fear within Macbeth was one that had been engraved onto his mind; not shying away from demolishing all bits of sanity. The anxiety of losing all power, in which he gains through colourful acts, is what provokes Macbeth to dive into the pit of insanity. The relationships an individual has in their life can often set the path to a battle with their own power, which then shapes the critical events...
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...Courtney White Victim or Manipulator? How do Shakespeare in ‘Macbeth’ and Steinbeck in ‘Of Mice of Men’ present female characters? Both Shakespeare and Steinbeck have presented their characters in ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Of Mice and Men’ as women who possess the features of a manipulator and a victim. Both elements are a question of power; manipulation being able to overpower someone else, whereas a victim is a subject to someone else’s power. Lady Macbeth and Curley’s wife both manipulate men using their femininity: Curley’s wife shows this as she manipulates the men on the ranch using her appearance and Lady Macbeth uses her sexuality to persuade her husband to kill the king and by welcoming Duncan into her home, even though she was plotting to kill him. Alternatively, there are differences between the two women, as Curley’s wife is lonely and isolated on the ranch, her husband disrespects her and is disliked by all the men on the ranch and as a result, manipulates the men innocently to get some attention. Lady Macbeth desires power and fame, and acts manipulatively and selfishly to get what she wants. Lady Macbeth is upperclass, giving her more freedom to do what she wanted. She had status, wealth, glamour and equal partnership with her husband. This was very unusual for the time- Shakespeare has presented her as a very modern anti-heroine. The writers have also presented the women as victims of their gender. During the time each text was written women had restrictions placed on...
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