...Greedy Power is essential to greatness and at the same time, tragedy. It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. Throughout the course of history, power has been a concept highly sought. Utilised in a beneficial way, it can lead to extraordinary achievements, correcting wrong doings and changing lives. Unfortunately, the ugly reality is the fact that it is the main cause of corruption in the world and is often taken advantage of. In William Shakespeare’s work entitled Macbeth, the lust for and corruption by power is clearly portrayed specifically through Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. Firstly, the play commences with King Duncan and Macduff socializing about ‘the good and hardy soldier’ Macbeth, who at that point in time is brave and gallant warrior who exhibits loyalty and devotion towards his King. Macbeth and Banquo cross paths with the witches who proceed to prophesize Macbeth’s future, labelling him as the future King of Scotland. This immediately grabs Macbeth’s attention and is the driving force behind the alteration of his mind and wellbeing and he ponders what needs to be done to fulfill such a prophecy to become of a high power. Secondly, it is clear that Macbeth deals with the concept of power within his personal relationship with his wife. Lady Macbeth can be viewed as a sinister figure in the sense that she subdues her feminine qualities to express her dark emotions. The more infatuated Macbeth is with...
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...How Are Power and Corruption Related? by Sebastian Sandoval "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." – Lord John Dalberg-Acton Macbeth and Lord of the Flies depict power and corruption. However in Macbeth's case it is his fear of being forgotten that leads to his ambitions for power and in turn corrupts him. In Lord of the Flies we see Jack's ambition to become chief corrupt him into doing whatever it takes to achieve that position. Both works seem to coincide with Hobbes theory that "man is naturally savage" and that savagery combined with the notion of power can only lead to one thing, corruption. In this essay the relationship between power and corruption will be explored through the lens of three texts: Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1623), Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954), and Of Man, Being the First Part of Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes (1651). Let us begin with The Tragedy of Macbeth. Throughout the play, we see Macbeth change from a noble and brave soldier into a shadow of his former self. In the beginning we see an internal struggle with the decision to kill King Duncan. This is most clearly depicted in act I when Macbeth says, "We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honored me of late,"(1.7. 28-30 ). It is after the murder of Duncan that we begin to notice a sinister change. Macbeth begins to murder anyone who has or could get in his way even his friend Banquo. In act 3 Macbeth's plan is first revealed in his conversation...
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...denotes that because every human being has a brain, they also possess the ability to think and act in a malicious and inhumane manner. Considering this, William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, illustrates that uncivil behaviour will prevail on the adult-free island. In a like manner, Macbeth by Shakespeare gives insight to the lengths people will go to so that one can achieve personal profits at a rapid pace. Through similar fashions, both novels depict the true nature of human beings. Similarities between the characters of Jack from the Lord of the Flies and Macbeth from Macbeth reveal that power and greed is the root of all evil. In addition, the use of knives and representation of blood in both novels plays large roles in the quests for power. Also, similarities in plot structure help to further establish the sinful nature of humans. One can conclude that both Macbeth and Lord of the Flies give insight to the fact that human nature is predominantly evil through the characterization of Jack and Macbeth, symbolism of knives and blood and similarities within plot structure. Initially, the predominantly evil aspects of human nature show through the characterization of Jack and Macbeth. In the Lord of the Flies, the society the boys live in begins to crumble as Jack becomes less and less civil while the others follow. Jack quickly turns from an innocent young boy to an uncivil animal, “He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger… the mask was...
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...man’s character, give him power” Abraham Lincoln. In other words Abraham Lincoln states that one cannot truly see what character an individual has by how they overcome tribulation. Instead you must judge an individual's character on how they use their power when given. In Macbeth the desire for power is prominent in various characters. Such as Macbeth strong desire for power leads him to commit murders and betrayals in order to gain power.In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare Macbeth was a noble and loyal individual until three witches awakened the power hungry individual within Macbeth and corrupted his soul. Some people kill and manipulate others to gain power. Other times,...
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...and included within these is Macbeth. Protagonists Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plunge into despair, despite the success of their plan to murder King Duncan in order to take the throne. Macbeth becomes corrupt in his pursuit to gain power due to foolish decisions, along with Lady Macbeth’s display of corruption through her ambitious and unethical behaviour. The corruption leading to these consequences are evident through the immoral acts committed by both these characters, as they are provoked by their ambition and desire to possess power. The prophecy told upon Macbeth by the three witches leads to his uncertainty and insecurity as Banquo...
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...Macbeth Analysis Brian Williams English 125 Melissa Edison April 22, 2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the play there are several main symbols repeatedly...
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...once said, “Power does not corrupt, Fear corrupts… Perhaps the fear of loss of power.” What this quote means is that having power isn’t what turns you evil, the thought of your power being stripped from you is what makes people turn evil and cold. I agree with this quote a hundred percent because it has happened a whole bunch of times in history and of course the imagination of authors otherwise known as novels. Ranging from Macbeth to Zeus or present life, there has always been corruption wherever there has been the fear of power being stripped. No matter what type of power you hold, it will most likely turn you corrupt when competition starts to kick in. Macbeth was a general who was approached by a trio of witches that predicted he would be the king of Scotland. After being told this, the thought of him being in possession of great power consumed him and caused him to pursue the power that the witches predicted he would have. The only way he believed he could pursue power was to kill the competition, in other words, the leading men to the throne. Macbeth was afraid of dying before he became king so his only option was to kill everyone else who came before and after him so he can hold the spot of the king for a large amount of time. After assassinating King Duncan, he was...
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...Eight-five percent of the world lives under a corrupt government. Corruption is inevitable and in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, he shows how even an honorable, loyal man can become a power-hungry tyrant. The corruption begins with the manipulation of others, who make Macbeth, a trustworthy general, doubt his loyalty and morals. By influencing him into thinking he should be king, they cause him to make irreparable actions. Macbeth’s example shows how manipulation can corrupt one’s mindset. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is approached by the witches proclaiming him as future king: “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! (1.3.17)....
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...“Greed in money, wealth, power, and everything earthly is the cause of all evil in this world.” Shakespeare perfectly illustrates this verse in the tragedy Macbeth. First performed in 1606, Macbeth magnifies the effects both mentally and physically of one who seeks power for there own sake. Macbeth, with assistance from his wife, Lady Macbeth, kills the beloved King Duncan after finding out from the Weird Sisters that he would be king. After the murder, Macbeth starts slowly losing his mind leading to him seeing apparitions and hearing voices. These occurrences lead him to become paranoid causing him to kill off his closest friend Banquo and Macduff’s family. Feeling helpless and alone, not even trusting his own...
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...Power is something most people strive to get when they don’t have it. Power is what runs the world now and has for a long time. The problem with power is that it corrupts. John Emerich Acton once said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Macbeth by William Shakespeare is the tragic story about the kind of destruction ambition and the struggle for power can cause. Even the noblest of people are corrupted by the idea of power and will do anything to achieve it. Symbolism, irony, foil, theme, and imagery are some of the literary elements and techniques Shakespeare uses to portray Macbeth, the protagonist, as a greedy tyrant willing to sacrifice all others to accomplish his goals. Shakespeare not only represents Macbeth as the protagonist, but also as an antagonist to himself and others in the play. The author characterizes Macbeth at first as an honorable man willing to fight for the freedom of his kingdom. Shakespeare foreshadows to the reader a developing change within Macbeth’s character after his encounter with the Weird Sisters. His convene with the witches arouses in Macbeth the idea of becoming king. The motivation for Macbeth to become king spurs from the prophecies told by the witches in the beginning acts of the play, which were evidently coming true as he gained the title “Thane of Cawdor” as the prophecy stated. Below the surface Macbeth is a melting pot of emotions, which engaged his character in the idea of becoming a supreme...
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...Title: Macbeth Analysis Instructor: Erin Schwartz English 125 Introduction to literature Amanda Manley 11/25/2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the...
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...soon as the Macbeths become accomplices in regicide, their relationship irretrievably falls apart.’ Discuss to what extend do you agree that the physical horror of King Duncan’s death kills the Macbeth’s marriage. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, King Duncan’s death caused a great turmoil in the minds of the Macbeths and left no space for love, hence, their relationship began to crumble, as they reacted to the murder in different ways: Lady Macbeth, entering insanity, and Macbeth, thirsting for more power. Nevertheless, even at the end, Macbeth’s love for his wife, however strained, did not completely perish. Lady Macbeth is a ruthless, ambitious wife and it is questionable that her love for Macbeth was truly real since the beginning of their marriage. Instead, she lusted over his status and wealth. Immediately when she received the letter from Macbeth, she began to plot the death of King Duncan, and steeled herself from her morals, asking that she is ‘unsexed’ so that she may have a mind of a man who is strong enough to handle the thoughts of murder, as she made known through her famous ‘Unsex me’ speech: ‘Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty…’ (p.15) As opposed to Macbeth, she was easily drawn to the possibility of power and had not a moment of indecision to do anything necessary to obtain the throne and to involve her husband in it. This gives a hint that Lady Macbeth may not have...
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...with aspirations of attaining the pinnacle of power. Honesty and morals must be a mere memory if personal profits are to be achieved at a rapid pace. As a result, corruption and ruthlessness grows variably with the desires and cravings that haunt a person's psyche. Both Macbeth and Lord of the Flies give insight to the fact that greed engulfs people into malicious tyrants with the characters that are portrayed within these two novels. Thus, Jack, from Lord of the Flies and Macbeth, from Macbeth have both shown the world a crucial lesson that power and ambition are the root of all evil, as they carried out unethical action to achieve and maintain their respected goals. Each author, with immense captivation, portrays his respected characters with noble beginnings unadulterated of any corruption. Ambition has not yet overwhelmed the minds of these two respected characters, which therefore, gives them a chaste disposition. Jack from Lord of the Flies is introduced to the reader in a "holy" aura with the description of his choir; " Their bodies, from throat to ankle, were hidden by black cloaks which bore a long silver cross on the left breast" (Golding 21) Conveying religion into Jack's first emergence shows the likely innocence encompassed in the boy's life prior to crashing on the island. The induction of Macbeth also renders an uncanny depiction of a noble general, saving his country form domination and tyranny. " For brave Macbeth, - well he deserves that name, - disdaining fortune...
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...to him, and his path to corruption begins when he eliminates threats to his power. When the witches appear, they announce to Macbeth and Banquo that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland. The witches exclaim, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.52-53). After hearing this prophecy, Macbeth makes it his goal to kill Duncan and take the throne by force, even though Duncan highly respects Macbeth for killing the traitor, MacDonwald, at war, and Macbeth is loyal to Duncan. Macbeth states, “Stars, hide your fires, / Let not light see my black and deep desires” (1.4.57-58). As mentioned previously, even though Macbeth and King Duncan respect each other, Macbeth’s plan to destroy Duncan show his overpowering need for power, which are the first steps to Macbeth’s...
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...Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the light of the relationship between gender and power. Defend your answer. In Macbeth a very important theme is that of morality. This means the difference between good and bad. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as being the “bravest” soldier and for being an honorable thane. We see Macbeth as being a man with morals who fights for good reasons and in honor of the king of Scotland. However as the play implies, who is “fair is foul and foul is fair,” (Act 1, Scene 1) meaning that appearance can be differing from reality. Gender and power are two topics that are shown in detail in the drama of Macbeth. With regards to gender, throughout the play we encounter how man has to have no morals at all and how man should have no remorse on the actions they do. In fact Lady Macbeth tries to be unsexed from a woman to be as strong as men: “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood; Stop up the access and passage to remorse” (Act 1 Scene 5). Even though Macbeth never says it out loud, Macbeth in the beginning did care about his morality and about doing right and not wrong. In fact he wasn’t sure about killing Duncan but when Lady Macbeth questioned his manhood, he decided to be a man. However we then see that after Duncan’s murder the guilt kills his sleep and thus he realized in doing wrong. But throughout the play, Macbeth is deceived...
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