...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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...The Tragedy of Macbeth is riddled with plenty of themes and motifs that can be pointed out throughout the play. One of the most prominent themes is power. It is especially seen in Macbeth’s character, with him being very power hungry. Once he gains the power he desires, he will do anything he must to keep himself from losing it. Other characters have some need for power, whether it be good or evil. The good and evil can be seen as the light and dark aspects of the power. In the play, it is quite obvious that Macbeth possesses dark, evil powers that are full of greed and selfishness, since he is extremely protective over his throne when others try to take it from him. In the opening act, Macbeth is announced Thane of Glamis and then later Thane of Cawdor. He says to himself, “Glamis and Thane of Cawdor! \ The greatest is behind” (1.3.116-17). This was Macbeth’s first taste of power, which helped his thirst for more grow. His wife, Lady Macbeth, also showed a dark sense of power. Once she discovers her husband’s naming to the Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, she goes off into a speech describing how he shall become king next. “. . . Come, thick night, \ And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, \ That my keen knife see not the wound it...
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...Power has been the aspect that has lead many leaders to become corrupt and loose their power or die trying to keep it. The power people chase is brought upon by selfishness and greed. Once one is corrupted with power they will do anything and everything they can to obtain more of what they want. How you use your power defines your character. In the play “Macbeth”, power is a corrupting force that can change a man’s character and cause him to act in evil ways. Corruption can be motivated by power and the advantages people see in it. In “Macbeth”, Macbeth gets a little power and soon begins to want it all. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth make a plan to kill Duncan, the king, “But I worry about weather or not you have what it takes to seize the crown.”...
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...“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton). Throughout history, it is prevalent that the more power one desires, the more corrupt they become. This is due to the fact that the wish to attain power eventually overtakes one’s ability to have a clear conscience. Corrupt rulers will do whatever it takes to remain in control. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, utilizes psychoanalysis to portray how the Macbeths’ lust for power ultimately leads to their downfall. To begin, Macbeth’s thirst for power commences upon hearing the Witches’ prophecy. The Third Witch proclaims, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51). Macbeth and his companion, Banquo, find this prophecy of being king absurd to the point of being funny. Yet Macbeth secretly...
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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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...Richard Nixon between 1969-1974, and Macbeth are two people who experienced an exceptional rise to power, and because of their overpowering ambition; they are driven to commit crimes in order to maintain their power. Richard Nixon grew up in a poor family, who at the time was unable to provide Nixon with living expenses of going to Harvard University where he was offered a scholarship. After attending high school, Nixon went to local Whittier College where he gained the reputation of being a fearsome debater, well known in drama productions and an exceptional athlete. He went on to graduate from Duke University Law School, and went on to practice law. Of course for a man like Nixon with such flourishing visions, being...
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...Throughout history, it has been repetative with the fact that the greater the greed for power, the stronger desire for one's need in a corrupt government. It is not only a competition throughout the nations and leaders, and the need for a strong nation, but the idea that influencing an immense group of people and holding that power, that feeds the monster of corrupticy. Shakespear's, Macbeth, illustrates the growth of character and journey one is willing to take, in order to gain access to the throne of power. Shakespear's character, Macbeth, from the play, Macbeth, expounds on the growth and desire the greed for power one can lead to, as in betraying their own people, for their selfish needs. One day when the third which predicts "All hail,...
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...In the Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare many women didn’t have as much power and respect as men did in the 1000’s. Women were treated as slaves built to stay home take care of their children then go to work. In this catastrophe, Lady Macbeth wasn’t a normal woman you see and know now and days , gender and power is the main key to Lady Macbeth. She was an uprising model to women because she wouldn’t give up on what was best for her and her husband. She was definitely a head turner and made women seem more superior than men. Lady Macbeth was a selfish, intelligent, and manipulative woman. She made her husband, Macbeth, do many awful things that she couldn’t have done herself. Lady Macbeth played a very important role in this tragedy....
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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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...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 author uses the motif “hands” to portray guilt, power and loyalty within the novel. Macbeth finds himself in difficult situations during the story, guilt comes across MacBeth in the moments leading up to Duncan’s murder, “Let not light see my black and deep desires: The eye wink at the hand” (1.4.58-59). Macbeth wants to kill Duncan, however he does not want his eyes to see the terrible crime he is committing. Here, he uses the dark sky as a shield which does not allow him to see the heinous crime he is committing. Although killing Duncan is something that will advance MacBeth in life, he becomes unsure of the decision to kill Duncan.MacBeth he wants his secret yearning for the throne to remain covered in darkness, especially that he would be willing to do anything, including murdering Duncan, the rightful king, to achieve his ambition. Recently, MacBeth has thought of Duncan as loyal friend, so he feels ashamed by the thought killing him. MacBeth follows through with the killing of Duncan despite his continuous telling him not to because Duncan stands in the way of having his legacy and children continue on as kings....
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...Fear of Losing Power “It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.” In the play Macbeth written by Shakespeare, Lord Macbeth the great warrior is conquered by the mammoth and mighty power which later on leads to him being corrupted and making inadequate decisions, all due to his yearning for power throughout the play. Not only do we observe that his want for power has corrupted him, but we also witness this in society today with Kings, Dictators presidents and even when the military fighting for power and their adversity. They will go to above and beyond to do anything that gives them the power of winning. That is why...
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...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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...which. Shakespeare didn’t write “heroes” and “villains.” He wrote real people with real flaws, who were all equally capable of committing good and evil. One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life. This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death...
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...John Steinbeck 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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