Power Corrupts

I believe Shakespeare would greatly agree with the idea that "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The main reason that I believe that Shakespeare would agree with this concept is that it is one of the central motifs of Macbeth. In the play we see that from the moment the witches offer him a chance at power Macbeth begins to lose himself to the concept. While the character of Banquo remains uncorrupted by the promise of power we see from the moment the witches promise him the throne Macbeth has become a pawn of the prophecy. This is evidenced by when he says, "Do you not hope your children shall be kings, when those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me promised no less to them?" In this quote Macbeth is trying to convince Banquo to believe in the prophecy as he now does. Another, greater example is the transition inside of Macbeth that occurs in the 3rd Act. In this act Macbeth decides to have both Banquo and his son Fleance murdered in order to ensure his own throne. He does this because now that he has achieved absolutely power he has become corrupted to the point where he is willing to kill his best friend. Shakespeare would also agree with this quote because of his experiences with King James the First, a man Shakespeare greatly respected and had a lot of faith in. Once James rose to power in England it became clear he was not going to help Catholic Britain's, an action Shakespeare viewed as an effect of his position of power that many believed prompted the creation of Macbeth. It is for all of these reasons that I believe Shakespeare would agree with Lord Acton's beliefs on power.

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