Sunday, November 22, 2015
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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That was a really good argument Dawson. I agree with you completely, but I wonder why Mr. William Shakespeare chose Macbeth to be corrupted by this idea of absolute power. Maybe Lady Macbeth pushed Macbeth over the edge by strongly suggesting that he should kill King Duncan. Even more odd, I wonder why Banquo did not fall under the corruption and temptation of this total power. Banquo and Macbeth were really good friends, and friends tend to have similar morals and goals (assumption but logical). Why did Banquo not end up like Macbeth?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your argument, although I first thought of a different example that supports this quote. Lady Macbeth can never have absolute power in the play because she is a woman. She is corrupted by power through her want of power which influences her decision in encouraging Macbeth to kill Duncan. However, she does not believe Macbeth should kill Banquo because she is not corrupted absolutely. This still supports your argument, just through a different character.
ReplyDeletei agree with your argument and i like how your comparison of the Macbeths who are corrupted by the power they are promised versus Banqou who is unswayed by the promise. we see a man who was honoured as being noble and beloved by the king being slowly overcome by the thought of having power versus a man who doesnt have these honours bestowed upon him be perfectly content with the power balance he has.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your response and applaud you on how well this paragraphs flows. I understand your argument that power corrupts Macbeth with the actions committed by him and but want to acknowledge the fact that LM is huge part in the corruption of Macbeth and that power only seemed to corrupt Macbeth after he committed these sins. Nevertheless I liked your post good job. :)
ReplyDeleteI really agree with your overall argument, and really like your connection of Macbeth and Banquo to the quote. When I first read the quote I thought of Lady Macbeth and made the connection with her power role to it but I like yours as well! I also really like your connections to the History of England at that time and how that supports Shakespeare agreeing with the quote. Great job!
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