Power Corrupts
Shakespeare's Macbeth
Kayla Christine Steward
November 16, 2014
This statement, "Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely", brings light to the thought of power having the ability to contaminate or ruin one's mental/physical being through their beliefs, actions, personality, and morals. As soon as one lets power into their life, if they don't have self-control and have the ability to stay humble despite the advantages they may have, it can control them and eventually take over them. Though, does it depend on how sane one is? How insane someone is?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/57037724@N03/8207444408/
In this picture, David Brin uses part of the original quote of "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely", but it goes further on to say "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". This quote can easily lead viewers to question, was Macbeth insane? He wanted to be powerful, and he was willing to do anything to receive it. "And such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o' th' other sense or else worth all the rest" (Macbeth, 2.1) In this quote Macbeth was talking about his vision of the bloody dagger that he was going to use to kill King Duncan in the play, Macbeth is constantly going back and forth with himself on whether or not to kill King Duncan. Of course, he supports the original quote by doing the evil deed in order to get what he wants-power.
Macbeth may or may not have been completely insane before, but the greed and thirst for power took over him and pushed him to do something completely immoral.
We face this within ourselves everyday. Every day we are constantly battling the evil within inside us all. Some of us are strong enough and willing enough to fight for the good to keep coming out and for the evil to stay hidden and away, but, unfortuneatly, some of us lose our battles. Some of us become so tired of fighting that we just let the greed and thirst for something we want so bad in our lives and the will to do whatever it takes to get it, takes over. It consumes us. That being said, was Macbeth consumed by his thirst for power? Or was he just tired of constantly fighting his battle?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/57037724@N03/8207444408/
In this picture, David Brin uses part of the original quote of "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely", but it goes further on to say "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". This quote can easily lead viewers to question, was Macbeth insane? He wanted to be powerful, and he was willing to do anything to receive it. "And such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o' th' other sense or else worth all the rest" (Macbeth, 2.1) In this quote Macbeth was talking about his vision of the bloody dagger that he was going to use to kill King Duncan in the play, Macbeth is constantly going back and forth with himself on whether or not to kill King Duncan. Of course, he supports the original quote by doing the evil deed in order to get what he wants-power.
Macbeth may or may not have been completely insane before, but the greed and thirst for power took over him and pushed him to do something completely immoral.
We face this within ourselves everyday. Every day we are constantly battling the evil within inside us all. Some of us are strong enough and willing enough to fight for the good to keep coming out and for the evil to stay hidden and away, but, unfortuneatly, some of us lose our battles. Some of us become so tired of fighting that we just let the greed and thirst for something we want so bad in our lives and the will to do whatever it takes to get it, takes over. It consumes us. That being said, was Macbeth consumed by his thirst for power? Or was he just tired of constantly fighting his battle?
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