ipl-logo

How Does Shakespeare Present The Corruption Of Power In Macbeth

526 Words3 Pages

Corruption: the process by which something once innocent and pure, turns dark and cruel. Power: the ability to do as one pleases, and direct others as they wish. Together, these two make a sinister and destructive pair. William Shakespeare explores the corruption of someone that follows the gain of undeserved power. Both Macbeth, and his wife, Lady Macbeth, demonstrate the corruption that shadows their crowns. Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare, illustrates the corruption of soul and mind due to an immense greed for power. Macbeth’s morals align with those of a noble Thane. He proves his devoted loyalty to the country of Scotland, and his beloved King, Duncan. But, once the witches enlighten him of his chance to be crowned king, he throws aside all …show more content…

Macbeth is consciously aware of the pure evil he has turned to. When Young Siward unknowingly meets Macbeth, he questions what his name is, believing nothing he could say would be worse than the name of Satan. Macbeth takes this insult to heart, and decides to prove him wrong: “My name’s Macbeth” (5.7.8). Macbeth decides to prove the child wrong solely to show the true darkness of his soul. This decision establishes the corruption of his soul. He has done irreversible damage to himself by the actions he has taken to get to the throne. Macbeth has committed murder and treason all to fulfil a greedy wish. His acknowledgement of this corruption further harbours it. The pride he holds of his dark and corrupted soul is truly inhuman, making him all the more similar to the Devil. Had Macbeth never fought for the crown, his soul would still hold the same innocence it did while he was a Thane. Additionally, the corruption of Macbeth’s mind stems from his strong desire to keep the crown. His internal instincts become severely altered, causing this corruption. Once Macbeth learns about Macduff’s fleeing to England, he decides now and

Show More
Related

  • How Does Macbeth Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

    852 Words  | 4 Pages

    Absolute Power corrupts Absolutely As In a close reading from, Macbeth, William Shakespeare reveals to the reader, the staggering character development of the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis, and soon to be future King Macbeth. The author illustrates Macbeth as a man known to everyone as “Valour’s Minion” , and an honorable person to becoming a sadistic and cold-blooded king. As we progress in the story we see that Macbeth first taste with Murder starts with him doubting himself , and his ability in killing an innocent soul. As Macbeth’s persona begins to change, the murdering of Banquo becomes so effortless and easy, than that of King Duncan’s was , because Macbeth saw the “light” in Banquo and realized how far Banquo could threaten his kingship.

    Read More

  • Corruption Of Power In Macbeth

    715 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people in power in the world are corrupt due to money and political positions. Not so unlike in Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare, where the main character Macbeth after three witches give him, a prophecy saying he would be king and his friend Banquo’s sons would be king Macbeth begins his ascension to the throne through unnecessary means of which lead to his own downfall. Ultimately the pursuit of power not only led to the downfall of Macbeth but to those around them. From the beginning of the play, we can immediately see the cycle of corruption taking hold of the characters, mainly Macbeth. In the first scene Macbeth is in battle and is fighting the rebel traitor who is the thane of Cawdor.

    Read More

  • Corruption Of Power In Macbeth

    915 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth! Beware Macduff.” (Macbeth 4.1.74) He succeeded in his plan and began to turn into a corrupt individual. His sense of morality decreased because of his several planned murderous acts and his mind became drenched in intense guilt.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Corruption Quotes

    562 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare reflects Macbeth’s descent into moral corruption by shaping Macbeth’s thoughts to acknowledge himself as immersed in deep bloodshed. Macbeth’s belief that it would be difficult to turn back from his actions, as Shakespeare intended, illustrates his egocentric trait. Macbeth either doesn’t want to or doesn’t see any other path than to continue his heinous acts. Macbeth only thinks about the actions that benefit him to continue as king. Shakespeare ruins Macbeth’s ego by having his desires unchecked or seen by anyone else, leading him to corrupt himself further and harm

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare Maintain Power In Macbeth

    73 Words  | 1 Pages

    A continuous struggle for power is a common idea in literature, but the immoral desire of power can destroy the goodness in people. In the tragedy, Macbeth William Shakespeare introduces Macbeth and his story how his desires of power lead to his demise. Initially Macbeth was a loyal warrior who lived and served for his king,; however, his desires for power corrupts him. In order to maintain his power, he begins to kill

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing In Macbeth

    477 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth is a dark play written by Shakespeare. It is about a kingdom in Scotland in which the people living there turn on each other and don't know who to trust. Macbeth changes from an innocent man to a murderous villain. In the end, his cockiness will get the best of him. Throughout the play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses many literary devices to convey the theme, “guilt cannot be washed away.”

    Read More

  • Hunger For Power In Macbeth

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth loses his last scrap of morality when he orders the murder of innocents to enrage a rival. Shakespeare’s Macbeth shows that humans will do whatever it takes to achieve and maintain power by charting Macbeth’s descent from noble thane to murderous tyrant. Macbeth’s position of thane is already quite powerful but the need for more power overwhelms his loyalties to others.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Power And Corruption Analysis

    1025 Words  | 5 Pages

    A common theme in Macbeth is that power and corruption come hand in hand. Frequently, people with power lie and go against the better welfare of their people. Tragic hero, Macbeth, and political mastermind, Joseph Stalin, end up corrupted by trying to control and obtain power. They both wanted power and superiority so they did everything they could to get higher and higher on the totem pole.

    Read More

  • Corruption Of Power In Macbeth

    544 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history power has been corrupted people many times. For example, Hitler, Napoleon, and even George Bush have all been corrupted by power. Any person who gains power usually uses it to their advantage. Shakespeare realized that humans are naturally corrupted by power. Many of the kings and queens of his day were corrupt.

    Read More

  • How Does Power Change In Macbeth

    967 Words  | 4 Pages

    Everyone wants power and control. Power makes people feel irreplaceable and secure, like they can cut ways through life with power by controlling their surroundings and eliminating their enemies. Shakespeare's Macbeth shows how rapidly a person can be easily changed by a small taste of power and their strong desire for it afterwards. One of the characters, Macbeth, demonstrates to the audience how a righteous person in no time could become malicious. In the beginning of the play it is obvious that Macbeth is a loyal and patient person but once his desire of power gets heightened, he becomes greedy and malicious.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Power And Corruption Essay

    784 Words  | 4 Pages

    When corruption is developed it prevents a leader from loving and therefore deems them an ineffective superior. Ellie Zolfagharifard, outlines the relationship between power and corruption in her article, Power Really Does Go To Your Head: Giving people a taste of authority can corrupt even honest members of a group, by describing a Swiss experiment involving the “dictator game”. In this, she writes how, “Corrupt individuals exhibit moral deterioration by using their power to benefit themselves and, by doing so, cause harm to the greater good” (Zolfagharifard 2), which illustrates that those in possession of authoritative roles who have become corrupted will not view others with respect, and cause copious amounts of damage. Moreover, followers are also susceptible to this moral deterioration. Macbeth is originally viewed as a courageous, and loyal hero, however, after gaining knowledge of his future he becomes corrupt, and decides to kill his king to take the throne, “I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat.”

    Read More

  • Power And Corruption In Macbeth

    931 Words  | 4 Pages

    William Shakespeare, playwright of Macbeth, shows the importance that power and corruption can hold on a person’s humanity. In order to prove the true effect of personal gains, he uses the main character, Macbeth, to show how evil people are willing to become. Personal power has the ability to be essential to greatness, but at the same time is able to destroy a person’s true nature. Believe it or not, Macbeth once was a man of honor. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was loyal to King Duncan, a strong military leader, and a respected husband.

    Read More

  • Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

    904 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Privilege of power corrupts, but that's not entirely true. Power is the ability to control or make decisions that influence or affect others. The corruption of power is when someone has power and, they use it to influence or affect others negatively. This conveys in Macbeth, Loki and Kim Jung-un. Power is meant to be used

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Strengths And Weaknesses

    824 Words  | 4 Pages

    At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the protagonist Macbeth is described as ‘brave’, ‘noble’ and ‘honourable’, however Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeths desire for power consumes them. Macbeth’s ambition overrides his conscience and transformed his greatest strength into his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s inability to resist temptations that led him to be greedy for power, Macbeth’s easily manipulative nature which allowed his mind to be swayed, Macbeth having no self control and his excessive pride was what allowed him to renew his previously honourable and celebrated title into one of an evil ‘tyrant’. Macbeth is led by the prophecies of the witches after they foretell he will become the Thane of Cawdor. Not only the witches, but also his wife easily manipulate Macbeth as she attacks his manhood in order to provoke him to act on his desires.

    Read More

  • Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

    789 Words  | 4 Pages

    Power can not only bring ambitious people honors, but also make them lose everything. In the play, Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, it demonstrates that the immoral power influences the life of Macbeth dramatically. Macbeth’s abuse of power destroys his relationship with his cousin, friend, and wife, which shows that Macbeth’s wild ambition causes him to be isolated. Macbeth’s abuse of power destroys his relationship with his cousin, Duncan.

    Read More

More about How Does Shakespeare Present The Corruption Of Power In Macbeth

Open Document