powmac Power and Corruption in Macbeth

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Power and Corruption in Macbeth

"Authority poisons everybody who takes authority upon himself" (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin). This could easily be a comment on the story of Macbeth where an apparently respected Scottish couple have the opportunity to seize the highest authority, take it, and in doing so, poison themselves and their country. In Macbeth, the play's theme is the strife created by the wrongful seizure of power and the corruption of morals of those who acquire power by evil means. Power can be good or bad depending on the hands that it falls into. The dilemma with power that has been accomplished by immoral behavior, foul means, is that when you finally manage to attain it, it will always bring insecurity, bring the thoughts that your power will be taken from you, that your crime will be discovered. Corrupt power corrupts, power that's gained by immoral behavior, and having a desire for power solely for it's own sake is corrupt in itself. Lady Macbeth had this desire and, later, so did Macbeth. Shakespeare saw kingship like a mirror of God's rule on earth. Just rule brought happiness to the country and it reflected in harmony amongst nature. Bad kingship had the opposite affect. The play Macbeth is not only about the downfall of one man but the entirety of man and nature.

The relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth is somewhat bizarre. It develops throughout the play, as Macbeth commences to attain power Lady Macbeth's hold over him began to weaken. In the opening scenes, prior to the murdering of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth's character is shown to be dominant and authoritative, thriving on the power that she held over Macbeth. She encouraged the murder of King Duncan. The evil...

... middle of paper ...

...eth was a respected noble, hailed as:

"Brave Macbeth" (act 1, scene 2),

And finally a monster who had no one to weep at his grave but many people to cheer at his head upon a spike.

" Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" (Lord Acton)

Sources Cited and Consulted:

Clark, W.G., and W. Aldis Wirhgt, eds. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol 2. USA: Nd. 2 vols.

McElroy, Bernard, "`Macbeth': Corruption" in Shakespearean Criticism, Volume 3. Edited by Laurie Harris (Gale:1984)

Swisher, Clarice, ed. Readings on Macbeth. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999.

Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. The British Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall 1999.

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