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Well if you’ve made it this far you have obviously given in to orders and obeyed my authority. But why is it that people so easily do what they’re told when they feel coerced? Did you even think twice about not reading my paper? (Probably not Mrs. Ficca because you’re obligated to grade this, but that’s beside the point). It is human nature to desire to appear cooperative, even if it requires doing something they know is wrong. An experiment by Stanley Milgram in the 1960’s attempted to prove that obedience to authority overrides feelings of conscience. The participants of this experiment could either be “teachers” or “learners”. The teachers’ job was to quiz the learners and administer a painful shock for every wrong answer. The intensity of the shock increased with every wrong response. The twist was that the person running the experiment was sitting right next to the teacher, urging them to continue administering the shocks. Many people continued to listen to this authority figure, even when the learner uttered cries of pain! The message of this experiment is that people tend to obey authority when they feel coerced, even if they know it’s wrong. (Encina)

The concept of obedience is also displayed in the Shakespearian play, Macbeth. Macbeth is persuaded by his wife, Lady Macbeth, to murder King Duncan. Macbeth knows this is wrong, and makes a weak attempt to argue against her. Macbeth recognizes that Duncan is a humble King and a gracious leader. He also knows that as host he should be protecting, not harming him.

“First, as I am his kinsman and his subject / Strong both against the deed; then, a...

... middle of paper ...

...r of a situation all throughout history and presently today. Take Nazi Germany for example. Hitler was able to persuade thousands of Germans to fight for his cause, a cause many of the soldiers would deem as immorally had they not been in the thick of the situation. (Encina) The desire to comply and be correct is very powerful. When someone can convince another that acting a certain way is correct, and that subject feels pressure and fear to comply, almost any action can seem justifiable in the eyes of the subordinate. In the case of Macbeth, Macbeth was the subordinate, and the pressure exerted by lady Macbeth was too much to take.

Works Cited

Encina, Gregorio Billikopf. “Milgram’s Experiment on Obedience to Authority”. The University of California. 27 March 2010.

Gerrig, Richard and Zimbardo, Philip. Psychology and Life. Boston: Pearson, 2005.

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