Corruption And Abuse Of Power In Macbeth

Power is a theme which pervades throughout nearly every great work of literature in some capacity, being hugely applicable to every struggle humanity has ever known. Authors frequently depict the abuse of political or social power to create an authentic feeling world, as this struggle is so familiar to us. Despite obvious differences in setting, time period, and cultural context, the two works of What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad and Shakespeare’s Macbeth both tackle this theme of corruption and abuse of power, as well as its consequences. The authors utilize the literary features of symbolism, perspective, and characterization to emphasize the consequences of power imbalances, description of victimized characters, and resolution in their

What Strange Paradise deals with power imbalance in two ways. One method used to discuss this issue is very direct, as the character of Colonel Kethros is characterized as someone who wields immense power over the migrants who are seeking refuge on his island, being someone of heightened social and political standing. His character wholly symbolizes the cruelty of the refugee crisis, and is an immediate danger to Amir and Vänna. Additionally, the character of “David” is a symbol, his name literally meaning “king”, representing the larger issue on the side of the United Nations. His character is mentioned so frequently, and referred to by Amir as more like a deity than any real person. This is an obvious representation of the aid that the UN promises, yet never delivers to those who flee, leaving them to suffer on their own. Similarly, in Shakespeare's Macbeth, the character of Macbeth is initially characterized as a noble and honorable thane, beloved by all below and equal to him. He begins the play as a war-hero, taking the life of all who stand in his way, supposedly for the good of his people. However, as he gains power, he becomes consumed by his ambition, and his character changes. He becomes cruel and ruthless in his quest to maintain his power, with his brutal slaughter of the guards, two uninvolved and innocent

In Macbeth, the symbol of blood is used to convey the idea of immense guilt and suffering as consequence for his actions. He and Lady Macbeth struggle to wash the blood from their hands, and metaphorically, the remorse from their consciences. Macbeth is immensely powerful, yet mentally and emotionally vulnerable. He suffers until his own end, with the perspective of the story perpetually following him, or those with a similar amount of power, largely avoiding description of the damage he’s done to those around him. His character is thoroughly explored, while the victims of his selfish behavior are left flat. This is a stark contrast to the way victims of power abuse are dealt with in What Strange Paradise. The perspective of this novel follows Amir, an undoubtedly innocent victim of the Syrian refugee crisis. Amir is, by every definition, a completely powerless protagonist. He is thoroughly characterized as an empathetic, yet naive and reckless individual through incidents such as his attempt to aid the begging woman on the street, only to end up doing more harm than good. He is the powerless victim in the larger dynamic of the story, yet is still a convincing and fully fledged individual, whereas the powerful characters, such as Colonel Kethros or David, are left somewhat nebulous. Kethros’s prosthetic leg is a clear allusion to the character Captain Ahab, a single minded