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Corruption And Power In Shakespeare's Hamlet

1046 Words5 Pages

Corruption and Power

William Shakespeare utilized his novels and writings to analyze certain aspects of the human condition. There are many underlying themes that he brings to light in his works, in hopes of trying to inform his audience of some of the more common problems that face humans. Within Shakespeare’s Hamlet, one of the more common themes of the book is that of power and how it corrupts people. This theme becomes obvious after the betrayal of King Hamlet by his brother, Claudius, in order to attain the throne. Shakespeare uses this aspect of the novel to argue the fact that people will become corrupt in order to move into a position of power and once they are in said position, they will remain a corrupt individual.

The idea of corruption in the kingdom is brought up early on in the novel, when the audience first learns of the treachery that Claudius committed. The idea of absolute power corrupted Claudius to an extent that he would do anything to be at the helm of the throne. Claudius even admits that his “Offence is rank, it …show more content…

Claudius was willing to kill his brother in order to claim the throne of Denmark, and he was more than ready to send Hamlet to be executed in England due to the fact that Hamlet posed a threat to his power. The idea that people are corrupted by power is a part of the human condition and it still holds true today. While there is no way to “cure” this issue, it is crucial that we recognize the problems that come with absolute power. Shakespeare made it clear that power in the wrong hands can tear a kingdom apart, and I think that Americans needs to be cognizant of that idea while electing government officials. While we may not live in a Victorian Era kingdom, we live in one united country and it is important for the citizens to recognize that fact and keep that in mind when deciding who to

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