When power is given to a person, it can change them negatively by creating an selfish and ungrateful ego. Many people who obtain authority and dominance become pompous and their superiority begins to feed their self-esteem. The lesson of power changing people is proven throughout history and is displayed in many novels and movies where the majority of citizens see power as money, and money as success. Having the mindset that being powerful leads to success causes them to under appreciate their lives and not see the goals they’ve accomplished as successes.
In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth and his wife plot and kill Duncan over a prophecy they receive. This leads to the death of Him and Lady Macbeth and many others. Is power a corrupting force? Yes in the play, Macbeth is given much power and he abuses it, being corrupted with the idea of power. This is prevalent through the plot, characters, tone, and theme of the play.
Power is the source of all evil in the world which makes it more dangerous than everything else. Particularly, all of the most horrendous people in history all wanted this one thing called power. Power changes people by corrupting them, making them greedy, and bring out the darkness in people. Corruption only helps a society by trying to gain more power for that one ruler in the region.
Humans have an innate desire for power. Most often, they look for it in relationships and social position. Like all things, having authority offers temporary pleasure. The amount of power one might possess usually parallels their own self-perception and how they interact with others. People usually look to gain power when they lack control in their own lives.
Most people will never get the chance to feel the rush that comes with this much power, but many leaders who were given that chance were swayed by the lust for dominance. Rare is that the quality of selflessness in a leader. Power is too strong of a seducer for people not to gain at least somewhat of a hunger for control. And this obviously doesn’t just affect those in power. The people who are at the mercy of a ruler will always react negatively, whether they have a good ruler or a bad one.
Throughout history, there have been countless examples of individuals who have been consumed by their lust for power, leading to a loss of their humanity. The desire for power can be intoxicating, and it can cause people to do things that they would never have considered before. They focus too much on achieving power at any cost which drives them essentially insane. A great example of this is William Shakespeare's “Macbeth.” There are hundreds of great examples of these characters losing sight of what makes them human, such as empathy, compassion, and death.
The word power is defined as the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality. In William Shakespeare's tragedy that is Macbeth the desire for power is the driving force behind the demise of many characters. The main character Macbeth, strives for power, it motivates him to such an end that he is willing to not only take his own life but the lives of his friends and the innocent. The desire for power becomes so vigorous that it turns into a dark obsession. This fixation for power caused many catastrophic events to occur.
Macbeth may not be the hero Scotland thought he was, because he could have genuinely been a good person and cared about Duncan or only considered not killing him because he was his cousin being the only thing stopping him from doing it. But the power could be to blame since some naturally want the power to control others, though not everybody with power is bad. Duncan is a good example of power not causing people to be corrupt, since he treated Macbeth well by giving him land, making him cawdor, etc. Maybe it was the fact that Macbeth was his cousin, but he wasn’t killing everybody he didn’t trust like macbeth did. As a matter of fact Duncan even stayed over in Macbeth’s castle without any suspicion towards him at all.
The Deception Behind Power Machiavellian Villains will go to drastic extents to maintain power, it can be used for selfish acts. Power can be dangerous, this is evident in the characters of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Polonius, Hamlet, and Claudius use their influence for evil in hopes of it benefiting themselves despite other lives being put at risk. Polonius had power in his role with the royals as well as power over his children as their father. He used this power to control and spy in a deceptive manner.
Power in many cases, blinds the person from seeing both sides of a problem or not thinking something through. In my knowledge, people in history with absolute power tend to make huge mistakes because they didn 't think an idea through or were only focused on what they want. Ivan the terrible was a young, absolute leader of Russia. He made good decisions at first, but then started making mistakes. Ivan only trusted the head of the church, and no one else.
Everyone, at one point in their lives has wanted power more than anything. Those who do get it have to make the decision whether they want to use it for good or evil. Power can turn a person into something they never dreamed they would become because it starts to take over their lives and people do not know what to do with so much power. There are many examples of power in the play Macbeth and every person that got it used it in very different ways. This caused many changes in people from turning from good to evil or evil to good.
People crave power because they believe that it will benefit them in the long run, but it does not. Too much power and authority will lead to crookedness. People with power never stop striving for more. That can be a dreadful thing because people with that mentality will hurt anyone that comes in between their goal. There can be different reasons why people try to gain more power, either for riches or for popularity.
Becoming ambitious for more as well as being a megalomaniac and sanctimonious are characteristics resulting in having too much power over people. Although power can be used acceptably, when given ability over others, humans tend to get carried away and strive for more. Having too much authority over others causes innocent lives to be manipulated, the guiltless to suffer from being abused, and individuals to act egotistical. When presented with too much power, it can cause individuals to wield it in incorrect ways, hurting blameless beings. Although some may believe that power is a good trait to have, it may harm faultless people and cause them to be maneuvered against their own will.
Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain, is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing.
People have many different reactions when given power. The reaction is usually either one where they use power for a greater good and to guide others in a better situation, or they can misuse the power given and take advantage of the circumstances or others to make themselves feel even more dominant and in command. In the play, Antigone by Sophocles one of the main characters , King Creon, abuses his power to take superiority of others and in an attempt to gain control. The misuse of power is more frequent than the use of power for the favorable, even in many current events.
