Frank Underwood Quotes

The Netflix series House Of Cards is based off of Majority House Whip Francis Underwood as the show brings you on a long journey, as Frank demands his retribution to the people that lied to him. The scheming and malicious, Frank Underwood along with his equally manipulative wife, Claire attack Washington by climbing the chain of command within the White House. The main character Frank Underwood uses his authority to take advantage of the concerns of the public to achieve both self glory in hopes of obtaining great power. The question I present to you is, “Is Frank Underwood actually just a tyrant that leads to democratic complications and the evils that come along with it?” Drawing on Plato’s Republic, I will argue that Frank Underwood is a

“Such a waste of talent. He chose money over power. In this town, a mistake nearly everyone makes. Money is the Mc-mansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after 10 years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn’t see the difference”, was Frank’s quote on Remy a political businessman in the show(INSERT CITATION). This quote not only represented the idea of power for Frank but it created a comparison between him and Thrasymachus of the Plato’s Republic. In Plato’s Republic, Thrasymachus gives his definition of justice as, “Justice is nothing but the advantageous to the stronger”(Reeve 2004). Thrasymachus and Frank agree that in a way justice and power are more important that money and provide a leader with the opportunity to make and create laws with his self interest in mind. Thrasymachus view on justice was quite a tyrannical view in the book Plato’s Republic. As we transition through the book we learn that Democracy is transformed in a tyranny in multiple ways but it starts off as a Democracy. At the start of the show, Frank presents himself to his constituents and the public as a good role model, and makes

Throughout the show, Frank will exploit individuals that are driven by their unnecessary desires. For example, Peter Russo a congressman in the show is caught with a call girl and drugs, and Frank uses this opportunity to help Peter and in return, he wants his absolute loyalty. Which Frank, later on, demanded Peter close the shipyard playing into his scheme that will increase his power. This connects with the topic in the book on how a tyrant enslaves a democratic soul and uses it to its own advantage. You can see how this might lead to quite the rebellion, as in the case of the call girl that is still on the loose that could expose Frank as a monster. This example of rebellion from the show aligns with the drones and how they stir up the public and how they will try and revolt on the tyrant once they realize that they have not been doing their job and just focusing on themselves. Now the tyrant is faced with a revolt and he must deal with the situation and as a result, he kills all the virtuous people for fear that they will unseat him, then enslaves everyone else so that he can steal from them to support his lavish and extravagant lifestyle. This description of the tyrant from the book matches Frank’s response perfectly. The enslaved soul of Doug Stamper, who is