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How Can Power Lead To Corruption In Macbeth

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Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy in which it's themes not only reflect on past events but can be applied to today's society as well. A Scottish general by the name of Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches which for see him becoming King of Scotland. Pushed by ambition, Macbeth is further enabled by his wife to murder King Duncan to acquire the Scottish throne. His guilt consumes him and fuels constant paranoia within him. In his flawed plan he is forced to kill more people in his way to attain the throne. Through his new power he soon becomes a corrupt tyrannical ruler. This conundrum leads to the death of both Macbeth and his wife. The biggest theme portrayed in this work is that power will lead to corruption. …show more content…

He was convicted of multiple counts of fraud, money laundering, embezzlement, and electoral crimes. He used his power for his own personal gain which relates to “Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires;" (Shakespeare 44). His corrupted desires led him to steal for his personal gain. Another example could be Richard Nixon who started out as a moderate republican, but ended up thinking he had the right to break into democratic offices, bug people, and suppression of press. This relates to the quote "Our fears in Banquo Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared" (Shakespeare 96). This is because Nixon feared the release of press that exposed his actions. Another example of modern day corruption is Joseph Stalin. He had always been a power hungry individual but he became more corrupt as a he gained more power. His breaking point started when he murdered Lenin at the age of 53. This relates to the quote “Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires;" (Shakespeare 44). Because of Stalin's desire to come into

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