ipl-logo

The Ethical Implications Of Power In Hamlet And The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms

462 Words2 Pages

Ethical Implications of Power
The discussion surrounding power and its corrupting influence on individuals has been prevalent in literature for centuries. Chinese literature, specifically “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” and Western literature, such as Shakespeare's “Hamlet,” explore this topic extensively. Both texts depict individuals who are corrupted by power, leading them to make unethical and dangerous decisions. In this paper, we will dive deeper into the ethical implications of power and its corrupting influence on individuals in “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and “Hamlet.”

Both “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and “Hamlet” explore the ethical implications of power and the corrupting influence it can have on individuals. Busslinger (2013) argues that power not only corrupts, it degrades human morality. In Chinese literature, emphasis is placed on the negative impacts that power has on individuals. Power breeds egoism and selfishness, leading individuals to take drastic actions to maintain their power. This can be seen in Cao Cao's actions in “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” as he …show more content…

The two texts present the idea that power is the corrupting force that leads individuals to make dangerous and unethical decisions. In “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” Liu Bei struggles to maintain his power and uphold his moral code when his adopted son, Guan Yu, goes against his orders and kills an ally. The situation prompts Liu Bei to reflect on his actions and question his own ethics. Similarly, in “Hamlet,” the titular character is faced with a similar ethical dilemma, as he seeks to avenge his father's death while remaining true to his morals. Both texts explore the idea that power can make individuals forget their ethical obligations and responsibilities, leading to actions that have severe

Show More
Related
1011 Words | 5 Pages

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”-John Dalberg Acton. For Judge Crevan, his power corrupts him wholly because of his greed, grief, and wanted to stop people from negatively affecting society. In the real world, people have tried to control others through propaganda, education, and threats for those in power to conceive their plans for a “better world”. Cecilia Ahern explores the idea that unbridled power leads to corruption through her main antagonists in Flawed.

Read More
695 Words | 3 Pages

Edmund Burke once stated, “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse”. In the novel, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, in a future where humanity has overcome disease, war and even death, scythes are the only ones that can ‘glean’ or end lives to preserve the balance of population. Readers follow Rowan and Citra as they navigate the rocky apprenticeship to becoming a scythe, knowing that ultimately only one of them can be ordained. Through their new discoveries and trials in the scythedom, Shusterman conveys that because of the greed that comes with power, the morals of individuals are corrupted under it. Firstly, those in positions of power are held in high regard by others.

Read More
801 Words | 4 Pages

“Never trust a man who sits, uninvited, at the head of the table in another man’s home” (Ahern 2). The novel Flawed by Celia Ahern communicates the idea that people gain lots of power by creating a common idea that makes many people happy. Although they start with good plans, the power can start to get to these leaders and begin to corrupt them. Once a person gets power, they will do anything to make sure it isn’t taken away from them. Ahern uses Judge Crevan to help mimic other past rulers who had power which led them to corruption.

Read More
1133 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout history, people had a desire for power and abused their power. Power is a significant enduring issue because it led to events that had huge effects on the world such as the Qin dynasty of ShiHuangdi’s ruling, Autocrats,

Read More
1082 Words | 5 Pages

Abuse of power, either by individuals or government, can affect trust and stability in society, leading to chaos and disorder. In the thousands of years humans have existed, there have been many incidents where certain people gained too much power, commands that lead to the downfall of empires and even civilizations. This concept has been presented in “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller and in many other texts such as “Nero” by Don Nardo which talks about Emperor Nero from the Roman Empire who was a very power hungry leader, “Apartheid” by Gale World History Online which talks about how government abused their power over people to establish apartheid against Black Africans. These texts support how abuse of power leads to chaos and disorder in society.

Read More
1176 Words | 5 Pages

Once someone has had a taste of power, they will do everything possible to hold onto it. Throughout Hosseini’s novel, characters gain and lose power. They also abuse power, whether through friendship or fear. They manipulate the powerless to stay in their position. In Khaled Hosseini’s

Read More
758 Words | 4 Pages

Most of us have a side to each other that no one knows about. This side is often a darker feared side, which explains why we don't show it. Unfortunately, sometimes it is shown when we least expect it. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson draws attention to the multiple personalities detained in one person, although you might only reveal one, the author always presents his worst or best side. Stevenson's representation of good and evil is shown throughout the story in many different ways.

Read More
1059 Words | 5 Pages

The book Scythe teaches readers that the abuse of extreme amounts of power can lead to a corrupted mindset, ultimately leading to the downfall of those in positions of authority. Neal Shushterman’s story teaches

Read More
1574 Words | 7 Pages

MIP Rough Draft The play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare and the book, “The Handmaids Tale” by Margaret Atwood, both create a fall of power in society and this loss of leadership opens the door for corruption to take over. Both authors have created this instability in society and use the motifs: loss of power, religion, and relationships to explore characters’ innermost selves. This exploration of characters proves that one will submit to anything in order to obtain stability in a corrupt environment. Both Shakespeare and Margaret Atwood immediately pull the rug out beneath from the characters in their work, creating instability not only in the character’s mind but in the reader’s mind as well.

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1587 Words | 7 Pages

We see these conflicts exemplified throughout the story as corruption controls both power and identity. Margaret Atwood preaches the importance of these lessons to help us appreciate the possession of human rights that we acquire. Power that is held

Read More
448 Words | 2 Pages

When somebody receives incredible power, they also receive a large burden of responsibility. Some people, such as Napoleon, disregard these responsibilities and become corrupt. In reality, we have seen this in leaders such as Stalin, who became corrupt once into power. In “Animal Farm”, Napoleon, a totalitarian pig, is a great example of how too much power is equal to corruption.

Read More
679 Words | 3 Pages

Most people question, “ How does the quest of power cause people to act? ”. Over the years the question has been proved to cause people to act differently. Not just in history but in many movies, plays, books, and even in current events today. The quest of power drives people to do things out of their character.

Read More
832 Words | 4 Pages

The morality of murder stretches further than whether someone feels bad or not about their actions. Morality is what makes us human. It separates us from every other being in the world. Hamlet by Shakespeare exhibits many different types of mortality. It is not only in the story of Hamlet that the ethics of death are discussed but in the real lives of our soldiers that are fighting for our country.

Read More
561 Words | 3 Pages

Liberal contractarianism and libertarianism are big advocates for the individual. They believe the states primary goal is to protect these individual rights and help people flourish through their individually chosen goals. “Liberalism adds the corollary that the state should remain neutral regarding values, goals, and actions that do not directly interfere with anyone’s autonomy.” What Wenz was suggesting is that liberalism strives to make the state a neutral party and not have the state take sides in individual matters. Both of these theories focuses in on individualism as the most important part of society.

Read More

More about The Ethical Implications Of Power In Hamlet And The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms

Related Topics

Open Document