The Powerful Birth Of Failure In 'Dune Messiah'

Sawyer Adams
Mrs. Joy Pope
Introduction to American and World Literature
5 May 2023
The Powerful Birth of Failure
Imagine walking through a world ruled by a powerful ruler who owns the entire universe.
The tremendous power of that emperor would ultimately lead to his downfall. In Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune Messiah, the ruler of the known world, Paul Atreides, learns what power brings. A significant number of problems are facing Paul as he enters his twelfth year as emperor. There are many people who hate Paul and want to kill him and those he loves. A
Reverend Mother of the Bene-Gesserit and rivals of the House of Atreides plot to kill Paul in a secret meeting. They send Duncan Idaho, Paul’s former friend, and mentor, to assassinate

After a series of events, Paul’s wife ultimately dies in childbirth. Paul, who fully loses his eyesight, is banished into the vast, empty desert, where he is left to live out his life. Frank Herbert displays that power leads to failure leading to his downfall through the use of dynamic characterization throughout the novel.
First, The development of a dynamic character, Duncan Idaho, proves that power leads to failure. Duncan was Paul’s mentor and friend who was brutally murdered during a brutal war with the Harrkonans on Arakis. Duncan was killed while letting Paul escape from his enemies.
However, Paul’s unknown enemies present him with a Tleilaxu Ghola, which is the shell of a person who has died and is then artificially recreated. The Ghola is Duncan Idaho, Paul’s greatest mentor, and friend. Idaho does not remember his past with Paul and is tasked with killing him.
Paul does not realize that he is in danger until Duncan states, “They intend me to destroy you”
(Herbert 79). These ominous words warn Paul that his enemies will completely and utterly destroy him. In their ingenuity, Paul’s enemies prove that they will make his death particularly painful; they send his own friend and mentor to eradicate him. Paul’s enemies

While Paulis journeying back to his palace from meeting with the Desert People, he is violently thrown to the ground by a terrible explosion. That explosion is from an illegal nuclear-powered digger, and it causes Paul to lose his eyes. Paul can still see due to his prophesying abilities, but the destructive carnage leaves many people near the brink of death without eyes. Working to uncover the truth, upon further investigation, the digger is proven to be owned by a desert person who is one of Paul’s enemies. Paul accuses Freman of “[conspiring] with traitors to accomplish the destruction of our lord and emperor” (216). Paul says that the traitorous Fremen attempted to murder him. The use of the highly illegal item caused the death of several people and the loss of sight in many more, all in the interest of gaining more power. The digger was later proved to be owned by Paul’s enemies. The accused is proven guilty and is shown to be part of a group dedicated to overthrowing Paul. Surprisingly, this accident may have been an attempted murder of the Emperor. The explosion of the digger, caused by Paul’s enemies, shows that power leads to failure because his enemies were ultimately after his power and the