Power Corrupts Macbeth by Ricky F.

Power is something most people strive to get when they don’t have it. Power is what runs the world now and has for a long time. The problem with power is that it corrupts. Through out time it’s posed a problem. Shakespeare’s drama Macbeth is a great example of how power will corrupt even at the thought of it. Macbeth is a war hero and is loyal to the king but he gets a prophecy from three witches that he will be king. And it changes the way he thinks.

One example of how power corrupted Macbeth in the story is in the beginning of the story. Three witches say to Macbeth, “all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!”(1.3.53). the Three witches tell Macbeth that he will become king. Macbeth doesn’t really believe them at first until the first part of the prophecy comes true. Then he begins to think about the idea of becoming king. The power him and his wife could posses and he begins to think about the idea. He and his wife plot for him to kill the king and make it look like the guards did it. Just in this section power has caused Macbeth to go from a loyal servant to murderer intent on committing regicide.

Another example in the story of how power corrupts is a little further into the story Macbeth has become king. He begins to fear that his friend Banquo is plotting against him. We see this when Macbeth is talking to himself and says, “Our fears in Banquo stick deep,” (3.1.53-54). He thinks this because Banquo was with him when he got his prophecy. And Banquo had also received a prophecy that his sons would be kings. He’s the only one that can bring Macbeth down with what he knows. So fearing for his power being taken from and Banqou taking control he uses his power to have Banquo and his son murdered. Here Macbeth has just killed his own friend because he was paranoid of the loss of his power.

Macbeth later in the story is having trouble dealing with Macduff, the thane of fife, who is still loyal to Malcolm the true heir to the throne. He finds out that Macduff has gone to England. Macbeth takes advantage of him being gone and sends murderers to kill his wife and his son. This shows how much Macbeth has changed with the new power he has acquired. You can here it best in the way he speak in this act he says, “From now on, every deed that my mind imagines will be carried out by my hand at once.” (4.1.161-163). He has become ruthless in an attempt to hold onto his power for as long as he can and his gone mad with it.

The play Macbeth is a great example of how power corrupts. Macbeth is the one mostly corrupted by the power. But in the end he was killed and the throne turned over to the rightful heir Malcolm. The play relates well to the world around us as well. You can think back to World War II and Hitler in Germany. He had good ideas but the lust for power took over and he ended up causing his own downfall.