Power Corrupts

“Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.” This saying means that the more power one has the more corrupt they become. One that has power generally abuses it. In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare we see multiple characters grow more corrupt as their power increases. Also once someone has a taste of power they usually want more. As to why power corrupts I believe it is because the more power someone has, the easier it is to fall into temptation and forget who we are

In the play we see that once Macbeth gets a taste of power by becoming Thane of Cawdor he realizes all the power he could have and gets a thirst for more. For example, Macbeth says, “My murderous thought is still only imaginary but it shakes my entire manhood so deeply that my power to act is smothered by expectation, and nothing seems real to be except what I imagine.”(Act 1 scene 3 lines 149-151). This leads him to killing the king in order to obtain even more power. By murdering the king Macbeth starts to go down a path of corruption from a loyal man to a traitor in order achieve his goals, and as time goes on he becomes even more corrupt which shows through his actions.

Once Macbeth becomes king his corruption didn't stop. Macbeth abused his new found power by becoming a ruthless king which is shown in the play. “Send out more horses, skirr the country round. Hang those that talk of fear” (act 5 scene 2 lines 35-37). Once King Macbeth believed his people’s lives were his to with as he pleased and threw them away carelessly. This abuse of his power shows us that killing the king was not going to be the last of Macbeth’s evil deeds and that Macbeth was starting become more passive about taking innocent lives.

Another example of how power goes hand in hand with corruption is the three witches. The Three witches are probably the most powerful and corrupt characters in the entire play. They are the ones who set Macbeth and Lady Macbeth down their dark paths .They are also the ones who hold the most power over the two. If the witches had never told Macbeth their prophecy then all of the deaths in the play would not have occurred.  

In conclusion we see that power and corruption are two things that are commonly intertwined. We see this in Macbeth who went from a man who was loyal to his king and his friends who couldn't even bear the thought of killing his king. To a man who could take away innocent lives as though it was second nature.  We also see that the witches who were the ones controlling everything and were the ones who had absolute power were the most corrupt. Macbeth is a perfect tale that perfectly shows how power can corrupt people. However, the corruption of power isn't only limited to Macbeth, humans all over the world who have power are corrupt. Dictators, gang bosses, politicians. Because we humans have trouble resisting all the temptations of power we usually find ourselves falling into temptation.  This is why Macbeth is a story that be placed in many different settings.