Power?

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"- Lord Action

When looking at this particular quote, some questions can be raised in whether or not it is an absolute truth of life or a mere fallacy.  However the main question that comes to mind is, does this introduction of power always lead to abuse of power and would Shakespeare agree with that statement of power leading to corruption.  In short, I do think that Shakespeare, the great writer and playwright of the 16th century would agree due to the clear example that he gave through Macbeth.  A play that is centralized around the effects of gaining power and how that power in turn changes its beholder in the process. 

This was because Shakespeare was making a social commentary on the current monarchy of England by transforming the current king; King James I into the protagonist of the play subsequently names Macbeth.  Shakespeare is making this comment because during this time many people did not agree with King James and they accused him of being a tyrant, because he never listened to his subjects and had no respect for the system of laws and acted irrationally against the people.  So, Shakespeare was highlighting how power is able to totally change a character in his play, Macbeth, while also symbolizing the effect that power has on the monarchy under King James I in the real world.

The first main example for Macbeth that supports this claim that power corrupts comes from the quote, "Thence to be wretched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding.  If't be so, For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind."(IV,I)  This quote is incredibly important when looking if Shakespeare would be in agreeance with the original question because it shows the mindset of a man who is now drunk and fully corrupt with power.  This idea of power corruption can be seen through the use of hyperbole in the fact that once Macbeth dies the next ruler will have to pry the crown and scepter from his cold body. 

 This use of the excessive exaggeration is used mainly to show the audience that Macbeth now has the power that he was promised and is now going to do everything in his power to cement his reign in history.  This also shows the idea that once someone gains power, in any form; social, political, economic, etc.  they never want to give it up.  Because there is something about that feeling of power and the new abilities you have the makes you almost become primal in your instincts.  To being to like this new power that you have and want to make sure that nothing stands in our way as you bask in your new life.  This is where the corruption of power comes in, because as you being form into this power hunger monster, you being to be willing and open to unthinkable actions that will grant that power just a little longer.  

So tying this idea back to the quote this use of hyperbole, shows his aggression in his power lust, but also there is some foreshadowing that is happening in the actions that Macbeth will take in order to make his rule absolute.  He says, "Banquo's issue have I filed my mind."(IV,I)  In this quote Macbeth is foreshadowing the actions that he is going to have to take in order have his security of his personal power in his Kingship.  This quote ties into the previous acts where both Banquo and Macbeth are given prophecies of their future.  Macbeth was told that he would be the King of Scotland and would hold the crown, where Banquo would not be king but his lineage of children would hold power for the see-able future after Macbeth.  This angered Macbeth as he reflected on it because after he dies, Banquo's sons would hold the power of Scotland.  

Now Macbeth is getting to thinking, that if he dies and his power is given to the next in line (Fleance) then he will be able to alter and reverse all the work that Macbeth would do during his reign of the throne.  This is again where the corruption the mind come in with the addiction to power, because now he is planning on having Banquo and his son killed so that there is no future competition for the throne.  Let you be reminded that this is the same Banquo that Macbeth fought besides in battle and they were basically best friends for life times infinity.  But now that Macbeth has power he sees everyone as a threat to his rule even if it is your best friend, and the corruption has deemed Banquo a threat so he has to kill him and his lineage just to be sure of his power.  So with this use of the foreshadowing Shakespeare is making the notion that power is almost like a cancer which spread more and more as you gain more power, thus causing you to do more irrational and unjust things.

A personal connection that I have to this quote when dealing with the relationship between power and corruption comes from being on the varsity lacrosse team in my sophomore year.  Early on in the season the players select captains to lead the players in practice as well as in the games to represent Millbrook in the coin toss.  As three of the seniors were picked one of them really stood out, and not in a good way, I could tell from the beginning that he had a lust for power and ultimate authority over the whole team.  So as the weeks when by we started to see him develop this side of himself that none of us had ever seen before.  As his desire for more and more power began to grow so did his attitudes and actions, this actually eventually led to the removal of his as a captain for the team.   But when he became just regular player again his was totally normal and just his old self again.  This was how I saw power corruption truly change someone just over the course of about a week. 

Seeing this transformation of someone's attitude as power being to corrupt is absolutely shocking.  So in conclusion I can strongly say for both myself as well as Shakespeare that power corrupts people as seen through the text as well as my personal experiences.