"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Action
In Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates the effect of power on man. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a noble warrior who fights with honor and creed. Shakespeare describes Macbeth's virtuous character early on through a conversation between King Duncan and one of his captains. The captain describes how "brave Macbeth" defeated the rebel Macdonwald to which King Duncan, delighted, responds "O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!"
Despite this initial characterization, Macbeth's value of loyalty is suddenly changed by the prophecy of the witches promising him power. In murdering King Duncan, Macbeth shows complete disregard for the allegiance to his country that he was once so willing to die for. The struggle for power, then, fundamentally corrupted Macbeth; he completely lost sight of his moral compass. For this reason, Shakespeare would agree, to a great extent, that absolute power (like being King) absolutely corrupts what one stands for (such as the irony of a soldier killing the King that he once fought for).
In my own experience, I have also demonstrated the ability of power to change one's personal values. For all my life, I have been very dedicated to spending money wisely. Over the summer, my parents gave me a credit card to use for emergencies and, occasionally, for food. In contrast to spending my own money, the credit card gave me full access to my parent's bank account. Because of this, I did not feel the usual guilt associated with spending money when I used the card. As the summer went on, I began to use the card more and more frequently. The consequences of overusing the card were, at the time, indifferent to me.
At the end of the summer, however, after my parents read through their bank statement, I was stripped of my credit card privilege and forced to pay my parents the $300 bill out of my own pocket. In retrospect, I consider the credit card to have been a form of absolute power to me. With the card I could buy virtually anything without having to worry about losing my own money. Ultimately, I turned into a person with no regard for spending nor rational purchases. Just like the power of being King led Macbeth to betray his values, the power of the credit card led me to do the same.
I like how you wrote this blogpost as almost a comparison of Macbeth and his character before and after being corrupted by power. I think that definitely proves your point that power can be very corrupting, although I don't see where you explained how shakespeare thought about the quote.
ReplyDeleteZac I like your story on how you handled money with your parents credit card. I thought it was interesting how you did not care if you spent your family's money rather than your own personal money. Do you think your spending of the money was a product of fate, or choice? I believe that this was fate and that it taught you a valuable lesson on spending or not spending money.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the comparison with your unfortunate story because I think money and power are often the root of personal corruption. However, I do hope, like Connor, that you learned your lesson and that your story doesn't end quite as devastatingly as does Macbeth's.
ReplyDeleteI like how you analyzed your own corruption of power as it greatly contributed to the meaning of this post. You did a good job talking about Macbeth but I think more elaboration would have been nice.
ReplyDeleteZac, excellent blog post my friend! I agree with your explanation in Macbeth that power, or the promise of power through prophecy, corrupts an individual and causes him to chase power rather than righteousness. As you explained, absolute power will cause even the most selfless and loyal warriors to become corrupt as selfish power is valued more than selfless actions. I think these values come as a result to the rewards power brings such as riches and fame while the rewards of selflessness can usually go unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed your personal story as well, as the same thing happened to me over the course of junior year. I was also given a credit card to use for gas and occasionally food, however like you became corrupt and began going off campus every day, using the card. This year, without a credit card, I have been much more careful with spending money and have yet to go off campus to purchase food this year.
Ballzac, you are one excellent writer and an even better indoor soccer player! In regards to the blog post, I really enjoyed the anecdote about the credit card as I feel that lots of students can relate to this. I do think a little more elaboration on the part of Macbeth would have been helpful, but a job well done.
ReplyDeleteZac Thomas, this post is absolutely magical, marvelous, and everything in between! I totally agree with your statement about the to the development of MacBeth from a noble warrior to a greedy, bonkers king. The difference between having power and having absolute power is a huge step up and even the greatest moral compass could be misguided unintentionally. In regards to your personal story, I can totally relate to what had happened you. I always tend to be more careful when spending my own money. I definitely understand the situation you were in, without having any personal attachment to the money you were spending, it would be hard to recognize what you were doing. Overall, this was a great post and I hope you continue posting a this high level!
ReplyDelete