Power corrupts the Macbeths
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton
To what extent would Shakespeare agree with this statement? Use the play and your own experience as your support.
In my opinion, Shakespeare would agree with this statement wholeheartedly and he demonstrates this with Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth is told by the sisters that he will be king after they told him he was going to be king. At first, he thought nothing by it and said that if by fate he becomes king, then he will be king and there is nothing he can do to make the "prophecy" come true; he is not going to purposely do anything to make himself king. But overtime, he became greedy for power and that greed, along with Lady Macbeth pushing him, influenced him to commit many crimes against those who had nothing but respect for him. The power he craved tainted his relationship with others by making him view the ones close to him as enemies.
Another example is Lady Macbeth in the beginning of the play. When we are first introduced to the Mrs., we see that Macbeth views her as his equal, but as the story continues, we can see that that is not the case. The power dynamic in the relationship is Lady Macbeth as the superior one and the power that she has over Macbeth is used to influence his decisions. Macbeth probably wouldn't have thought about killing King Duncan if Lady Macbeth hadn't planted that seed into his mind. She used every tactic in the book to convince him that the only way to become king was to kill the one in his way. This power was used specifically to corrupt Macbeth's kind nature and turn him into the power-hungry monster he is from the middle to the end of the book.
In my experience, sometimes putting certain people in charge or in a position of leadership can bring out the worst in them. There have been many cases were I've had to work in groups in which I get along perfectly fine with everyone, then someone becomes the leader and they act like the most controlling and annoying person I've ever met. The power they have over everyone is limited, but they don't seem to realize that. They want things done a certain way and if you don't do it the way they want you to, they'll take over and do it themselves.
Based on all of these examples, I believe that power really does corrupt people and change them for the worst and I think Shakespeare would agree. It may not be intentional, but it does happen. That being said, I also believe that not everyone is corrupted by power. There are those who aren't really phased by having power and those are the people that everyone appreciates. In Macbeth, I would say that Banquo is an example of this because even though the sisters told him his sons would be kings, he chose not to act on it. He decided to let whatever happens, happen and that is why many appreciate him.
To what extent would Shakespeare agree with this statement? Use the play and your own experience as your support.
In my opinion, Shakespeare would agree with this statement wholeheartedly and he demonstrates this with Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth is told by the sisters that he will be king after they told him he was going to be king. At first, he thought nothing by it and said that if by fate he becomes king, then he will be king and there is nothing he can do to make the "prophecy" come true; he is not going to purposely do anything to make himself king. But overtime, he became greedy for power and that greed, along with Lady Macbeth pushing him, influenced him to commit many crimes against those who had nothing but respect for him. The power he craved tainted his relationship with others by making him view the ones close to him as enemies.
Another example is Lady Macbeth in the beginning of the play. When we are first introduced to the Mrs., we see that Macbeth views her as his equal, but as the story continues, we can see that that is not the case. The power dynamic in the relationship is Lady Macbeth as the superior one and the power that she has over Macbeth is used to influence his decisions. Macbeth probably wouldn't have thought about killing King Duncan if Lady Macbeth hadn't planted that seed into his mind. She used every tactic in the book to convince him that the only way to become king was to kill the one in his way. This power was used specifically to corrupt Macbeth's kind nature and turn him into the power-hungry monster he is from the middle to the end of the book.
In my experience, sometimes putting certain people in charge or in a position of leadership can bring out the worst in them. There have been many cases were I've had to work in groups in which I get along perfectly fine with everyone, then someone becomes the leader and they act like the most controlling and annoying person I've ever met. The power they have over everyone is limited, but they don't seem to realize that. They want things done a certain way and if you don't do it the way they want you to, they'll take over and do it themselves.
Based on all of these examples, I believe that power really does corrupt people and change them for the worst and I think Shakespeare would agree. It may not be intentional, but it does happen. That being said, I also believe that not everyone is corrupted by power. There are those who aren't really phased by having power and those are the people that everyone appreciates. In Macbeth, I would say that Banquo is an example of this because even though the sisters told him his sons would be kings, he chose not to act on it. He decided to let whatever happens, happen and that is why many appreciate him.
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