Lord Acton and Shakespeare Beliefs

"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 this quote is an idiom that means who holds unchecked power or authority is likely to become corrupt or abuse one's position. Do you guys remember the Jane Erye story and how Mr. Brocklehurst had complete control over the school and the people in it? Do you remember how evil and corrupt the man was to the teachers and children? Well, he is a perfect example of this quote. He misused his power and treated those underneath him like they were worthless and stupid. He abused his position because he could and no one could stop him.  

Throughout acts 1-3 in the play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, the desire for absolute power is the main driving force for the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are consumed with a thirst for complete rule, and are willing to achieve it by whatever means necessary. Power had corrupted the thoughts, actions and behaviors of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and as a result of their greed, selfishness and strong desire for the crown, they will soon find out that they are unable to escape the tragic fate at the end of the play that was a result of their own doing.

In the beginning of the play Shakespeare makes Macbeth a celebrated, brave soldier who's loyalty lies with the king (Duncan) and is trusted, as well as respected by him. Unfortunately, his down fall begins when he is greeted by three weird women (witches) who tell him a prophecy. This prophecy says that Duncan will become Thane of Cawdor. As Lady Macbeth learns of this we see that her desire for power starts to break free and we see her start to become corrupt. She right away wished this prophecy to come true. Her longing for power and wishes to be a queen drove her thoughts and feelings to be very corrupt and cruel. An example of her corrupt thoughts as a result of the desire for power is evident upon her reaction to her husband’s letter. She tells Macbeth that they must kill king Duncan for the prophecy to come true, but she fears that her husband’s nature is too pure and that he doesn’t have enough ambition to commit the crimes necessary to fulfill it. She says, "Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it. what thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false (page 31, lines 19-22).” This quote shows that Lady Macbeth is willing to “play false” or act in corrupt ways to attain the power she wants.                                 

In Act two of the play Duncan is killed and Macbeth becomes the Thane of Cawdor, as predicted by the three witches, whose scheming helps drive Macbeth’s ambition and ultimately transform him into a murderer and tyrant. How much of a push Macbeth needed to turn to murder is not clear, but the word of three mysterious women appears to be enough to drive him to kill. Our perception of Macbeth as a brave soldier is further eroded when we see how easily he is manipulated by Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was the driving force behind Macbeth, telling him to go over the edge and fulfil his prophecy. Throughout the play the idea of her being powerful takes over and she does what ever is necessary to make sure Macbeth follows through with their plan. She is there every step of the way telling him he deserves the crown and that he must not be a coward. When Macbeth finally killed Duncan he is suddenly overwhelmed with ambition and self-doubt. Although he constantly questions his own actions, he is also compelled to commit further atrocities in order to cover up his previous wrongdoings. The moment he became king he ordered three murderers to kill his best friend Banquo, along with his son. Shakespeare writes this because he wanted to show how Macbeth's need for power and lust was leading him to do unthinkable things.

In conclusion, Shakespeare's whole play surrounds Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's search for power. Shakespeare starts off with why they want it and how they plan to attain it, and through this we see their characters change and evolve into power thirsty humans. By Act 3 Shakespeare writes about their come to power and what they currently are doing with it, and through this we see that ultimate power does make the person in authority abuse it and become corrupt. This as lead me to believe Shakespeare would definitely agree with this quote by Lord Aron.

       Well guys, you could take this either two ways. One, power is the root of all evil and leads to unimaginable things, or, having power can gives you great benefits like being able to ask for anything and it get done. If you believe in the second way I hope you are ready to handle the soul-crushing internal guilt that comes as a result.

I'm using my semester freebie:)))))))

Jane Eyre and the Canterbury Tales

Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Explain how the character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values.

In the story of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, alienation of the main character and other girls is used by the author to reveal what society thinks and believes. Jane is a new student at her school and is very shy and doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of her classmates. She and others were alienated by Mr. Brocklehurst, who was the principle of the school, when he showed up to the classroom to talk to Ms. Temple.

When Mr. Bocklehurst walked into the classroom he stood next to the teacher, Ms. Temple and spoke quietly to her. After speaking to Ms. Temple for some time he had surveyed the classroom and his eyes fell on a girl named Julia. He looked shocked and called her out in front of everyone by proclaiming, "Miss Temple, Miss Temple, what--WHAT is that girl with curled hair? Red hair, ma'am, curled--curled all over?"  He had pointed his cane at her and shook it with disgust. After learning of Julia's name he fussed about her hair and why it was curly, stating it was defining every principle at the school and was not what he wanted her and every other girl to look like. This alludes to what society values because Mr. Bocklehurst said that the hair must be cut off because it would take to long to mess around with in the morning and he stated that he was there to teach the girls how to be proper and to mortify into the girls the lust of the flesh. Society values shamelessness and a women's natural self, and that is why Mr. Bocklehurst got so mad at Julia, it was because he thought she curled her hair on purpose to impress others.

Mr. Bocklehurst also called out Jane in front of her classmates when she dropped her slate. He made her stand upon a stool as everyone started at her and he proclaimed her to be careless and not a true child of God. By making Jane do this he was alienating her from everyone else. As a punishment he told everyone in the class to shun her from activities and to be wary of her presence. The teachers were to do the same and to keep a keen eye on her and to punish her for the simplest of acts. Mr. Bocklehurst went on scrutinizing her and he called her a liar. This example shows that society believes that everyone must strive to be perfect and that every wrong doing must come with a price.