Power Corrupts
Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you¨. Similar to Macbeth, those who rose to power and who fought ¨monsters¨ in the beginning, ended up becoming one or associated with one in the end which ultimately foreshadows their death. Throughout the tragedy Macbeth multiple characters are corrupted by power. Whether corruption comes from wanting power or already having power, corruption is inevitable either way. This is a recurring theme which is displayed through many types of imagery. The Shakespearean play, Macbeth, displays how plant and animal, light and dark, and blood …show more content…
Throughout Macbeth there are many examples of dark imagery to provide a sense of evil or corruption for the reader. An example of dark imagery is when Macbeth states, “… Light thickens, and the crow/ Makes wing to th´ rooky wood:/ Good things of day begin to droop and drowse,/ Whiles nightś black agents to their preys do rouse” (3.2.55-58). This is an excerpt from one of Macbeth’s soliloquies when he is telling his wife not to worry about the murder he is planning for Banquo. Macbeth is saying how the day is fading into night and all good things are ending and the bad things are about to emerge. Banquo and Macbeth were originally very close friends and after the witches prophecies became true Banquo became suspicious of Macbeth rising to power. Macbeth thought it was his duty to kill Banquo in order to protect his throne. Macbeth’s rise to power twisted his mind and led to his corruption; which eventually led to his downfall. As it has been described that Macbeth becomes corrupted through his murders, John Russell Brown, Shakespearean scholar for University of Texas, concurs with his statement: “Other prodigies, seen or reported, suggest that the entire world suffers from Macbeth’s crimes. It is the ‘unruly’ night when Duncan is murdered, with ‘lamentings heard i’th’air, strange screams of death’ (II.iii.54-62)” (292). Another way that power leads to the corruption of a character is Lady Macbeth’s wish for darkness on the night of Duncan’s murder. However Lady Macbeth wishes for the opposite when she says, “… Come, thick night,/ And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell… Nor heaven peep through the blanket of dark” (1.5.52-55). Shakespeare is once again using dark imagery to demonstrate the evil within characters. In this instance Lady Macbeth has not even risen to power yet, but just the thought of power makes her
Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you¨. Similar to Macbeth, those who rose to power and who fought ¨monsters¨ in the beginning, ended up becoming one or associated with one in the end which ultimately foreshadows their death. Throughout the tragedy Macbeth multiple characters are corrupted by power. Whether corruption comes from wanting power or already having power, corruption is inevitable either way. This is a recurring theme which is displayed through many types of imagery. The Shakespearean play, Macbeth, displays how plant and animal, light and dark, and blood …show more content…
Throughout Macbeth there are many examples of dark imagery to provide a sense of evil or corruption for the reader. An example of dark imagery is when Macbeth states, “… Light thickens, and the crow/ Makes wing to th´ rooky wood:/ Good things of day begin to droop and drowse,/ Whiles nightś black agents to their preys do rouse” (3.2.55-58). This is an excerpt from one of Macbeth’s soliloquies when he is telling his wife not to worry about the murder he is planning for Banquo. Macbeth is saying how the day is fading into night and all good things are ending and the bad things are about to emerge. Banquo and Macbeth were originally very close friends and after the witches prophecies became true Banquo became suspicious of Macbeth rising to power. Macbeth thought it was his duty to kill Banquo in order to protect his throne. Macbeth’s rise to power twisted his mind and led to his corruption; which eventually led to his downfall. As it has been described that Macbeth becomes corrupted through his murders, John Russell Brown, Shakespearean scholar for University of Texas, concurs with his statement: “Other prodigies, seen or reported, suggest that the entire world suffers from Macbeth’s crimes. It is the ‘unruly’ night when Duncan is murdered, with ‘lamentings heard i’th’air, strange screams of death’ (II.iii.54-62)” (292). Another way that power leads to the corruption of a character is Lady Macbeth’s wish for darkness on the night of Duncan’s murder. However Lady Macbeth wishes for the opposite when she says, “… Come, thick night,/ And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell… Nor heaven peep through the blanket of dark” (1.5.52-55). Shakespeare is once again using dark imagery to demonstrate the evil within characters. In this instance Lady Macbeth has not even risen to power yet, but just the thought of power makes her