Introduction
Does power corrupt automatically the person who comes to power? Some people think that power automatically corrupts a person, while others believe that power doesn't corrupt a person at all but instead, it's just the character of a person. However, my view is that power corrupts people at times, and many factors contribute to the person being corrupt. According to Lord John Dalberg- Acton, "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."(Action, 1887). In Shakespeare Macbeth play, Macbeth goes against nature by doing terrible things leading to his destruction. Therefore, I believe that the argument that power doesn't corrupt is invalid because the terms 'power trip' or 'mad with power' will not exist. People in authority feel that they have the power to do anything as long as they have control over every person.
Shakespeare's play Macbeth was about a Scottish noble's with power cravings leading him to do terrible things that led to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by highlighting how Macbeth uses power over others to corrupt his way. He becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming the king and controlling the people he will rule. He meets the witches who predict that he will be Thane of Glamis, then thane of Cawdor, and lastly, the witches said: "all hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter" ( Shakespeare 2007, 7). This quote meant that he was going to be the king, allowing himself to be manipulated by Lady Macbeth, leading to the murder of King Duncan.
Corruption in Macbeth
Furthermore, Jane Brendon, a critic of Macbeth, comments on Lady Macbeth and Macbeth's association, the hero, committing crimes that show the corruption of Macbeth is designed, and the consequences of his actions were already foretold. Lady Macbeth had control of her weak husband and found it easy to manipulate him into murdering King Duncan and made him believe that it was his own idea. She used lines like "look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it." (Shakespeare 2007, 20). She also insults Macbeth telling him that he can only prove his manhood to her by murdering since he hasn't proved it by "giving her a son." (Shakespeare, 2007, 21). This insult was harsh since males were considered to be everything in society.
Lady Macbeth and the three witches are wicked, but they are stronger than the men around them. Her attitude towards power was similar to that of Macbeth. When she read the husband's letter about the witches, she was willing to take any risk to see that her husband became the king. She was in support of King Duncan's murder because it will assist her in achieving her ambitions. She convinced him by indicating that she would never have broken a promise "how tender' tis to love the babe who milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn" (Shakespeare 2007, 20). Lady Macbeth meant that if she had taken up the task, she would have murdered her own baby instead of breaking the promise.
Conclusion
To sum up, Lord Acton's view "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" gives an overview of Macbeth's power and corruption. His ambition to become the king saw him do terrible things to acquire power. He is encouraged by his wife, who desires to become the queen, and manipulates him based on his manhood to murder to become the king. Therefore, Macbeth was created by power, and later on, she was destroyed by the same power.
