The understanding of human nature and the effects it has on the individual and society has been a serious topic in the philosophical world. Nicolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes were well known for their crucial roles in forming the foundation of political philosophy. While reading through Machiavelli’s The Prince and Hobbes’ Leviathan, both introduced a common focus on political theory even though living approximately 100 years apart. While learning about these two philosophers and their proposed theories, I noticed an innate relationship in the discussion of society’s human nature. Machiavelli ([1532] 2006) in The Prince theorizes the qualities that a dominant leader should have to gain and maintain power.…
An examination of the impacts in texts reveals that whilst these concerns may reflect universal human weaknesses, the treatment of these issues in Shakespeare’s historical play King Richard III and Al Pacino’s Looking For Richard, reveals the eternal role that context plays in the presentation of these themes. Shakespeare examines the moral ramifications of the relentless pursuit of power, which reflects the politically unstable period of the 16th century from which he wrote. However, Pacino reappropriates Shakespeare’s depiction of power and deception for his contemporary audience to explicate the enduring nature of these concerns.…
Prompt: One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seek to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses their power struggles to enhance the meaning of the work. (2005 Form B)…
Power is defined as the possession of control or command over people and events. In Shakespeare’s play ‘King Richard III’, the centrality of power is communicated through characters and their pursuit for power while in ‘Looking for Richard’, Al Pacino’s docudrama exploring Richard as a character, his struggle for power is portrayed as well as Pacino’s struggle as he produces the film. Both texts accept the centrality of power by using it as a significant plot driver and assumed part of the human condition. The two texts, however, present different concepts about the nature of power through the techniques used for different audiences, influenced by the contexts in which the texts are composed.…
It has never been agreed upon that life is an absolute right, but only that death is the absolute outcome. Philosophers call it a prima facie right, this right gets forfeited in actions such as aggravated murder, abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and other heinous crimes. However, the great western powers are on sure footing when it comes to this type of permitted murder, but a just war doesn’t make a total war acceptable. Williams Shakespeare’s play Henry V is loosely based upon England’s own ethical dilemmas in the early 1400’s. This is especially true when conflicting governments go into a war just because one side believes themselves to be in a just war the other may not.…
Power is a theme that has dominated mankind since history was recorded. The assassination of Julius Caesar, ruler of the greatest empire the world has ever known, was a result of such a struggle for power. The foundations of Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' are power relationships which dominate the liaisons between characters of opposing sex, classes, and ambitions. Even in the historical context, Rome in 44 BC, the height of the Roman Republic, predisposes the play to a complex tangle of power conflicts. As the power of prominent characters builds tension, ambitions develops, and thus manipulation arises. Struggles of authority and dominance are evident between the characters in 'Julius Caesar', through Shakespeare's…
What is power? For generations many political leaders have gained and lost power. In the book Lord of the flies, children of the island gain power through fear, whereas in the novel Farewell to Manzanar, power lied in the U.S army keeping japanese americans captive. French revolutionist Maximilien Robespierre, struck fear into the hearts of many during the reign of terror, and the Estates system held power in different classes. the first and Second estates were the higher class, while the third estate was the “working poor”. As shown, there are many forms of power, yet are all based around the same idea, control.…
Power can change people in a way that is incomprehensible either for good or for evil. Power can make one so greedy that someone will do anything for it and won’t let anyone, or thing stand in their way. Macbeth by William Shakespeare portrays both the positive and negative uses on Power through the main characters. Macbeth’s greed of power allowed him to exercise abuse and ultimately he was corrupted and destroyed by power. Lady Macbeth used power in a positive way but her ultimate goal was domination of the Crown. Shakespeare uses dialogue and symbolism to allow his readers to engage with his mood and therefore the concepts of power.…
Lord Acton, a great historian and politician, once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Clearly Acton echoed William Shakespeare, as this theme was portrayed in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Throughout the play, complacency amongst civilians, mutiny, and struggles for power plague the ancient city of Rome, all of which are deeply rooted in the corruption surrounding the government at the time. Shakespeare ultimately reveals that power corrupts, not only the individual who has it, but the society without.…
People seek power for a reason. When someone uses the word seek in the context of the previous statement, he or she is referring to the word want. Power is the ability to overpower one or many others. Some examples of areas where power is demonstrated is in the government, in relationships, and in society. Power can be physical, generally good, particularly bad, or emotional. In this paper, the answer to the big question will be supported or countered against with the support of British literature. The pieces of British Literature used will include; Beowulf, The Taming of the Shrew, 1984, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Lord of the Rings, and Le Morte d’Arthur, and Carpe Diem poetry. These sources are classified as two books, one…
For many years, men have been portrayed as powerful figures and women as powerless or weak. “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare, written in approximately 1595, demonstrates this dynamic. As one of the men in the play, Capulet is very powerful, while Juliet and Lady Capulet as women are powerless. Women’s rights were only introduced in the late 19th century and early 20th century, leaving women in the 16th century powerless and feeble to men. Accordingly, women are portrayed as powerless to men who are portrayed as powerful.…
Many people want to obtain power to satisfy their needs. Once the individual gains the power, they continue to strive to gain more without acknowledging the consequences until later. In William Shakespeare's Elizabethan tragedy Macbeth, the corruptive quality of power influences the individual to go against their nature in order to obtain power by any means necessary. Shakespeare utilizes the motif of blood to show that the steps taken to obtain power will not always yield favorable results and the consequences will stay with the individual.…
In Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner the idea of power in masculinity and the powerless of femineity is contrasted. Women in both texts are shown to have very little power as they are punished when they challenge the traditional roles they are expected to abide shown through dialogue and epistolary. Men are seen to be powerful and people whose opinions values should be respected and followed as portrayed through narrative point of view and a simile. Assef and Kevin are physically powerful as they commit evil crimes destroying those around them supported by dialogue.…
The powers of ordinary men are circumscribed by the everyday worlds in which they live, yet even in these rounds of job, family, and neighborhood they often seem driven by forces they can neither understand nor govern. 'Great changes' are beyond their control, but affect their conduct and outlook none the less. The very framework of modern society confines them to projects not their own, but from every side, such changes now press upon the men and women of the mass society, who accordingly feel that they are without purpose in an epoch in which they are without power.…
The strive for power can be an addictive drug. Once someone has a small taste of power, it gets more and more addictive, and what do all addicts do to get their next fix? Absolutely anything. William Shakespeare demonstrates this very well in the play Macbeth. The way that Macbeth gets his power is by his wife’s own thirst for power. His wife, Lady Macbeth, is able to make Macbeth do whatever it takes to get to the top through manipulation and exploitation.…