Corruption And Power According To Shakespeare, Ibsen, And Metallica
As Metallica awesomely misquoted from Shakespeare, “heavy is the head that wears the crown.” Probably because most heads actually willing to wear a crown are a wee bit on the swollen side. And since big head + big crown + huge responsibility almost never = rainbows and cupcakes, it’s easy to see why the phrase “power corrupts” is so universally held as truth.
For a great pick-me-up in the morning, check out the day’s world news. Or local news. Or high school news, for that matter; it’s no monumental task finding examples of powerful people doing jerky things. After having run the Zimbabwean economy into the ground and left his people starving, President Robert Mugabe reportedly threw a $250,000 birthday party for himself this February. (Sounds like somebody opted for the pony AND the inflatable funhouse.) Meanwhile, rival drug cartels continue to terrorize the Mexican countryside with guns and grenades, mercilessly killing any innocent civilians who happen to get in their way. Iran is currently limiting its citizens’ internet communication and restricting journalists’ outdoor time due to the fact that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s “landslide” victory has left voters rioting – and getting gunned down – in the streets. Oh, and I think there was also something about this Madoff guy and a global financial crisis? Be strong, Iceland.
Sadly, these stories all fall under the “same old story” category of history: boy meets money/influence/assault rifle, boy takes money/influence/assault rifle, boy devastates nation. Just think Macbeth. On the way home from a victorious battle against the Irish, General Macbeth is given the title of “Thane.” We have no idea what that means, but he seems pleased and we’re left to conclude it’s some sort of promotion. Macbeth is then foretold that his newfound success will ultimately lead him to become king of Scotland. Which sounds ridiculously enticing, except that it would mean bye-bye King Duncan, whom pretty much everybody (including Macbeth) adores. With some serious nagging from his wife, however, Macbeth is persuaded to kill the king. Followed by everyone who suspects he might have killed the king. Followed by just about every other character in the play, to the point where even Lady Macbeth thinks YIKES and throws herself off a castle. In the wake of his wife’s suicide, Macbeth decides that life is meaningless, only to get his head cut off by – you guessed it – the next guy in line to replace him as king of Scotland. The head that wears the crown may be heavy, but it gets significantly lighter when it’s left out to dry on a pole.
“Macbeth” seems to be a pretty clear-cut case of power’s corruptive effect on people, but what if you compare it to another play about power and corruption, like Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler”? The play’s namesake, Hedda, is a bored, manipulative, and seemingly remorseless housewife whose mind games and power struggles break up a relationship, devastate a career, and quite intentionally lead to someone else’s suicide. Unlike Macbeth, however, Hedda’s behavior is not driven by any newfound sense of power; rather, it is her complete powerlessness and repression in a straightlaced 19th-century Norway that causes her to lash out. When the local judge uncovers Hedda’s involvement in the suicide and attempts to blackmail her, Hedda takes control of the situation using the one form of influence she has left over her life: by shooting herself in the head. As “Hedda Gabler” demonstrates, it isn’t power itself, but rather the struggle for power that corrupts people. Come to think of it, this seems to hold true in “Macbeth” as well. After all King Duncan, is a perfectly decent guy; only when Macbeth decides to vie for his place do things get ugly.
So next time you have the opportunity to improve your station in life, try not to let it – or any sharp instruments – get to you head.
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