Evil within Macbeth and the movie 300

The Rise of Evil in Shakespeare 's Macbeth and Miller 's 300

The idea that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is on old adage that many often repeat without considering its consequences . Lord Action , a British historian , wrote this grand statement summarizing the very essence of power over a hundred years ago , but its meaning is still relevant today (Domhoff . It seems only natural that power corrupts . The idea that the gain of power is often accompanied by a lacks in morals is rational , but to suggest that direct authority

or absolute power leads to absolute corruption or , in essence evil is a mental leap many are unwilling to make . A vast amount of support , both historical and literary , exists in defense of this claim Among great historical dictators such as Stalin and Mao Zedong , exists equally great literary figures such as Shakespeare 's Macbeth or Frank Miller 's Persian King Xerxes , all of which are prime examples of the evil brought about by power

Shakespeare initially portrays Macbeth as a righteous character , free from the draws of power or of evil . He is simply the Thane of Glamis a heroic , battle weary soldier being honored for his courageous deeds (Bloom , 19 . A wounded captain reports to King Duncan that brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name- disdaining Fortune , with his brandished steel .unseamed him from the nave to th ' chops (1 .2 .16-22 . Macbeth has defeated the traitor Thane of Cawdor . Reveling in this celebration King Duncan promises that what he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won (1 .2 .70 . With these words , Duncan gives Macbeth his first taste of power , and with it , Macbeth begins to crumble under its corrosive powers

King Xerxes , king of Persia in Frank Miller 's movie 300 , had a quicker ascension to power . Xerxes father , King Darius , died trying to conquer the various Hellenic city-states that comprised Greece at that time . As Xerxes ascends the throne , he assumes the various deity-like characteristics given to kings of this age . Xerxes becomes a virtual sun-god in his own mind , becoming a tyrant obsessed with the defeat of Greece . As the movie begins , Xerxes has already dominated the northern city-states of Greece with his massive Persian army . The cities of Athens and Sparta are the only two obstacles left to prevent Xerxes from conquering all of Greece . He sends emissaries to King Leonidas informing the King that Athens and Sparta will be spared the wrath of the Persian army if Leonidas only bows to the supreme absolute power of Xerxes

Macbeth 's eventual rise to power is symbolized through his interactions with the three Weird Sisters (Bloom , 57 . The sisters plant the idea of becoming king in Macbeth 's mind , calling out to him All hail Macbeth that shall be king hereafter (1 .3 .50 . Given the honor of Thane of Cawdor , the corruption of power becomes too great for Macbeth . Guided by his wife 's conniving desires , Macbeth eventually kills Duncan and blames...