Honors+Macbeth+Four

** Power and Corruption: **

"you're children shall be kings", "you shall be king"

"The prince of cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'er leap. For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires! Let not eight see my black and deep desires."

"There's the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."

"I have supped full with horrors, direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts. Cannot once start me." "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." These five quotes seem to imply a strong, ancient, and intrinsic relationship that exists between the two prevalent themes of power and corruption in Macbeth. There is a great deal of power in Macbeth that seems to be held in mystical and peculiar places. While the basic kings and queens of ages past have held power and most certainly corruption, as shown by King and Lady Macbeth's corrupt slaughter to obtain power. Clearly when power weights the mind down too long, it leaves the mind too laden to operate on an optimal, and sane level. As such we view this ideals of power and corruption in our quotes. Our first quote shows a prediction made by the witches. An oncoming power and prophetical dominance is expressed by the witches' statement. There are mountains of evidence to show that macbeth has been so tainted by his corrupt act of killing duncan, his power as king, and his corrupt killings of macduff's family and banquo. This is an actual cyclical pattern produced by power and corruption that is present throughout the story of macbeth.