Shannon Firkins Ambition is a common downfall for those who seek and gain power. In literature, authors portray the harmful effects of ambition through their characters. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the main character Macbeth changes from a kind-hearted warrior to an egotistical ruler because of his ambition. The poem “Ozymandias,” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, tells the story of a traveler who comes across an old ruined statue. The inscription on the statue says “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, Look on my Works ye Mighty and Despair.” This is ironic because everything around the statue, or the “works” are in ruins.
In the different time periods that they ruled, Macbeth and Ozymandias were very commanding kings. Arrogance, ruthlessness, and selfishness are among many of the faults ending their reign as kings. When comparing these great men there are many things that can be cultured about the downfall of excessively ambitious kings. The ostentatious nature of both King Macbeth and Ozymandias vibrantly is shown throughout their reign as king. These men are praised by many which is what led to their conceited temperament.
The use of "sacred" together with the support of the church show that Henry is a greatly powerful and respected man. Furthermore , the character who says this is a powerful a man himself which emphasises Henry's level of authority. This is also the case in Julius Caesar with Caesar's relationship with Antony.In both cases Shakespeare's presentation of power establishes a firm base for means of corruption. Firstly, Shakespeare presents power as being corrupting in Henry V. This can be seen in Act 4 Scene 7 when Henry says,' Then every soldier kill his prisoners.' This is against the code of conduct and is a change from the chivalrous King seen at the beginning of the play.
In his view, the end to political instability justifies the means no matter how shady they may be. He states, “Many have imagined republics and principalities that have never been seen or known to exist in reality. For there is such a difference between the way men live and the way they ought to live.... because anyone who determines to act in all circumstances the part of a good man must come to ruin among so many who are not good.” (Machiavelli p.186) Many of the virtues advocated for in The Prince are apparent in Claudius’ character from William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Hamlet tells of the various activities that take place during a questionable shift of royal power in Denmark. It is the acquisition and maintenance of this power that shows just how Machiavellian Claudius’ character is in the play.
THE DOWNFALL OF OTHELLO AS CAUSED BY IAGO Iago is one of Shakespeare s most intriguing and credible villains. Iago can be perceived as either evil or brilliant in his plans to be deemed lieutenant. As the villain in Othello , Iago has two main actions: to plot and to deceive. Iago is mad that Cassio was chosen to be lieutenant instead of himself. From this anger comes the main conflict of the play.
In Richard III, Shakespeare gives an account of Richard's character that was popular opinion of him as an evil deformed schemer, until late in the 20th century. Historians now view this account as a dramatic plot device, necessary for the “villain role” that Shakespeare had given him. It is not consistent with what is now known of Richard III, who in many ways showed himself to be an enlightened and forward-thinking King. With the opening words of Richard III, "Now is the winter of our discontent," Shakespeare lays the groundwork for the portrayal of Richard III as a man who is unhappy in a world that hates him. Later, he describes himself as "Deformed, unfinished, sent before his time into this breathing world, scarce half made up."
An example of him being too power hungry was his desire to be Rome’s dictator for life. This shows he wanted to be the only one in control and wanted all the power to himself and didn’t want to share it with any individual. Another example is how he wanted to be like Alexandar the Great and conquer countries and have lots of power. In essence, this means his idol was a man of great power and a man who was famous for conquering countries and land. An idol like this means Caesar did not have good thoughts, and all he wanted was power and wanted people to bow down to him.
Madness in Hamlet and King Lear The subject of madness is a major theme in two of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, “Hamlet” and “King Lear”. In both of these plays, a character feigns insanity to carry out a motive - Hamlet and Edgar respectively. However, while it is made quite clear to the audience that Edgar is only pretending to be a mad beggar (“Whiles I may escape I will preserve myself, and am bethought to take the basest and most poorest shape that ever penury, in contempt of man brought near to beast”), it is somewhat less clear whether Hamlet has crossed the line and lost control of his “antic disposition”. Shakespeare gives evidence which suggests that Hamlet is sane by having three other men also witness the manifestation of the ghost of Hamlet’s father. If Hamlet were to have seen his father’s ghost by himself, there would be a greater argument for him being insane from the outset of the play.
We may go round our history books either lambasting or extolling powerful leaders, but we will always come to the conclusion that power does corrupt a man. The thirst for power is unbounded and the lamentable consequences often quash a man. Getting power is just the onset of melancholy, disaster, lugubriousness and sorrow. All the leaders throughout history were undoubtedly very strong and were feared but we often learn that they were sordid, uncouth, perpetrators, lascivious, perplexed and unscrupulous. They often committed a myriad of staggering sins and believed they were masters of perpetuity.
Essay Question; Who is the most interesting character in Shakespeare's Othello? Shakespeare's Othello is a play that displays a range of themes, a contrast of personalities, and many interesting characters. However, one character stands out as by far the most interesting, and sophisticated of them all. Iago is one of the most notorious and mysterious villains of all time. Throughout the play, he is manipulative, deceptive controversial, and often without a clear motive.