1) Please finish reading through "Macbeth" Act III.
2) I would like you to do a little research and find examples of real life Macbeths and Lady Macbeths. Look for world leaders, entrepreneur, CEOs, or any people in a position of power who abused their power through ambition. It need not be murder (though, sadly, that has happened more times than we can count). How has power or financial greed caused an abuse of power? This can be seen in companies that started off with a worthy goal, and then ended up allowing money, greed, power and ambition take over, for example.
3) In the following blog post, please share a real life example of a person or entity that resembles the downfall of Macbeth. Please include a link to the website, so we can see your work. Also, include at least 1-3 direct quotation(s) from Macbeth, Acts I-III that show direct parallels to your example. Also, include links to source material.
I look forward to your responses!
Mr. P.
The dictator that I chose was Joseph Stalin. I looked at his past and how he rose to power and can’t help but notice the similarities. After the death of Vladamir Lenin, Stalin captured Russia by killing all competition. Macbeth did the same when he murdered Duncun and basically forced Donalbain and Malcom to leave Scotland to take the crown for himself. Macbeth is also extremely paranoid as seen on page 89 ‘We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it” when talking about Banquo and Macduff’s suspicion and would go on to actually send out assassins to kill Banquo. Stalin would go on to do the same thing and kill anyone he thought was trying to steal his power. And like Macbeth, He manipulated people into thinking he was someone he was not. Stalin would always take pictures of him and his family smiling to hide what was actually happening in the USSR at that time. In Macbeth’s case, he told the murderers that Banquo was the reason they were arrested to modivate them to eventually murder him. Joseph Stalin was the closest thing the world has seen to Macbeth since the play itself was performed
ReplyDeleteBen Weeden.
Mossimo Giannulli (a fashion designer) and Lorie Laughlin (an actress) have been indicted of paying off college admissions and officials to get their daughter’s into college. Mossimo has been accused of making several payments, one being $50,000 to the senior associate athletic director at USC. Lorie has been accused of helping with negotiating with college officials who would help them get their daughters into USC. They repeatedly made ‘donations’ to colleges and charity foundations in order to get a better chance of getting their daughters into very prestigious institutions. “ Macbeth: Fail not our feast. Banquo: My lord, I will not. (III,I, 31)” This part in the scene reminds me of Mossimo and Lorie threatening officials by sending them more hush money. “Macbeth: And I will put that business in your bosoms / Whose execution takes your enemy off, / Grapples you to the heart and love of us” (III, I, 112-114). Macbeth is talking to the murderers who are going to kill Banquo. “Business in your bosoms” is secret business, which is what kind of business Lorrie and Mossimo were doing. “Grapples you to the heart and love of us” is the king telling the murderers that killing Banquo will make him sleep feel better. I believe that Lorrie and her husband feared that their daughters would not get into USC because they weren't smart or talented enough. So they used the only power they had, their money and status.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2019/10/24/lori-loughlins-husband-mossimo-giannulli-emailed-usc-admissions/4082162002/
I feel like any kind of shooting is an example of someone abusing their power. Whether it is in a school or a religious sanctuary, it is a way of a person trying to achieve their goal or get their message across in a violent manner. I think another good example would be Amazon or Jeff Bezos. It started as a small online company that sold books and now look at what they are. If you look at the stories that involve them, it’s always something about not giving enough money to charity or not paying enough in taxes. Even Netflix started as a small company and they started because the founder didn’t want to pay a late fee to Blockbuster. Now you pay 12.99 a month and you are seeing the message that they are increasing their prices more frequently now. A quote I think that relates to the shootings is when the first murderer says, “We are men, my liege”. Macbeth convinces them that if they don’t do this thing, then they are not men. I feel like this relates to some shooter because in the news article you read about the shootings, they all say that they were bullied or felt inferior.
ReplyDeleteBelow is a link to a Synagogue shooting in San Diego:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/28/san-diego-synagogue-shooting-attack-based-religion/3608726002/
Someone filed a lawsuit against Caroline Pieper-Voigt, the former head of Fusion brand cosmetics, claiming that she awarded sweetheart contracts to her friends, lied about Fusion’s finances and used company assets to finance her own ventures ($500,000 to the Daytime Emmy Awards just so that she could be featured on the red carpet). The company is now suing her for also inflating 2011 sales by 60%, disclosing confidential financial information after leaving the company, and making false statements about Fusion’s supposed insolvency. Caroline did this all of her personal gains as seen by the donation to the Emmy Awards so she could get on the red carpet. This is a little bit similar in Macbeth when “First Murderer: 'Tis Banquo's then. MACBETH: 'Tis better thee without than he within. Is he dispatch'd? First Murderer: My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him.” (97). Macbeth is killing Banquo for an illegitimate reason, only for his personal gain like Caroline. Eventually, people will find out what Macbeth has done and it will end up being similar to Caroline’s case, where she is no longer the CEO/in power.
ReplyDeleteSources: https://www.businessinsider.com/fusion-brands-former-ceo-caroline-peiper-vogt-lawsuit-2011-11
https://www.business2community.com/leadership/ceos-behaving-badly-the-top-4-ceo-lawsuits-0137052
Nick Criniti
ReplyDeleteWhen looking for a good example of someone who has rose to power but has abused that power I chose Donald Trump. The reason I chose Trump to mirror Macbeth's image is because over Trumps 4 year presidency he has made some very bad decisions and has used his words in a very bad way as well. Macbeth has also made some very bad decisions including the killing of Duncan just because he wanted all the power of being king. Although Donald Trump hasn't killed anyone the way he's chose to use his power as president has the same affect as Macbeth being king. Bad decisions with all the power to control anyone and everyone around them. “Duncan is in his grave. After life's fitful fever he sleeps well.” Macbeth says that Duncan being alive and being king is like a sickness over everyone and anything. Macbeth saying these crazy things is like Donald Trumps thoughts all over twitter.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-10-worst-things-trump-did-in-2018/2019/01/02/f4025456-0eb0-11e9-84fc-d58c33d6c8c7_story.html
When thinking about this topic the first thing I thought of was the people involved in the college board scandal. They used their money to go around the system so that their children could get into more elite schools that they are not qualified to be in. This also caused issues because they took aways spots from much more deserving people. In this scandal there were many celebrities involved including Lori Loughlin from Full House, and actress Felicity Huffman were both involved in bribing their kids to the top. This scandal is directly related to Macbeth because Macbeth uses his ability to kill to get his way to the top and he commits treason to get his way to the top.
ReplyDeleteLADY MACBETH
Alack, I am afraid they have awaked,
And 'tis not done. The attempt and not the deed
Confounds us. Hark! I laid their daggers ready;
He could not miss 'em. Had he not resembled
My father as he slept, I had done't.
Enter MACBETH
My husband!
MACBETH
I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?
LADY MACBETH
I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.
Did not you speak?
This is a good example of them abusing their power because at first in the begining when we are introduced to the witches we think it is just an innocent prediction but we didn’t think he would have killed his way to the top to make their prediction come true. It is almost like the witches put a curse on him and are controlling him because everything they say comes true.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/felicity-huffmans-daughter-attend-college-college-admissions-scandal
https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-lori-loughlin-college-admissions-20191218-6gyi5mesjnc7hob2rfqpmsman4-story.html
ReplyDeleteAdolf Hitler relates to the downfall of Macbeth for many reasons. Hitler rose to power in Germany by promising Germany he would save them. As he rose up in ranks over the years because of his speeches and promising image to the German people. His downfall was brought upon himself because of his hunger for power and his greed. As the German army was being defeated he knew his time was over. This relates to Macbeth’s downfall. His guilt is overriding him as shown in Act. 3 Scene. 4. Macbeth is horrified when he sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his chair. Macbeth starts to speak to the ghost which makes everyone else in the room very confused. Lady Macbeth tries to calm her husband down but is unable to. As the Act continues Macbeth is still haunted by the supernatural ghost of Banquo. This will soon lead to his downfall.
“It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood.
Stones have been known to move, and trees to
speak.
Augurs and understood relations have
By maggot pies and choughs and rooks brought
forth
The secret’st man of blood.—What is the night?
LADY MACBETH
Almost at odds with morning, which is which.
MACBETH
How say’st thou that Macduff denies his person
At our great bidding?” Act. 3 Scene. 4
Source:
Bullock, Alan, et al. “Rise to Power.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 29 Nov. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Hitler/Rise-to-power.
One comparison that can be made between Macbeth and another power hungry leader in history is a comparison of Macbeth with the former ruler of Wallachia, Vlad III. Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler, was the ruler of the land called Wallachia, which is now modern day Romania. During his lifetime, Vlad was known to be very violent when it came to his enemies or people that he did not trust. Like Macbeth, Vlad’s main goal was to stay in power and remove all threats to his position of power through violence. One occasion that has been recovered about Vlad III is that during his rule, he once invited all of his enemies to a large feast. At this feast, he ended up stabbing and impaling every last one of them. I am comparing this to Macbeth because right before Banquo left with Fleance on a trip, Macbeth invited him to a feast and treated him as a close friend. However, once Banquo set out on his journey with his son, Macbeth ordered hitmen to track them down and murder them. In the play, Macbeth says the following right before the murderers enter, “‘Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared”’(81). Macbeth foreshadows that he wants Banquo out of the picture because he is a risk to Macbeth’s power. Similar to Vlad III, Macbeth wants to remove any risk of himself losing power to potential enemies, and he is willing to go to the extent of murder to get what he wants.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.businessinsider.com/most-ruthless-leaders-of-all-time-2015-10#vlad-iii-prince-of-wallachia-aka-vlad-drculea-or-vlad-the-impaler-8
The person I chose while researching that was abusive of their power and similar to Macbeth was Silvio Berlusconi. He was a billionaire, 4 time prime minister, and also a member of the European Parliament. He built himself up from having practically nothing to having made a $6.4 billion fortune. He created his own party and won and then after losing the next election he renamed the party but they got convicted of tax fraud so the party split and he changed the name of the party back to the original. Berlusconi was accused of many crimes and most recently, his case for abuse of power was overturned, however, now they are looking into whether or not he had bribed a witness for his case in order to win and it would be very likely because he had previously been suspected of bribing a judge. After Macbeth killed the king and they all were finding out about it, Macbeth says “Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man: The expedition my violent love Outrun the pauser, reason.” In this scene Macbeth is abusing his power because he is using their trust in him to convince them that it wasn’t him because he was so shocked about what had happened. This reminds me of Berlusconi because Macbeth believed they loved him and this would convince them of his innocence and Berlusconi tried to bribe people into acting as if they loved him and trusted him so he could prove his innocence to his crimes.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11981754
In Chinese history, there is a character very similar to Macbeth. He is the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty - Ying Huhai. As the first usurper in the Chinese history of feudal imperial power in China, he was basically useless except his ambition. Perhaps ambition is the only thing that he has the same with his father, Emperor Qin Shihuang, so he won the favor of his father and was able to follow him around, finally obtained a rare opportunity to usurp the throne. This is the great fortune of Ying Huhai himself but the biggest misfortune of his elder brother Ying Fusu, and also a great tragedy of the 20 million people of the Qin Dynasty. From the beginning, Qin Shihuang decided to let Ying Huhai's older brother Ying Fusu to inherit the throne, but before he sent the order, he died of illness. In order to usurp the throne, Ying Huhai issued a false order to Ying Fusu, which led him to suicide. Because Ying Huhai's throne was he usurped from his brother, in order to prevent other brothers from taking the throne, Ying Huhai treats his brothers and sisters with a slaughter policy. In Ying Huhai's life, there is also a character very similar to Lady Macbeth, which is Ying Huhai's eunuch - Zhao Gao. He plotted the entire usurpation plan and encouraged Ying Huhai to slaughter all his brothers and sisters to secure the throne. "Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valor As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting "I dare not" wait upon "I would," Like the poor cat i' the adage?" (43) Ying Huhai killed countless people, the only right thing he did was to maintain the construction of one of the world architectural miracles - the Great Wall - at the cost of the demise of his entire country.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Er_Shi
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/qinshihuang-son-huhai.htm
Matt Gaetano
ReplyDeleteAfter some thought, I think I have some reasons to believe that everyone has committed at least one of the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth. Because of this, I think that everyone in today’s world can relate to Macbeth one way or another. The first person that came to my mind for someone who abuses their power is Nicolas Maduro, the current president of Venezuela. He helped write Venezuela’s new constitution in 1999 and the way I see it, he preemptively made it unconstitutional for a recount in votes so when he won the presidential election in 2013 by less than 2%, it couldn’t be recounted to investigate for corruption in Maduro’s means in gaining votes. After he got into power, he abused it and ruined the country. In Macbeth, Macbeth is very power hungry when he comes into power and gets very cocky. He said, “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo stick deep.” (81). Macbeth thinks Banquo might turn Macbeth in, but Macbeth thinks he is in a better position because he is in power. This is seen slightly in Venezuela because Jaun Guaido, Maduro’s opponent in 2019, has claimed to be the true winner of the 2019 election and Maduro rigged the election. Maduro and his officials have since threatened Guaido with arrest and even death.
Links:
https://www.cnn.com/2013/04/26/world/americas/nicolas-maduro-fast-facts/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/venezuelas-nicolas-maduro-continues-human-rights-abuses/2014/06/20/c49851e0-f644-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/04/world/americas/juan-guaido-venezuela.html
With Banquo dead and most suspicious at the end of Act III, Macbeth has gone insane from sleep deprivation. Ever since killing Duncan and becoming king of Scotland, he’s paranoid that people are going to know about his wrong- doings. While at the dinner table, Macbeth sees Banquo, who’s not actually there, sitting in his seat, while the others are asking him to join the table. “Prithee see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too. If charnel houses and our graves must send Those that we bury back, out monuments Shall be the maws of kites” (100). When looking for people that resemble a similar story to Macbeth, I thought about Joseph Stalin. Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), from 1929 to 1953. Stalin who was born into poverty, gained his power by controlling the political media, beating his opponents and eventually gained power. Just like Macbeth, neither of them showed great carisma, but committed acts that allowed them to gain power. Stalin also ruled his country with terror, this can also be said with Macbeth because is slowly going insane, and therefore it’s my prediction that his actions towards the royal people are going to affect those civilians of Scotland.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/topics/russia/joseph-stalin
If I had to choose one modern world leader that shows similar qualities to Macbeth, it’s Vladimir Putin. To be fair, I have a personal vendetta against Putin because of all the terrible things he’s done and all of the corrupt actions he’s taken, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be reasonable. So let's get into all the terrible things he’s done shall we? Very similarly to Macbeth, Putin has most LIKELY killed anyone and everyone who has publicly come out with dirt on him. 2018, an agent formerly close with Putin, Mr. Sergei Skripal is killed in the United Kingdom by poison. The suspects are identified to be Russian foreign operatives, however, Moscow and Putin deny all allegations of involvement. Similar to Macbeth, when he’s hiring the murderers to kill Banquo:
ReplyDeleteMACBETH
Both of you
Know Banquo was your enemy.
Both Murderers
True, my lord.
MACBETH
So is he mine; and in such bloody distance,
That every minute of his being thrusts
Against my near'st of life: and though I could
With barefaced power sweep him from my sight
And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not,
For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall
Who I myself struck down; and thence it is,
That I to your assistance do make love,
Masking the business from the common eye
For sundry weighty reasons.
Second Murderer
We shall, my lord,
Perform what you command us.
First Murderer
Though our lives--
MACBETH
Your spirits shine through you. Within this hour at most
I will advise you where to plant yourselves;
Acquaint you with the perfect spy o' the time,
The moment on't; for't must be done to-night,
And something from the palace; always thought
That I require a clearness: and with him--
To leave no rubs nor botches in the work--
Fleance his son, that keeps him company,
Whose absence is no less material to me
Than is his father's, must embrace the fate
Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart:
I'll come to you anon.
Both Murderers
We are resolved, my lord.
He kills them to cover up the truth. Knowing everything Vladimir Putin has allowed and done previously since he’s been in office, it’s likely Putin indeed asked these two intelligence agents of his to kill Mr. Skripal and his daughter, just so that way they couldn’t reveal the truth to his critics of what happened. That’s not even including the amount of money that has mysteriously disappeared while Putin was in charge. $124 Million went missing when he was supposed to feed the hungry of Moscow, and another 2.5 Billion Rubles ($40.15 Million) went missing when he was supposed to commence a construction project in Moscow. The construction never happened. Allegedly these went towards vacation villas in Spain for him and his cronies. Putin also has amassed massive amounts of wealth through his usage of political power, and in 2014 the CIA identified him as one of the richest men in the world. If you thought I was done though, you’d be wrong. Putin’s used his own security agency, the FSB, as political pawns so that he was able to wage war in Chechnya in the early 2000’s according to a book called “Blowing up Russia.” On top of that, he’s unjustly invaded Ukraine since 2014 and created an absolutely chaotic situation within the country. There’s even worse things Vladimir Putin has done, such as allowing the persecution of the LGBTQ community within his own country. He’s also arrested THOUSANDS of people just for protesting his regime. He’s done all of this for his own personal gain, and if my theory is correct he’s doing it to reform the USSR. I can’t stand Vladimir Putin for everything he’s done, and similar to how Macduff is about to fight Macbeth in Act IV or V, I want to me Vladimir Putin’s Macduff. He’s a threat to everything I stand for. He’s a corrupt official, he’s a tyrant, and he’s unacceptably persecuted those who did nothing wrong. Vladimir Putin’s definitely not Macbeth, but he sure as hell is worse than him.
DeleteSources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/23/here-are-ten-critics-of-vladimir-putin-who-died-violently-or-in-suspicious-ways/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43643025
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/vladimir-putin-corruption-five-things-we-learned-about-the-russian-presidents-secret-wealth-a6834171.html
https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-01-13/five-corrupt-moves-helped-make-putin-most-powerful-man-russia
https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-20-years-power-corruption-scandals/30100279.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46871801
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/world/europe/observers-detail-flaws-in-russian-election.html
An example of a leader abusing their power just like Macbeth did was Hitler. He was appointed Chancellor of Germany. Hitler's goals were to assist the German government in “fighting Marxism” and territorial expansion. Along the way he placed Jewish people in concentration camps and were killing them because he thought they were getting in the way of his goal. There was no need for him to put those people through such trauma and he could have achieved his goal without disrupting their lives. Hitler promised Germany he would save them but got caught up in his hunger for power. Macbeth: ‘Tis better thee without then he within. Is he dispatch’d? First Murderer: My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him” (97). This relates to Macbeth because he is hungry for power, but since Banquo’s death, he has been paranoid. I think he is scared of the fact that people may find out he did this so he could rise to power, and people are soon going to realize he is not helping them, he is just power hungry. Macbeth is starting to be haunted by Banquo’s ghost and I think this will get to him and drive him insane.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Hitler
Maddy Francis
The leader I would choose for someone abusing his power would be Robert Kraft. People in positions of power feel like they can get away with anything. In this Situation, Robert Kraft did some unspeakable things in a massage parlor. When people in high positions do things they think they can get away with everything. They believe they can get away with every because they think since they are popular and liked by most people that people won’t care what you do. This relates to Macbeth because he abused his power to kill Duncan and become king. The witches put the idea into his head that he could be king. Macbeth got power-hungry. After the witches speak with him he says “What! can the devil speak true?” (1.3.107). This gives him the idea to actually go through with it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/10/the-disturbing-saga-of-robert-kraft
An example I found of a modern Macbeth was Pol Pot, a Cambodian dictator who took at least 1 million lives due to his policies. Forced labor, starvation, disease, torture or execution caused most of them. He was a high ranking figure in the Khmer Rouge and he took over the country in 1975 by overthrowing Lon Nol and installing himself as Prime Minister. He was ousted in 1979 but continued to hold standing in the Khmer Rouge and led their attacks against the government. There are a couple parallels to Macbeth. First, the need to kill to gain and stay in power. Obviously, Pol Pot’s campaign was on a far larger scale, using guerilla warfare and thousands of soldiers to gain control, as well as policies that removed opponents of the regime, compared to Macbeth’s murder of Duncan and subsequent attacks on his enemies. Their ambition to gain power led to the deaths of multiple people. The other part is how they went about staying in power. Pol Pot’s radical reforms and the targeting of his opponents and other educated people kept his regime in power for around 4 years. Macbeth targeted the people he thought most dangerous to him, however held his power for far less time. Both were insecure about their ability to keep power and murdered many because of it.
ReplyDeleteParker Houston
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pol-Pot
Deletehttps://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/pol-pot