Power, the ability or capacity to exercise control and authority, can be a very dangerous thing and when something or someone controls all of it, problems can only be expected. It can break up families, tear apart cities, or even kill. This of course makes you a poor ruler, ordinary people start to think more highly of themselves when they are in charge. This overconfidence can result in very poor decision making, which may affect the lives of many people. Due to the disobedience of their father, Phaethon and Commodus faced the consequences of absolute power. The lust for power, as portrayed in the mythological story “Phaethon” and in the movie “Gladiator” leads to the death of both power hungry sons as well as destruction of a way of life. …show more content…
These two stories demonstrate how people abuse power and do not always use it with the caution that power needs to be handled with. Obtaining too much power can destroy a way of life, real-life figures include, Kim Jong Un and Adolf Hitler. Infamous ruler of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, controls his people, by limiting their rights. The people of North Korea, for example, are forced into submission to the rule of Kim Jong Un. “Under the rule of Kim Jong-Un, North Korea remains among the world’s most repressive countries. All basic freedoms have been severely restricted under the Kim family’s political dynasty”(Michalski, Web). Kim Jong Un misuses his power by taking away simple rights of the people, such as leaving the country, not letting them have freedom of speech, no freedom of information, no religious freedom, not allowed to watch certain television programs. Obsessed with his power, Kim Jong Un, is set on keeping his power for as long as he can. “[Kim Jong Un] include extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence. North Korea operates secretive prison camps where perceived opponents of the government are sent to face torture and abuse, starvation rations, and forced labor. Fear of collective punishment is used to silence dissent. There is no independent media, functioning civil …show more content…
The conflicting archetype situations ends badly for both characters. The archetype, darkness vs light, became evident in the mythological story “Phaethon” when phaethon ignores his father, the Sun God, about the dangers regarding him driving the chariot. The darkness archetype in this story would be Phaethon, because he ignored his father's requests, when he said that riding the chariot “ is the only thing [he] would refuse”, yet he insisted on riding it because his father promised( Hamilton 181). His father desperately pleads with his son to ask for something else, for Phaethon cannot control the power of the horses and chariot. By being persistent Phaethon's request was granted. The father would represent the light archetype due to the fact that he was only trying to protect his son since “ no mortal could drive [his] chariot”(Hamilton 182). Since Phaethon also wanted to prove to the kids that made fun of him for believing his father was the sun god, he wanted this opportunity to prove to them that it was true, so he took a drastic measure to make sure that they knew. He did not care about the dangers, he wanted to prove to them that he too can be powerful, and he wanted to taste the power. Little did he know that his arrogance and foolishness would bring upon his death and destruction to the way of life. On the other hand, Commodus and his father, Marcus,
What is power to a human? As time has gone by, there have been many forms of control and influence in the world. Many strive to achieve total rule over a society or group of individuals. Yet the question still presents itself to the average man. Why does man desire power so greatly even though there is visible trouble that follows? Shelley’s Frankenstein, Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, whether through the situation or the character themselves, depict the evils and hardships due to an imbalance and poor management of power.
Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.
Ultimately the characters strive for power does not end well. In particular the story of Gilgamesh the main character Gilgamesh has power and abuses it. Gilgamesh is a greedy king who gets what he wants. He often has no consideration for his people that are looking up to him. The quote stated above about Gilgamesh can also speak for his power. Because Gilgamesh had a lot of power he is able to do anything he wishes. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu meets Gilgamesh is trying to sleep with a bride before her husband can. Gilgamesh has power but he abuses his power and his people are the ones who are punished. Claudius also thrives for power. It is ultimately Claudius’s need for power that urges him to kill his brother so he could marry his brother’s wife and become king. Claudius does not even stop his wife Gertrude from drinking the poisoned wine. He does say “Gertrude, do not drink” (Shakespeare. 5.2. 262). Claudius does not but tell her not to drink the wine but by the time he tells her that it is too late. Both Gilgamesh and Claudius have power. They do not use their power to benefit others. Both Gilgamesh and Claudius’s power harms their
"North Korea: Human rights concerns." Amnesty Australia. Amnesty International, 28 Nov. 2006. Web. 2 May 2014. .
Athens’ governmental shift in 501 BC was unprecedented and innovative, being the first notable implementation of democracy in an ancient world inundated in monarchy. This form of government, founded by Cleisthenes, has been instrumental in Western Civilization, especially since the modern age. Democracy gave Athens life, providing not only a well functioning governing system, but also enabling the city-state to grow and survive multiple Persian invasions. However, at the dawn of the Athenian empire and the rise of Pericles, democracy began to die, and Greeks lost their love of freedom when they sought power and glory through their military conquests. I argue that Athenian’s rejection of democracy can be seen through their mistreatment of other states and their lust for power and glory.
Having too much power can lead a person to making wrong decisions and going crooked. During the French revolution, the third estate had to work for long hours and got nothing in return, and the food prices were skyrocketing. By doing so, King Louis XVI took away the rights of the third estate, but the third estate was not happy with the King’s decision. King Louis XVI didn’t give any right to
Power- power is the complete domination of others, and since all men want to dominate those around them, power is valued as one of the most important possessions. Power is highly sought after, thus the correct decisions must be made to obtain it, and this is clearly proven by Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". Power is obtained much easier than it is kept. "Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!" The conspirators celebrate the death of Caesar, because they believe that they make the right decision in killing him, and so far they have, but the decision to spare Mark Antony is one that will haunt them in the end. Power is not always beneficial, it can be a very dangerous possession. "You shall not stir out of your house today." Calphurnia makes the decision to persuade Caesar to stay home, and not go to the Senate meeting. When one has power, there are those who want it, like Brutus and the other conspirators. Calphurnia makes the right decision, yet Caesar makes the wrong one by deciding ...
In conclusion, though Milton's bias thoughts, subliminal messages of society, of which he lived and his word choice he chose to use, he successfully persuaded his audience. He Elevated the use of light when referring to god and lowered the status of Satan by associating darkness with him. The idea of light and dark tells the reader which side Milton was on and what he tried to portray to his audience. Also, he used the symbols to portray light as day or positive and he used darkness as night, or something negative.
Rogue states under dictatorial rule threaten the fragile peace, which exists in our modern world. Constantly as a society Americans have always fought against these said foes. However all too often we pass a blind eye to the humanity of the enemies’ civilian populations. For more often than not, those who live within these systems are chronically oppressed. The nation of North Korea is no exception, with “Bing-brother always watching.” The government in North Korea pervades all aspects of life.
Power is a very interesting thing to hold. Many good-natured men have been destroyed by power and turned away from their morals as a result. When giving a man absolute power, it’s ingrained in the human brain to take it to a new level. This ideal is present in every type of government, regardless of if it’s a dictatorship or a government supported by autonomy. Modern day government suffers from this power hungry greed. Power is an element of human life and often leads to temptation because mankind thirsts for control, and that’s what power grants.
the lust for power is the driving force of tyranny, even those who fight against tyranny have a desire for power — with one crucial difference: they desire to rule only themselves, not others. Individuals with an elevated need for power are keenly aware of their place in the social hierarchy, as their motives are the innate incentives that determine their day-to-day behavior. This desire to gain authority, seeking neither recognition nor approval from others — simply agreement and compliance is evident in characters such as the
Though at this point the reader cannot be sure which character is right, eventually Tiresias comes out the winner. This is revealed as Oedipus learns his tragic fate, saying, O god—all come true, all burst to light! O light—now let me look my last on you! I stand revealed at last—cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands! Here again, the metaphor of light, which represents truth and knowledge, is present.
North Korea could be described as a dystopian society. For all of its citizens, the Internet is widely monitored and restricted, allowing only limited access. “One could speculate that it is more propaganda about the country, its leaders, or negative coverage about the US.... ... middle of paper ... ...
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," said Lord Acton generations ago. In the Greek tragedy Antigone, written by Sophocles, there was a character named Kreon, the antagonist, who was the king of Thebes. Thebes was an autocratic state where Kreon had absolute power. Throughout the course of the play, Kreon abused his privilege of absolute power; and this caused him to suffer greatly, even though he was warned by a few people of his bad deeds. What Sophocles commented on absolute power was that one should not abuse it. If it was abused, he or she had to expect bad consequences. This was indicated by what happened to Kreon when he abused his power.
Although it can sometimes be often be used for good, in King Lear, it is displayed mainly as being negative. Goneril, Regan and Edmund’s greed, causes them to lose all their power. The loss of power, causes King Lear to go insane. Because power is such an influential force, many of the themes discussed by Shakespeare are still relevant today. It is important that we do not make the same mistakes that the characters in the play do. Power is necessary to create order, but a greed for power will only cause