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Power In Macbeth And The Life Of Henry V

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William Shakespeare’s tragedies and history plays embody themes that deal with the aspects of power and its effects on both the ruler and the state. Often protagonists are blinded by Machiavellian ambitions, leaving them susceptible to influence and bringing suffering to their people. His works The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Tragedy of Richard III, and The Life of Henry V all share themes regarding the power of language, the precedence of ruthlessness in attaining or maintaining power, and the effect of the political morel righteousness of the ruler on the state. Although probably not perceived as powerful as action, language, when wielded properly can be very effective both offensively and defensively to manipulate, control, inspire, and …show more content…

Instead, he wishes to fight alongside the fewest for a greater share of honor. He exclaims that for those who do not wish to fight with him to leave and by doing so he gives them freedom to choose to fight as opposed to being commanded to. In this he gains their devotion, courage, and loyalty which subsequently motivates the English army to win the battle. Henry probably doesn’t really prefer fighting with a small, severely outnumbered army, but he knows perception is everything. If he can effectively convince his soldiers that this is the only way he’d prefer to fight and they chose to fight with him, they would, to the last man. Thus, Henry’s proves language’s power to inspire in his ability to understand and captivate his soldiers, speaking to them as men of honor to replenish his army’s esprit de corps. Language has to power to excite emotion which can commit men to acts of evil or heroism, garnering power to the weak or weakening the …show more content…

Shakespeare would have been familiar with the principles set forth by Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince and his protagonists of Macbeth, Richard III, and King Henry V all portray the quality that Machiavelli outlines in Chapter XV, “it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity” (The Prince). In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is considered honorable, but his wife considers him, “…too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness” (1.5.16) Macbeth gets nervous when thinking about murdering Kind Duncan, he describes it as, “Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs” (1.3.148-149). However, once Macbeth is crowned King he turns against his friend Banquo and devises a plot to murder him and his son, whom Macbeth believes according to the witches prophecy is a threat to the crown. Macbeth tells two would be murderous that, “…it was he, in the times past, which held you / So under fortune” (3.1.184-185) indicating that Banquo wronged the men and thus they should take their revenge by murdering Banquo and his son. Later Macbeth learns of another possible threat to the crown by way of Macduff. The witches cast a spell and the first apparition speaks to him, “…Beware Macduff” (4.1.81) to which he sends the murderers out again to capture Macduff and kill his

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