Power In The Count Of Monte Cristo

Niccolo Machiavelli (1810) asks whether it is better for a prince to be loved or feared in The Prince. The purpose of this essay is to argue that it is better for a prince to be feared than loved since the duty of a prince is to remain in power by any means necessary, using the example of Tsar Ivan. Supporting evidence of conflicting viewpoints will be analysed and evaluated throughout to help reach this judgment. The use of contemporary examples: President Trump and Colonel Gaddafi will also be considered to address this question. The study of Tsar Ivan will be instrumental in asserting this hypothesis, showing that for a prince, it is much more important and better to be feared rather than loved.

Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain or wrong doer is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing, showcased in Animal Farm as Utopian ideals but with failed practices.

Shakespeare’s King Lear and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus are two examples of early modern texts, one a tragedy and the other a morality play respectively, which deal with the theme of power at the crux of its narrative. Between both texts it is evident that different characters utilize their power or authority differently – some ‘unwisely’ whilst some ‘maliciously’. In either case, the use of power progresses the plays and drives the majority of main characters.

In 1887, historian John Dalberg-Acton asserted, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This theme has a prominent role in history, literature, and even current times. Certainly, many instances have occurred where once someone earns authority, they allow it to get to their head and do things they would not have done otherwise. Similarly, it is also seen that when one is inferior or beneath others, they receive a hunger for power. Specifically, a few prime examples of people who became corrupted because of their dominance include Marc Antony from Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Joseph Stalin, and Kim Jong-un. These rulers negatively impacted the places they ruled all because of their abusive tendencies that came with dominance.

Edmond Dantès, the main character of The Count of Monte Cristo, is an innocent and unsuspecting young man who is thrown in jail by those who were jealous of him. Once Edmond escaped, he changed his identity to the Count of Monte Cristo, and plotted a harsh revenge against his enemies. At the beginning, he said “Happiness is like one of those palaces in fairy tales whose gates guarded by dragons: we must fight in order to conquer it.” (Dantes 18) He thinks that his marriage with Mercédès is too good to be true, according to his statement. As it turned out, it was, and he was put in prison for fourteen years, and it was fifteen years before he saw her again. The only thing Edmond sought after he escaped from jail was revenge. So he took

During the era of his reign, Napoleon Bonaparte was a well renowned military leader and emperor of France. The quote “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” explains how the obsession of wanting complete authority over others would overtime fade away a person’s morality. Such a bold statement seems to perfectly correlate to Napoleon Bonaparte’s own history. He was a man with such power and popularity, but who soon became insensitive to the cost humans would have to pay because of his actions causing great anguish for others. The reason being as to why Napoleon is associated with this quote is because of his infamous deeds such as the imprisonment of the Pope, the execution of d’Enghien and

The works I have studied and will be exploring in this essay are Mary Shelly’s ‘Frankenstein’ and Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’. In ‘Frankenstein’ the abuse of power is most clearly exhibited by the protagonist of the story Frankenstein himself, his abuse of power results in his isolation and could serve as a warning to people, telling them not to play with forces that they can not control. In ‘Heart of Darkness’, Conrad abuses his power as the author to distance himself from the novella and in a sense absolve himself from any racist criticism the book may induce. The abuse of power is also a key theme in the novella itself. Firstly there is a sense of hypocrisy in

Power is something that is often used carelessly, even with its great importance. In the Family Romanov by Candace Fleming, power is used carelessly. In the Family Romanov, the tsar of Imperial Russia, Nicholas refused to give the people the rights and things they wanted and deserved. His refusal to do so eventually ended with Nicholas and the imperial family’s assassination. His inability to make just decisions without the “help” of his wife Alexandra and the “holy man” Rasputin resulted in his death. Nicholas stayed “blissfully” ignorant to all his subject’s sufferings and eventually paid the price for it. Fleming’s argument about power is that power is not a child’s toy, as power should be in use by someone fit to rule the proletariat fairly and it should be something to be used with responsibility and caution.

Power is not inherently a bad tool, but it is when it is placed into the wrong hands. When or if it is placed in the wrong hands, it can corrupt the holder. Even if they do not have bad intentions, the power may corrupt them into using it for bad intentions. The quote stated by Machiavelli, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” is true because too much power can corrupt an individual’s thoughts and this can be proved through the book One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest written by Ken Kesey, and also the “Stanford Prison Experiment” which was conducted by Philip Zimbardo.

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince is one of the most respected documents in existence regarding power, and for good

Never was there ever a more ambiguous term than Power. To single out any one definition of power would limit the words potential, however, the ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something, is succinct in entertaining its polysemic nature. Power is subjective to its holder, wether it be the individual, the people or the position. Through the quote, “I am not interested in Power for Powers sake. I am interested in power that is moral, that is right, that is good”, Martin Luther King Jr presents an ethical, just view of power, contrary to those explored in the texts Othello and 1984. Shakespeare and Orwell use specific literary devices to successfully portray the Power of the Individual, Power of Position and Power of

Power corrupting individuals also applies to literature and fictional novels. One example of power causing corruption is found in a novel called Animal Farm by George Orwell. Animal Farm is a story about animals ruled and dictated by humans. Eventually, the animals overthrow their human dictator, Mr. Jones, and try to form their own government. After a pig named Napoleon was declared leader, he gained power which caused him to become corrupted. Napoleon dictated the animals and the entire farm throughout the novel. Napoleon considering himself as powerful as God is an example of Napoleon?s level of corruption. One loyal and

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince give the world an insight on his thought about those who rule, virtue, military power, and human nature. He elaborates on his ideal prince who must take power, but also maintain power. The Prince is extremely relevant in modern society and often looked upon as the beginning of modern political thinking. Machiavelli gives this prince an outline of the tools needed to maintain power and reinforces these ideas by giving examples of other leader’s successes and failures. Machiavelli believes that the prince must complete understand the balance between war and government. Understanding this balance and being fluent in both politics and war is crucial for maintaining power. Politicians today still use some of the tactics given by

Niccolò Machiavelli was an activist of analyzing power. He believed firmly in his theories and he wanted to persuade everyone else of them as well. To comment on the common relationship that was seen between moral goodness and legitimate authority of those who held power, Machiavelli said that authority and power were essentially coequal.9 He believed that whomever had power obtained the right to command; but goodness does not ensure power. This implied that the only genuine apprehension of the administrative power was the attainment and preservation of powers which indirectly guided the maintenance of the state. That, to him, should have been the objective of all leaders. Machiavelli believed that one should do whatever it took, during the given circumstance, to keep his people in favor of him and to maintain the state. Thus, all leaders should have both a sly fox and ravenous wolf inside of him prepared to release when necessary.10

Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince examines the nature of power and his views of power are still somewhat in existence today. I'll discuss this in this essay, emphasizing the following theses. Machiavelli discusses power over the people, dictatorial power, and power with people, shared power. While it is possible for power with to attain greater prevalence in society, it will not completely eliminate power over. In The Prince, Machiavelli discusses two distinct groups of people, the political elite, including nobles and other princes, and the general public. Today in the United States, the first group, the political elite, includes political leaders, religious leaders, business leaders and the leaders of