Destructive Power In Macbeth

When somebody gains power in society, they often use it for either good or evil. Leaders of today’s world, artists, and even literary characters who wield enormous power have used it for either constructive or destructive purposes. Constructive power is when a person benefits a society (promoting a cause, helping people in need, bringing attention to an issue, etc.) Destructive power is when a person either does harm to a society out of hatred or just to benefit themselves (committing genocide, acting out of greed, promoting hate, etc.) Literary characters such as Macbeth used their power for personal gain and ultimately did harm to those they led. Musicians such as System of a Down brought attention to fans about issues that needed to be …show more content…
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Banquo is becoming suspicious of how Macbeth gained power. Because of this, Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. Macbeth stated, “I must appear to mourn the death of the man who I myself killed.” (lines 133-144) This is done in some countries today. When somebody is acting as a threat to the power held by a leader, they are often executed, exiled, or killed by “unknown” causes.
The musicians in today’s society have the ability to reach listeners in ways that politicians don’t. Many musicians can be seen as role models or figures of controversy. Many controversial musicians became debatable through either their actions or the content of their songs. Many musicians have songs that bring constructive or destructive messages to listeners. Many recording artists such as, System of a Down, have written songs that dealt with issues by bringing constructive messages. In 1998, the Armenian-American alternative metal band, System of a Down, brought attention to the Armenian genocide. For many years, the United States government, as well as other western governments, had yet to acknowledge the genocide, due to the fact that Turkey (one of the Ottoman nations who took part in the Genocide) was an ally of the United states. The song P.L.U.C.K. contained lyrics such as, “A whole race, genocide, …show more content…
That leader is usually either a monarch, who has had power passed down to them by their family. They could be an elected official, who is elected by the citizens of a nation. They could also be a dictator, who is given his power by either the previous dictator, or was elected by the country and changed the government into a dictatorship. There are usually two types of leaders. Leadership Influence and the Fountain of Organizations, brilliantly explains these two types of leaders. There is the tyrant, who is abusive of his or her given power and uses it to their own benefit and carries out their priorities through force and depends on the obedience of their subjects. The tyrant’s style of governing is authoritarian. They usually end up benefiting only themselves and using their subjects to carry out their plans. This is because the tyrant is usually arrogant and refuses to change their methods of thinking. On the other hand, the mature leader who possesses humility and the willingness to work not just with the rest of the government, but their people as well. The mature leader understands that the benefit of the people people is their main priority. The article states, “The difference between a mature leader and a tyrant is in one’s capacity to act not-habitually, that is to act with a greater intention/goal/target.” While one leader acts while keeping their own needs in mind, the other acts by keeping the needs of their subjects as