Power, Authority and Corruption in Macbeth "Authority poisons everybody who takes authority on himself " [Leninthis, 271], this quotation applies to Shakespeare's Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth commits regicide; the most heinous of all crimes in Elizabethan times, in order to become king himself. However, during his rule, Macbeth demonstrates that he is incapable of mastering the power and qualities of being a king. His drive for power and maintaining his power is the source of his …showed first 75 words of 1339 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1339 total…corrupts absolutely" [Acton, 1]. Works Cited Shakespeare, W. Macbeth. Toronto: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1988. P.13, 29, 116,117, 71, 127, 129, 89, 155, 156, 177, 223, 173, 103, 183, 191, 192, 197. Leninthis, V. Dictionary of Quotations. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. P. 271. Acton, L. Dictionary of Quotations. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. P. 1. Bloom, H. "The Voice in the Sword by Maynard Mack" Modern Critical Interpretation. US: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. P.89. Sisson, C. Public Justice: Macbeth. London: Oxford University Press, 1965. P.14. Wilson Knight. C. The Life and Themes of Macbeth. London: Oxford University Press, 1965. P.151.