The Elizabethan Age was a period of political conflict with people attemping to gain power. In 1558, Elizabeth I was crowned the Queen of England. Once Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne, there were many disputes between Protestant and Catholic leaders.The Queen tried to settle the conflict between the leaders so there would not be any rebellions. Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth, King James I rose to power. King James I surrounded himself with people that were untrustworthy. When King James I died, his son Charles I took the throne. Controversy between the crown was increased when King Charles I took the throne, and the want for power grew.
During the Elizabethan time, Shakespeare wrote plays for the King and Queen of England for their entertainment. Most of his plays are centered around the human struggle of wanting and keeping power. This was because in Shakespeare's time, there was a struggle between the balance of power and justice in the court of Elizabeth I. Shakespeare writes about the present conflicts that revolve around England in his time. But why, in this time period, did people seek power? Why was power so important to many people that it mad them go insane or psychologically unstable?
People look at power as a gift that can control everything around them, and that is why most people seek power. In the Elizabethan Age, there were feuds between Kings, Queens, and other members of the Elizabethan court. Everyone wanted the ability to control the people around him or her, which is natural as a human being. But can your ambition in wanting power turn into evil and greed? In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, desires power. When he finally gets the power that he has dreamed of, he feels as if it is not enough so he becomes loathsome, and his craving for power grows. Macbeth wanted power so he could have the domination over the people of Scotland and wanted to keep the world from changing to something he was not familiar with. The need for power in Macbeth overtook him, and he became so selfish that he would have done anything to get power.
Besides Macbeth and the Kings and Queens of the Elizabethan period seeking power, people desire power everyday. Some examples of power seekers are Adolf Hitler, Fidel Castro and Benito Mussolini -all dictators of the 20th century.Adolf Hitler first came into power to help the people of Germany become a great nation. His plan was very effective at first, but then Hitler started to abuse his power which escalated over time. He started to kill the Jews and others, whom he though were the source of evil. Hitler abused his power against people and became corrupt, and then shortly after, power slipped out of Hitler hands, just like it did to Macbeth in the play by Shakespeare.
Fidel Castro became the dictator of Cuba in hope that he would better the people of Cuba and Cuba's government. He adopted the communist government and made absurd regulations about what people could do and not do. He abused the power he had, and soon almost everyone began to hate Fidel Castro.
Benito Mussolini was the dictator of Italy during World War II. He wanted power for himself and not the people. Because he wanted "military glory," Mussolini was apart of the National Fascist Party, as was Hitler. Fascists believe that the people should not question their leader or go against him and that the leader is above everyone else. Mussolini and Hitler both wanted the power of their people and ultimately the world, but that is why they are still not with us today. They used their power for the wrong reasons and became corrupt.There are some leaders that use their power for the benefit of the people. Some examples of those good leaders are Martin Luther King,Jr., Gandhi, and John F. Kennedy.
Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted peace for African Americans. He used his power to promote non-violent protests to give the African American community, in the United States, their rights.
Gandhi, the father of the Indian independence movement, used his power to fight discrimination against Indians. He also thought of satyagraha, which is a non-violent way of protesting injustice.
And lastly, John F. Kennedy used his power to help Americans and others around the world. Kennedy set laws to end segregation against African Americans, and he also established the Peace Corps that sends American volunteers over to foreign counties that need assistance. All three of these leaders used their power to help not themselves, but others.
This assignment helped me understand the universal theme that power can be good for people, or it could turn people corrupt. The assignment made me study history and some very influential people. It helped me understand that power is not always a good thing, and if it got in the hands of some people, it could be very harmful. But, power in the hands of good people can do good for the world. I feel that this assignment also helped me learn more about blogger and how to use it properly. Before this assignment, I did not know how to embed links, but now I do. This assignment helped me not only study history and people, but it also helped me learn how to use technology.
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