Power is the ability to control a person's life in a way in which the person being controlled has no say. Power is deservedly earned, sometimes. Most of the time, people use wrong ways to gain power that is never theirs. "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." (Act). This quote is a representation of the story of Macbeth and how the character Macbeth is corrupted by power. In William Shakespeare's novel, Macbeth, the tragic story of a hero, shows this overarching theme of power. Macbeth, a loyal, respected and strong leader, becomes prey to his wife, who forces him to gain power. However, the feeling of losing the power he has just gained causes Macbeth to use his mind to ensure he does not lose that power, leading him to make the wrong decisions. This story demonstrates that an excessive desire for power can corrupt a person's life. The beginning of Lady Macbeth's manipulation and the witches' prophecies is what triggers the subsequent negative outcomes of power, as seen in the story Macbeth. Macbeth, a loyal and innocent character, transforms into a completely different character when the desire for power takes over. This begins with the witches in Act I, Scene III, page 6, when the witches say, "Hail all, Macbeth who shall henceforth be king!" (Scene III, 6). Their prediction leads Macbeth to reflect on the thought of him as king. When his wife finds out, she begins to plot how to make Macbeth king. He says: "Come, spirits, and fill me, from head to toe, with the most atrocious cruelty." She didn't care about Macbeth, but about the power she craved. Lady Macbeth filled her mind with negative thoughts, so she could ...... middle of paper ......help people to corruption as depicted in Macbeth. When people have power, they tend to use it in the wrong way, making the wrong decisions. An example of power seen in society is the power of society over government. Society has the ability to use its power to manipulate the government. An article by Lin Chia-fan talks about the influence of society on government. After the death of an innocent young man due to abuse by military personnel, 250,000 people protested outside the presidential office in Taipei. This shows that society has the power to bring about changes in society. Power is vital, only if used in the right way. In Macbeth, power was used negatively leading to Macbeth's corruption due to his abuse of power. In today's society power is used both negatively and positively depending on what the person or company is trying to convey or do.