The Power of Power
Can anyone be trusted with power? Political power? Magical power?
No one can be trusted with power. No matter the type--political, magical, or just general influence--one person cannot be singlehandedly trusted to know what each individual wants, or take into account what each individual wants. Though it is impossible for a government to run with enough people to represent the many unique views of a nation, it would be the only way to trust anyone with political power. No single person with political power can be completely impartial, making one act with one's own interest in mind, no matter how progressive or open one claims to be. Political power and magical power carry the same weight in terms of the destruction they can cause. If the wrong person uses magical power, like Prospero, his or her selfish and disastrous tendencies will cause major turmoil for the society around him or her. With the storm Prospero made, his selfishness took hold of him as he wanted to destroy his enemies that were aboard the ship at sea. Though Prospero is not the epitome of a responsible person to be trusted with power, he is an example of how easily power is used for evil. Prospero is also malicious towards Caliban; the duke using his higher position of power to treat him badly. Other characters that come to the island such as Stephano and Trinculo treat Caliban in much the same way, demonstrating how much of the human race cannot be trusted to treat individuals with respect or humanity; thus, no one can be trusted with power.
No one can be trusted with power. No matter the type--political, magical, or just general influence--one person cannot be singlehandedly trusted to know what each individual wants, or take into account what each individual wants. Though it is impossible for a government to run with enough people to represent the many unique views of a nation, it would be the only way to trust anyone with political power. No single person with political power can be completely impartial, making one act with one's own interest in mind, no matter how progressive or open one claims to be. Political power and magical power carry the same weight in terms of the destruction they can cause. If the wrong person uses magical power, like Prospero, his or her selfish and disastrous tendencies will cause major turmoil for the society around him or her. With the storm Prospero made, his selfishness took hold of him as he wanted to destroy his enemies that were aboard the ship at sea. Though Prospero is not the epitome of a responsible person to be trusted with power, he is an example of how easily power is used for evil. Prospero is also malicious towards Caliban; the duke using his higher position of power to treat him badly. Other characters that come to the island such as Stephano and Trinculo treat Caliban in much the same way, demonstrating how much of the human race cannot be trusted to treat individuals with respect or humanity; thus, no one can be trusted with power.
I have to agree with you on the assertion that no individual can be trusted with absolute power. This is why all the dictatorial/monocratic structures we have studied throughout history are portrayed as the darkest periods of that nation’s history. Dictators seize power illegitimately and maintain it either by force or with charisma and efficiency. Because they depend on the support of very few people to stay in power, the efficient way to govern becomes corruption, bribery, blackmail, and extortion. Given this set up of power, a dictator who wants to remain at the top of the heap doesn't work on behalf of the larger population, but for the benefit of the handful of people he depends on for maintaining control. The leadership pillar of representing the constituency is erased when this self-serving structure is in effect––you can keep a small group of people loyal by paying them well. This unfriendly cycle is why “dictator” has become a pejorative term, and why absolute power in the hands of an individual is unlikely to be trusted, as you have exemplified. The Tempest parallel you pointed out also falls in line with this theory of the infallibility of autocracy. Prospero’s use of magic power reflects dictators throughout history, in that his inclination to abuse that power out of self-interest and greed fails to serve the constituency, or, in his case, his relationships with the powerless (Caliban, Miranda, Ariel, basically everyone else).
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