ProposalAudrey Matosian, Vy Meyers
11-18-16 Issue: Tyranny Solution: coup d'etat, foreign aid/assistance A problem that was relevant in Shakespearean times and still remains to this day is the issue of individuals with a disproportionate amount of power over masses of people. Occasionally, people in this position will abuse their power, like Macbeth did, to control those under them. In the Scottish Play this problem manifested itself in the form of Macbeth’s unconventional rise to power. He became powerful by killing his predecessor, and maintained his power in the same fashion by doing away with his opponents. This is a clear representation of the tyranny that still afflicts the world today. When a tyrant is in power, there will usually be some some kind of resistance against them, particularly in the form of rebellion and the implementation of a coup d’etat. While this didn’t exactly happen in Macbeth’s case (because he was marched on by England’s forces instead of his own,) it has been used in some governments in history, successful or not. Although this solution is not foolproof, and the ethics of its application to the problem questionable, it is a possibility. If it were that Macduff still had control over the armies of Scotland instead of requesting aid from the king of England, he could have done away with Macbeth via this method. Similar to what happens in “The Scottish Play”, countries may receive assistance from neighboring ones to usurp a tyrannical ruler. In the play, Malcolm and Macduff acquire troops from the English army to defeat Macbeth, which proves successful. Alliances and friendships between countries were important then and still are today. Many governments, when faced with large scale issues such as tyranny, often utilize these relationships to overcome the problem. When a country can not fight off a threat itself, it may have to request help from foreign governments. |
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