Corruption of Power in the Works of Henrik Ibsen and William Blake
'In political and social protest writing, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'
Explore the significance of power as a corruptive force as it is presented in two political and social protest texts you have studied.
Lord Acton, a famous scholar, historian and politician, is most notable perhaps for a quote that best sums up a collection of social and political protest texts. He was born in the 1800's and he was one of the most deeply learned men of his time, although he didn't actually publish any works. The quote in question, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," is thought to be an extremely impactful and accurate way of describing many of ...
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the rule of King Harald V, the women of Norway were largely isolated from the world, trapped in their husbands' homes and kept in their own little 'doll houses'. This, being the reality, often unnoticed by the women themselves, it seems likely that it is this metaphor for the glamourous entrapment of women that influenced Ibsen to write A Doll's House and portray the enslavement of women to their 'duties' and their husbands in the relationship of Nora and Torvald. As well as in real life, in the play, Torvald is given absolute power of the household, being the primary earner and the 'man'. This, he is thought to portray by the use of possessive pronouns like "my little songbird," and "my squirrel". The use of such terms of 'endearment' have two effects. the first Ibsen's attempt to shield the true problem of Nora's confinement by Torvald giving Nora endearing pet names to subdue her. The second and more prominent is Torvald's attempt to silently dehumanise Nora by calling her small ...
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but by the end, he struggles to the point of requesting another man's help to deal with his own wife. This absolute power that he is given in the beginning of the play, slowly corrupts him to the point where he acknowledges his wife as his child. Therefore, it can be seen that power does corrupt, and absolute power does corrupt absolutely.
In the works of William Blake, particularly in the Experience collection, corruption is a popular theme, being presented by Blake as one of the primary reasons for social and political protest. In one of the most notable poems, A Little Boy Lost, it is clear to see that the view that absolute power corrupts absolutely is entirely true. ...
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"Corruption of Power in the Works of Henrik Ibsen and William Blake." Essayworld.com. March 9, 2021. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Corruption-Power-Works-Henrik-Ibsen-William/107639.
"Corruption of Power in the Works of Henrik Ibsen and William Blake." Essayworld.com. March 9, 2021. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Corruption-Power-Works-Henrik-Ibsen-William/107639.
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