Power in Macbeth and “Ozymandias”

Each piece of literature, be it a story, a poem, or a play, revolves around a certain topic

and tries to impart a cogitation about the subject. One subject on which numerous pieces exist

is the struggle for power and its consequences. Two examples of pieces on this subject are

Macbeth and "Ozymandias." Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare whose protagonist,

Macbeth is a thane led by his ambition and thirst for power to committing crimes in order to

advance his position. "Ozymandias" is a poem by Percy Shelley describing a bygone kingdom

that was once ruled by a tyrant, Ozymandias, who ushers many people to devastation by his

actions. Various similarities can be observed between the two protagonists, from the most

conspicuous, their positions as kings, to their personalities, through their end after which they

are remembered for their tyranny. The two works also share several major themes, chiefly that

that nothing is immortal, and everything is bound to an end and that contemplating power could

lead humans to acts they would otherwise regard contemptible.

The first and most visible parallel between the two characters is their kingship.

Ozymandias is the leader of a great nation that under his reign accomplishes many remarkable

achievements, while Macbeth becomes king by murdering Duncan, under whose ruling he is

considered a loyal thane. Power is shown as a goal which allures humans that could even lead

them to committing crimes or wronging other people to acquire. Macbeth's and Ozymandias'

positions as kings places enormous power at their disposal, and the influence of this power on

their personalities can be easily discerned. This etches power as a force which could persuade

human perceptions, which is seen in Macbeth's blindness to his approaching end and

Ozymandias' ignorance that all his kingdom and accomplishments will one day lie under piles of

sand. It can also be seen in Macbeth's change from a loyal person possessing numerous

virtues to a king obsessed with ever-more power and securing his throne by all feasible means,

no matter how terrible, and Ozymandias’ struggle to expand his kingdom and to create

unsurpassable monuments. These examples along with various others show that both works

attempt to demonstrate the well-circulated saying "Power corrupts" by showing a king's

endeavours to secure more power and protect their throne.

Another aspect in which the characters are similar is their personalities, which could

have been altered by their positions as kings. Ozymandias is said to describe himself as "King

of Kings," which clearly shows his arrogance and conceitedness, while Macbeth is seen right

before his death refusing to attempt atoning for his actions when he says, "I will not yield, to kiss

the ground before young Malcolm's feet, / [a]nd to be baited with the rabble's curse." (Mac.

5.8.27-28) This similarity in their character could be traced to their capacity over tremendous

power and to traditional etiquette under which commonalty must pay respect to rulers. It could

also, however, be a cause, not a result of their power, as vainness could induce people to think

they deserve more than they have. Macbeth also says,

Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,

And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,

Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,

No son of mine succeeding. (Mac. 3.1.61-64)

Ozymandias is quoted as saying, "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works,

ye Mighty, and despair!" (9-10) Both character exhibit an obsession with immortality in their

words, as one wishes to survive through his works, the other through his lineage. Their

obsession with eternal persistence can also be attributed with many of their actions, as a

plentiful of each character's actions appear to be influenced by this obsession (most notably the

first two of Macbeth's major murders and Ozymandias' various structures.) Ultimately, however,

every existence approaches its end; both characters eventually perish, and their eternity dreams

are never realized.

The final similarity between the two characters, although perhaps the most significant, is

their death and events subsequent to it. Both characters are depicted as vain, power-thirsty

tyrants who strive to broaden and protect their control. In doing so, they garner numerous

enemies. In Macbeth's case, many of his enemies had one time been his kinsmen, but his

treachery repels them away from him. Macbeth is killed by a past friend, Macduff, whose family

Macbeth murders in retaliation for Macduff's loyalty to the murdered king. After Macbeth's death,

Macduff refers to his past friend when he says, "[B]ehold, where stands / The usurper's cursed

head: the time is free." (Mac. 5.8.53-55) Most of Macbeth's past friends had deserted him for his

crimes by the time of his death, and he had earlier lost his wife; his throne and life were the last

things he had to lose. Ozymandias' death could be speculated to have been a lonely one owing

to his haughty character, and after his death, his hopes for eternity through his superior nation

are not realized. It can be observed that both leaders' deaths had been influenced by their

actions. It is also apparent that they are only remembered for their tyrannical reign, which

amalgamated with the other observations shows that after their death, their wishes were not

satisfied.

Macbeth and "Ozymandias" are two works whose main subjects and major themes

densely overlap, leading to creating similar characters. Macbeth's character, an ever-aspiring

one, leads him to seek more power and immortality, while Ozymandias' is guided to the same

disposition by his vain nature. Both characters are enticed by their rank as kings into

progressing in their tyranny that they might secure more power, not realizing that they are also

losing invaluable assets, such as their friends and their virtues, and that nothing lasts forever.

Both kings die amid aversion of their people toward them, and they are only remembered as

tyrants. Both characters brilliantly communicate the themes of their respective work and expose

several elements of human nature, particularly relating to ambition and desire for immortality.

The works also employ absorbing details and plots and captivating language, on account of

which they are considered timeless classics in English literature.