Consequences of Having Greater Power - Essay Example

Through him the transformation of a man by power is manifest and the result of having greater power is obvious.

Review

Al Capone was a Chicago mobster, one of the most talked about gang leaders in the history of the United States.  However, Al Capone’s life was not entirely laden with crime; he had started as an honest young boy, who sought to lead a decent life like his father, who ran a barbershop. His effort to lead a balanced life was disrupted by two men Johnny Torrio and Frankie Yale (Balsamo 8). Both men were gang leaders with the only difference being their means of managing their criminal activities. Torrio was a diplomatic and shrewd businessman who silently and wisely expanded his criminal activities (Lorrizo 24). He was the first criminal leader Al Capone worked under and had a chance to interact with and learn from. The other was Yale; Yale was a brutal man who expanded his criminal reach through brute and murder.  Al Capone had a chance to work under him as well.  However, it was through Torrio that Al Capone honed his criminal life, as expected he had learned from two extremes and he never shied from implementing the lessons from his mentors (Eig-WSJ). Being shrewd and brutal allowed for his fast expansion owning brothels, gambling houses, and bootlegging businesses in quick succession (Knight 54). This built up his empire fast enough and allowed him a lot of power.  Unlike his preferred mentor, Torrio, Al Capone led a more public life which meant his actions were much more publicized than Torrio’s (Capone 29).  Under his leadership, following Johnny Torrio’s retirement, Al Capone became a target of rival gangs and Chicago’s authority. This fact seemed to make him more brutal and unforgiving a characteristic of absolute power. His monster side was defined by two events; one was when he ordered the murder of his two sworn enemies in 1926 and when he masterminded St. Valentine’s Day massacre in 1929 (Capone 52). Both of these events dealt a major blow to his reputation and provided leeway for his prosecution (Eig 321). He was duly sentenced on June 1931 and committed to 11 years in prison (Al Capone Museum).

Comparison

Al Capone’s turnaround from an honorable childhood to a vicious gang leader reads like a tale. However, it is a true reflection of what unchecked power would do to an individual.  His rise and subsequent fall are reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth is a play about an army general who served diligently and led conquests for the king only to be misguided by witches and his ambitions and affinity for power. He ended up killing his king and together with his evil wife masterminded other deaths of probable heirs and likely opposition (Shakespeare 53).  Yielding power turned him from a faithful servant to a vicious ruler.

Conclusion

These two narrations conjure images of how power plays out in our minds and redefine those who crave absolute control. It is highly reminiscent of the adage quoted at the beginning that absolute power only corrupts those who yield such authority.  Al Capone and Macbeth may be no more than literal characters at the moment but they represent real-life effects of absolute power.  It is clear that absolute power alters a person’s character and ensures his obsession with earthly things as well as confounds their disregard for life.