The phrase "absolute power" as known in the Shakespearean time period, would be referring to the claim of power through divine, God-given right. As I have come to understand in reading Macbeth, Shakespeare would absolutely agree with the statement "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Lord Acton). At the surface level, by looking at the syntax of the statement and the common motif of reflective syntax. The best example of this similarity would be with the well known phrase from Macbeth, “fair is foul, and foul is fair”(Act 1, scene 1). This could be related to the theme of power and control throughout the play. The word “fair” seems to relate best to fate, the underlying power that controls all things. Although the two statements are not explicitly stating the same thing, a sort of parallel ideology can be seen. Because of this, I would say to some extent, Shakespeare rephrases statement from Acton so as to fit it within the context of the play.
Another reason is the progression of the play's storyline itself, as we follow the progression of Macbeth gaining power. As his power increases, he arguably becomes more and more corrupt, as described within the phrase. This can be seen with the development of his morals from Act 1 where he is given the title of Thane of Cawdor and subsequently becomes king. We can see how power corrupts as, during the beginning of the play, Macbeth seems to have little to no ambitions beyond his present positions. But after he is surprised by becoming thane of Cawdor, he begins to further believe in the prophecy that guaranteed the position of king. He goes from having little ambition, to being willing to kill to gain more power.
However, it must be considered that some of this comes from the persuasion of Lady Macbeth as well as the potential supernatural influence from the witches as seen in the rhyming at the end of his dagger soliloquy, which is delivered right before he commits said murder. Although, we can action connect the influence of the witches to the phrase “absolute power” because of the relation to religion. Within Lord Acton’s phrase, the idea comes mainly from Christianity which might oppose my previous idea, however, Christianity and paganism were commonly put at odds within such commentaries as this Shakespeare play. This would indicate that Shakespeare may have been commenting on the fact that the two religions share many concepts, and are often interchangeable.
The two religions are different in many ways, but when looking at the concept of “fate” the two present somewhat identical. Another clever way of indicating this is by creating the characters of the witches to parallel the three sisters of fate that are present can be seen in Christian doctrines. Both are able to give accurate accounts of what will occur in the future. Though this kind of connection does not directly mean Macbeth would agree with Acton, it does hold significance in showing the presence of more reflective elements that might indicate the relation of the phrase and Shakespeare's Macbeth.
