Category Archives: Absolute Power

A Dictatorship Is Rising in My Country, Again

The author of this opinion piece, whose family fled Nicaragua when she was a child to escape a tyrannical regime, believes her home country has once again fallen into the hands of a dictator.

More than 12 years after Hurricane Katrina, scientists are learning what makes some survivors more resilient than others

Why have some survivors of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina been able to recover effectively, while others have had a harder time getting back on their feet? Click this link to learn more about research on this topic.

Eight Current Dictators as of 2018

This article suggests that today’s “dictator-led” countries, such as North Korea, are recognizable by their severe poverty and rampant human rights abuses.

How Power Corrupts Us

Why do people with power often become corrupted by it? This article examines what is at the root of this unfortunate pattern in human behavior.

The myth of the modernizing dictator

In the 1920s and 1930s, many Americans thought Joseph Stalin would reform the Soviet Union. The author of this opinion piece believes it’s wishful thinking to believe that dictators will modernize their countries in ways that move them toward democracy.

This Is Your Brain on Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s writing style can be challenging to read. Not only did he write four centuries ago, but he also played with language, coining new words, rearranging syntax, and using words as different parts of speech. Now, researchers have discovered that this last feature—using a noun like child as a verb instead, for example—excites the human brain because it is so unexpected.

Is taming your ambition the key to a better life?

Macbeth is a play about the destructive effects of unchecked ambition. When is ambition a healthy motivating force, and when does it become an illness that drives people to harmful behavior?

Toil and trouble: How ‘Macbeth’ could teach computers to think

Read this article to learn about a professor who is trying to teach an artificial intelligence system to interpret stories by having it read Macbeth.

Will Venezuela’s President Use the Mysterious Drone Attack to Seize More Power?

In August 2018, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro survived an assassination attempt carried out by explosive drones. Some experts believe the incident will allow him to tighten the already powerful grip he has on his country.

Are Dictators on the Way Out or the Way Up?

Have elections, uprisings, and political protests across the globe led to a decline in authoritarian goverments in recent years? This article takes a look at worldwide trends and examines what happens when dictators are removed from power.

Fortified but Still in Peril, New Orleans Braces for Its Future

In the years since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has rebuilt and improved its system for protecting against flooding. Will the city’s defenses hold up in the event of another powerful storm?

The Influence of Machiavelli on Shakespeare

The Renaissance Italian writer Niccolò Machiavelli explored ideas about power in his still-controversial book The Prince. His work not only influenced political leaders, though; it also influenced the work of William Shakespeare a century later.

Toil and Trouble: A Troubling Turn on Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Shakespeare and puppets may not seem like a natural combination, but this theater review makes the case that puppets are the perfect metaphor for the couple at the forefront of The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Top 5 Worst Dictators

See a round-up of some of the most Macbeth-like rulers of the 21st century.

The Crucial Difference Between a Good Person and a Good Leader

Can a benevolent ruler successfully retain power? Or are readers hoping for the impossible when they wish Macbeth would be a truly good king?

The “Scottish” Play

The Scottish setting of Macbeth seems crucial—after all, it’s Scottish history—but numerous adaptations set around the globe have proved that the setting is far from essential.

Macbeth’s encounter with the witches

Shakespeare’s source material, Holinshed’s Chronicles, appeared in two versions. Scholars from Oxford University have recently made side-by-side comparisons available online.

Relationships Are More Important than Ambition

Imagine your classmates twenty years from now: Who will be happier—the friend who becomes a high-powered entrepreneur with a car to match, or the friend who chooses a modest lifestyle with time for friends and family? Learn why some people are more ambitious than others and whether ambition can make them happy.