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  • Essay / Corruption in the film Wall Street and the play Macbeth

    In the film “Wall Street” directed by Oliver Stone and in the play “Macbeth”, written by William Shakespeare, corruption is shown to play an important role in everyone's life. To begin with, both the director and the playwright suggest that the ambitious are easily corrupted; furthermore, they believe that corruption is contagious; However, in "Wall Street", Stone suggests that there can be redemption for those who are corrupt, while Shakespeare indicates that the ambitious are doomed because of their rebellion against nature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay To begin with, in “Macbeth” as in “Wall Street,” the ambitious are easily corrupted. This is demonstrated through Stone's characterization of Bud. Bud initially proves ambitious, but unsuccessful. Stone describes this through the motif of the phone call to show Bud's desire to be "on the other end of the line." However, Bud is corrupted by Gekko, who manipulates him. This is shown in the taxi scene. Stone uses lighting to show Bud's cooperation, knowing he is losing his morals. Similarly, Macbeth is corrupted after learning of the witches' prophecy. This causes his "deep, dark desires" to fester within him, as he hatches a plan to climb the ranks of the social hierarchy. By killing the king, Macbeth begins his path that corrupts him because of his ambition. Through Bud being corrupted by his actions led by Gordon Gekko and Macbeth doing the same, Stone and Shakespeare demonstrate that the most ambitious people are those who are easiest to corrupt. However… Second, “Wall Street” and “Macbeth” both suggest that corruption is contagious. In “Macbeth,” the protagonist begins as someone who is considered a “valiant…and worthy gentleman.” Shakespeare shows this through his comparison with the lion, considered in the Jacobian era as the noblest of animals. However, after Macbeth meets the witches, they pass on their corruption to him, turning him from "righteous to evil." Shakespeare ultimately depicts corruption as transmitted to the ambitious by supernatural intervention. Similarly, in "Wall Street", Bud starts out as just like everyone else and not corrupt. After meeting Gordon Gekko, he is increasingly corrupt but still questions Gekko's ways, wondering "how much is enough". Over time, Gekko passes on his corruption to Bud, leaving him "changed" as he does whatever it takes to make money. After being corrupted himself, Bud attempts to corrupt others, such as Roger, whom he tries to convince by saying that "everyone does it" when he is unsure. This suggests that the corruption has not only spread to Bud, but to everyone. As the witches corrupt Macbeth and Gekko corrupts Bud, Stone and Shakespeare demonstrate that corruption is passed from person to person in an endless chain. Finally, Stone suggests in "Wall Street" that someone who is corrupt can always redeem themselves, while throughout "Macbeth" Shakespeare says he believes the opposite. In "Wall Street", as Bud becomes more and more corrupt, he begins to harm those around him, thus damaging his reputation with these people. After a while, he begins to see the error in his ways as he tries to right his wrongs and follow in the footsteps of "the only honest man I know." By doing this, he regains the respect of his friends and family, thus showing Stone's point of view that you can always redeem yourself if.