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Obed Salazar

Ms. Figueroa

Senior English

10 March 2019

Corruption in the Real World

Corruption is seen all over the world it is nothing new. There is corruption in politics

which effects in public life. Corruption also effects building quality and other costs. In the play,

Macbeth, many characters fall into corruption which in turn changes the way they act towards

others this theme can be seen throughout in the real world itself making it a universal theme. In

Macbeth corruption was seen throughout the play. For example, Macbeth hired murderers to kill

his best friend Banquo, Macduff’s wife and children. Corruption is also shown when Macbeth

murdered Duncan to become King of Scotland. Macbeth’s universal theme of corruption is also

seen in today’s society in politics, police brutality and human trafficking.

The theme of corruption is seen in politics. Mexico’s government is at a low point, it is

not being controlled and it is loose. According to New York Times, “Mexico’s government has

evidence to charge officials connected to one of the biggest scandals in Latin American history,

it is refusing to bring charges because they might hurt the governing party ahead of presidential

elections” (New York Times 2018). Due to no charges being made Mexico’s government is

loose and anyone can commit crime without punishment because the presidential election is

more important than the government. Corruption was also seen in the Nixon Watergate Scandal.

According to the article, “The prowlers were connected to President Richard Nixon’s reelection

campaign, and they had been wire tapping phones and stealing documents. Nixon took

aggression steps to cover up the crime afterwards” (History 2009). Nixon was not doing the right
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thing and was later caught. He was supposed to show a good example of great President and he

failed to do so and instead he was caught being involved in a scandal. Overall, corruption is seen

throughout politics and around the globe.

Corruption is also seen in sports. Athletes are doping, instead of playing a fair game.

According to BBC News, “In December last year, a German tv alleged as 99% of Russian

athletes were guilty of doping” (BBC 2015). Athletes are constantly doping and it is considered

cheating, in every sport this is an issue because a team can either have an advantage or a

disadvantage. Athletes are getting paid to injure other players. Robert Siegel says, “Former

defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints ran a program that paid players thousands of

dollars for big hits” (NPR 2012). This is seen as corruption because they were the one of the

teams at the time to seriously injure other players being a bad image to Football. Ultimately,

hurting other players and doping is not fair play and is seen as corruption.

Police brutality is seen as corruption in the real world. Police in Mexico were apart of

crimes and no one did anything about it. According to New York Times, “State, municipal and

other officials apparently knew about some of the crimes in advance and agreed to not intervene,

the police may have been facilitated criminal acts” (New York Times 2018). The police and the

drug cartel were torturing innocent people and they got away with it. Police are not following the

law and were doing illegal things. According to the article, “Recently, we fought for victims of a

large-scale police conspiracy in Camden, New Jersey, in which officers planted drugs on

innocent residents” (American Civil Liberties Union). This is seen as corruption because the

police were not following the law and were basically committing a crime by plating drugs on

people. In the end, corruption is also seen by the police they are not always good people.
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The universal theme of corruption is seen globally in politics, police brutality, and in

sports. Police brutality and politics relate to the theme seen in Macbeth because once he became

King of Scotland, he was very dishonest and not being a good king. He sent murderers to kill his

loved ones. Corruption is seen in society globally through politics and government. It is nearly

impossible to just end corruption because it constantly happens on the daily basis. What the

audience can learn from this is that corruption is always happening it is something that is always

going to be happening.
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Work Cited

“Corruption in Mexico.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 June 2018,

www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/opinion/mexico-corruption.html.

“Doping in Sport: What Is It and How Is It Being Tackled? - BBC Sport.” BBC News, BBC,

www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/33997246.

Editors, History.com. “Watergate Scandal.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct.

2009, www.history.com/topics/1970s/watergate.

Pesca, Mike. “Football Coordinator Paid Players To Hurt Opponents.” NPR, NPR, 5 Mar. 2012,

www.npr.org/2012/03/05/147992068/football-coordinator-paid-players-to-hurt-

opponents.

“Police Corruption.” American Civil Liberties Union, Aclu, www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-

reform/reforming-police-practices/police-corruption.