Power's Evil Paradox

"Instead of a Dark Lord, you would have a queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Tempestuous as the sea, and stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!"

Galadriel
Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The theme of power’s corrupting influence haunts the pages of literature in all eras and cultures. Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings exposes the corrupting affects of power through the symbol of a magical ring. In the quote above, the great queen, Galadriel, is offered the ring of power, and despite her overwhelming goodness, the temptation of ultimate power makes her forget herself and her virtuous qualities for a time.

The quote at first appears to be contradictory. She wishes people to love her and despair, to be beautiful and terrible, yet when we look at modern dictators and totalitarian governments we find the same opposing desires. Many people become corrupted by power because they lack a sense of security with their own identity. Therefore, dictators seek to deny others their own sense of self in an attempt to feel powerful and secure with their own identities. Although people often seek power as a form of security, they also crave the love of those who they wish to dominate. This explains the wish for all to “love me and despair.” This statement illustrates why absolute power can never really bring a sense of security or happiness. The constant need for people to fear them in order to keep control denies power hungry individuals the love that all human beings crave. The people that they dominate will never truly love them because they seek freedom. Freedom and love compliment one another; however, love and slavery will remain opposites that bring misery to not only those dominated, but also to the dictator as well.

After being confronted with the ring of power, the immortal Galadriel understands this fact. She understands that domination denies one the ability to truly love. With all the wisdom that immortality has brought her, she is still tempted by power…let us learn from this example rather than hope to live so long.

What are your thoughts about the quote and the motivations and influences that power holds over people?

What are some other books that explore the theme of power, and how have they affected your view of its influence?

--Carrie Goertz