‘Why, what is pomp, rule, reign, but earth and dust?

‘Why, what is pomp, rule, reign, but earth and dust?

And, live we how we can, yet die we must’

What is the true meaning of power? Are some simply born to it or can it be acquired like a skill? Does it always breed corruption and greed or can it be a force for good? From kings to prisoners and from battle-fields to courts, Shakespeare’s peerless understanding of power and its repercussions remains as pertinent today as it has ever been.

Selected from * Macbeth, Julius Caesar, A Winter’s Tale, Measure for Measure, Henry V, Richard II*