How do Both Dickens and Shakespeare Portray an Abuse of Power within their Texts?

Power often shapes human relationships and societies, but when misused, it can lead to oA lot of the time, we can see how quickly power can change someone, no matter how strong their morality is, power can still change them. Whether good or bad, it will always change. However, a lot of the time we are shown bad changes. The sense of morality is crucial, especially when it comes to being in power so one doesn’t harm the power they have power over. Both Dickens and Shakespeare show that being in power can make one abandon their sense of morality, leading innocent people to suffer. In Hamlet, we can see how Claudius is extremely power hungry, where he is willing to go to extreme grounds to gain it even though it resulted in his brother being dead. In Oliver Twist, we can see how high of a standard the rich hold themselves to. By abusing the children working for them, and not giving them enough food, and humiliating them, we can clearly see how low their sense of morality truly is. 

In Hamlet, Shakespeare shows the abuse of power with the sense of lost morality from those who are in power. Claudius gained power by murdering his brother, which is an immoral act. He then continues to abuse his power by spying on Hamlet and plotting his death to protect the murder he committed. This lack of morality shows that being in power, or the idea of being in power, can cause you to lose your sense of morality. In Act 3, Claudius is shown praying, admitting to his sin of murdering his brother.  “O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon ’t, A brother’s murder” (3, 3, 40). With Claudius admitting that he murdered his brother and praying it shows that he still has a slight sense of morality even though the act he committed to gain power showed that the idea of power can make someone get to the point to lose their sense of morality. Claudius saying that his offence is “rank” shows that he knows what he did was wrong even though he didn’t seem to when he was committing the murder. However, during the play it was shown that Claudius continues to abuse his power which leads innocent people like King Hamlet to suffer. Not only does power affect one's morality, the idea of power is shown to affect one's morality to which is shown as Claudius murdered King Hamlet. Shakespeare uses a hyperbole to truly emphasize Claudius’ crime and the depth of his sense of morality while being hungry for power. By saying that “it smells to heaven” Claudius exaggerates the idea of the guilt he is feeling while praying. Claudius is shown to be fully aware of the immoral act of murdering his brother that he committed. Claudius realizes the weight of guilt he had been secretly carrying. He is seen as feeling remorseful without being willing to give up the power he so desperately wanted that he could only gain through a crime. Shakespeare using a soliloquy allows Claudius’ thoughts to be revealed to show his true thoughts and how high or low his sense of morality is. Through a soliloquy, the audience can get a full understanding of his thoughts. It helps understand that Claudius is truly feeling guilt with how he confessed and understands how bad the crime he acted in is. This is significant because he truly does care about his imagination which is why it is shown that Claudius is only confessing when no one else is there and he can get the weight of the crime off his chest. The soliloquy exposes how low his inner morality is and his inability to repent. Published by Guilford College, a thesis was submitted about human nature and the need for power which can affect one's morality. It states, “...actors will exploit such systems due to greed, power, and dissatisfaction. All derived from the faults of human nature” (Adam Britton, 4). This idea is shown to prove how power driven Claudius was. Claudius murders his brother to gain the throne, exploiting the royal system. During Shakespeare’s time, God and heaven were viewed as the ultimate source of morality. Sin was believed to be judged by not only the law on earth but also in the afterlife. A book written by Stephen Greenblatt called Will in the World: Shakespeare became Shakespeare, which is a biography which explores how William Shakespeare became the world’s greatest play writer. Greenblatt is an American literary historian and author. He served as the John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. Greenblett is a leading American Shakespeare scholar who also added details of Religion in England at the time with him saying: “Catholics believed that after death, while wicked souls went directly to hell and saintly souls to heaven, the great majority of the faithful, neither completely good nor completely bad, went to purgatory…until they had paid for the sins they had committed during life.” (Greenblatt, Will in the World, 313). In the play, Claudius is shown to understand that his action is against his religion and God, not just against his brother. With Claudius saying “smells to heaven” it shows the imagery to show that his sin reached God himself. In the religious context at the time, forgiveness required genuine repentance and sacrifice which Claudius wasn’t willing to do. 

In Oliver Twist, Dickens shows the abuse of power socially, such as the workhouses and criminal world. Characters like Mr. Bumble and the workhouse board were shown to clearly exploit their authority by starving, humiliating, and not treating the orphaned children like people. Oliver, who is shown to have no power or any social status in the book, is punished for asking for food. This shows how authority is used at the time to maintain control rather than to help the less fortunate and provide care. Dickens also represents characters like Fagin and Bill Sikes as abusing power on a personal level by manipulating children into the criminal world. Dickens heavily criticizes the Victorian society for allowing those who are in power to mistreat the less fortunate without consequences. In chapter 2, Oliver begs for more food when he says, “Please, sir, I want some more.” (Dickens, 15). In this quotation, the abuse of power is very clearly highlighted. Although Oliver asks politely and is hungry, he is treated like he committed a serious crime.This moment reveals how those who are in authority misuse their power to control and intimidate the poor rather than care for them. The workhouse, which is supposed to support basic needs for orphans, are abused and starved which is covered under the word of ‘discipline’. The workhouse is to assert dominance and remind the boys that they are powerless. When Oliver speaks up, he is seen as threatening authority so the adults respond with fear and outrage instead of compassion and kindness. Dickens uses Oliver’s innocence to emphasize the system's cruelty and how cruel adults can be with how they dehumanize the less fortunate. Through this scene, Dickens criticizes the Victorian society for allowing those who are in power to punish the vulnerable simply for wanting their basic needs. This exposes how authority and power can become abuse when it lacks empathy and accountability by losing one’s sense of morality. In the line, “Please, sir, I want some more." Dickens shows Oliver’s vulnerability and the abuse of power over him. The word ‘sir’ shows a clear understanding of the difference of power between Oliver and the adults in charge. By using the term ‘sir’ in a formal way, aOliver is shown to have no power and that the adults control his life and whether he survives or not. Even though he is starving, he still speaks respectfully and follows the rules of the system. Dickens uses repetition of the word ‘more’ to emphasize both Oliver’s extreme hunger and the inhumane workhouse system. Each time ‘more’ is said, it is to remind the reader that the food given to the boys is not enough. The repetition also is shown to increase tension in the scene since Oliver’s request for more food was seen as being rebellious and talking back rather than a basic need. By repeating ‘more’, Dickens highlights the difference of power. Oliver is asking for survival, while the adults react as if their power and control is threatened. This also shows how Dickens criticizes the system that abuses power by punishing one for expressing that they are hungry. Generally, the narrator is seen to add a lot of his opinion throughout the book. This can be seen in chapter two when the narrator is expressing his opinion on the men who manage the workhouse and the ones working in it when he states: “The members of this board were very sage, deep, philosophical men; and when they came to turn their attention to the workhouse, they found out at once, what ordinary folks would never have discovered--the poor people liked it!” (Dickens, 13). In this quotation, Dickens uses a sarcastic and biased narrator. The claim that the board discovered that “the poor people liked it!” is an example of an unreliable narrator. In the eyes of the reader, the workhouse is seen as a place of suffering, starvation, and pure cruelty. The narrator’s statement reflects the perspective of the adults and rich rather than what the true reality is. The exclamation is used sarcastically to mock the workhouse board’s attitude rather than expressing genuine excitement. Naomi Buck is an award-winning writer and columnist for Canadian media. Her work focuses on environmental issues, climate policy, human rights, and social topics. With extensive international experience, including thirteen years reporting from Berlin, she published a journal article based on human nature which states: “The “hidden cost” of wealth, according to Piff and his colleagues, is a social dissociation that can result in ungenerous, selfish and “socially costly” behaviour.” (Buck, 19). The idea in this quotation that wealth can lead to clear selfish behaviour closely reflects how the rich are portrayed in Oliver Twist. Dickens shows social dissociation through wealthy and powerful characters such as the workhouse members and Mr. Bumble. These characters live comfortably and are separated from the harsh realities of the less fortunate. Additionally, a journal article written by Robert L. Patten who was a Fulbright Scholar from 1963 to 1964 and a Guggenheim Fellow in 1980. Who was also chosen as a Couper Scholar in 2004, served as president of the Rice University Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and chaired the Dickens Society in 1973 and 1974 talks about how capitalism and compassion in Oliver Twist was shown. The article states: 

The world into which Oliver is born treats him as a thing. The parish surgeon refuses to recognize even his sex, referring to him throughout the scene as “the child” or “it.” To inmates of the workhouse, his cry merely advertizes that a new burden has been imposed upon the parish. The narrator’s mock-sophisticated tone and genteel language, while satirizing the euphemistic conventions of New-gate fiction, also sets Oliver’s birth at a discreet distance, thereby reinforcing the refusal to accept him as a human being with emotional as well as physical needs. (Patten, 1) 

The quotation represents how Dickens presents a society that dehumanizes the poor, like how treating Oliver as a person but an object. Adding on to the idea that with power, one's sense of morality can easily change. Dickens' representation of the workhouse in Oliver Twist is strongly influenced by his own childhood experiences with poverty and hardship. At the age of 12, his father was imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea Prison. Which resulted in him being forced to leave school and work for long periods of time in a black factory. Where he experienced neglect and humiliation. In Oliver Twist, the workhouse is shown as cold and cruel. Dickens’ portrayal of Oliver mirrors how he viewed his own childhood. An article written by Laurence Scott, who is a contemporary writer, lecturer, and BBC New Generation Thinker known for his non-fiction books like The Four-Dimensional Human, exploring digital life, and Picnic, Comma, Lightning, and essays in The New Yorker and The Guardian, states: “In February of 1824, Charles Dickens watched in anguish as his father was arrested for debt and sent to the Marshalsea prison, just south of the Thames, in London. “I really believed at the time,” Dickens told his friend and biographer, John Forster, “that they had broken my heart.” (Scott, Charles Dicken, The Writer Who Saw Lockdown Everywhere). This quotation shows how deep Dickens’ childhood experiences were like and how they shaped his views on power, poverty, and institutional cruelty. By watching his father’s arrest and imprisonment for his debts, it exposed Dickens, at a young age, to harsh realities of how the system worked and punished those who were less fortunate. 

Both Hamlet and Oliver Twist explore the idea of corruption of power and how it influences power. However, they are different stages of how their moralities decline. In Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays how disparate one can get for power which can lead to extreme circumstances. In Oliver Twist, Dickens shows that once you get that power, your sense of morality can be fully erased. The difference is that in Hamlet, you lose your sense of morality trying to get that power, and in Oliver Twist it is shown that by the time you get that power, your sense of morality is already gone. In Act 4, Claudius speaks on how he wants to get rid of Hamlet when he says: “Tempt him with speed aboard. Delay it not. I’ll have him hence tonight. Away! For everything is sealed and done that else leans on the affair.” (4, 3, 57). This quotation shows how Claudius’ loss of morality and greed for power has fully taken over and blinded his thoughts on making decisions. In this we can see how Claudius has moved on from struggling with morality like he did when he was praying to full cruelty with no sense of remorse. Shakespeare shows that once power is threatened, Claudius abandons any remaining morality that is left within him. With Hamlet being the rightful heir and could take over the throne, Claudius is forced to face the truth that there is a strong possibility that he will lose his crown. Claudius prioritizes his wants over a human’s life, which reveals that the fear of being replaced and powerless is what drives him to fully embrace corruption and abuse of power. In chapter two of Oliver Twist, after Oliver asks for more food, the adults speak on how they would like to get rid of him with even someone earning a reward for taking him when they say: “...five pounds to anybody who would take Oliver Twist off the hands of the parish.” (Dickens, 15). This quotation shows how the workhouse board’s loss of morality and desire to maintain the power they already have has taken over and blinded their judgement when making decisions. Here we can see that the authorities have no guilt in what they are doing and that any remaining morality they may have had is completely gone. By asking for food, Oliver is seen to be threatening their authority. The adults wanting to get rid of Oliver shows that they rather prioritize their comfort and authority over a child’s life. This reveals that the fear they may have of losing control and being exposed for their cruel actions is what drives them to fully show their corrupt side and the abuse of institutional power they may hold. In both Hamlet and Oliver Twist, they both highlight the cruelty of those who are power. Dickens and Shakespeare both show that when authority is challenged, it is shown as a major threat. This exaggeration becomes a tool that allows characters to abandon morality, justify abuse, and protect their power at the expense of innocent lives. Dickens shows how the board’s reaction that they must get rid of Oliver is intentionally exaggerated to reveal how fragile and self-centered their authority is. In Hamlet, Shakespeare exaggerates the threat Hamlet is to Claudius’ power. Claudius’ paranoid state leads him to speak as though Hamlet is an urgent threat that needs to be rid of immediately. By exaggerating it, Shakespeare shows how power can change one's reality, making extreme actions seem reasonable if one has no morality left. In both Hamlet and Oliver Twist, the audience and readers get to see the character’s inner thoughts. In Oliver Twist, Dickens uses an omniscient narrator who has the full knowledge of the character’s thoughts, motives, and actions. The narrator is often seen commenting on events with sarcasm, revealing the low morality of those in power. Since the narrator knows more than any character, readers are able to recognize injustice even when the authorities try to justify their cruelty. The omniscient narration helps expose how those in power act behind closed doors and how they truly are. Similarly in Hamlet, Shakespeare uses soliloquies throughout the play to give the audience a better understanding of the characters’ inner thoughts. Specifically Hamlet’s and Claudius’. Claudius’ soliloquies reveal his guilt, and inner fear of losing power which he never shows openly. Like Dickens’ omniscient narrator, soliloquies remove the mask that the characters have on and expose the actual thoughts, fears, needs, and wants.

Both Hamlet and Oliver Twist show how power can corrupt one’s morality and lead to innocent people suffering. Shakespeare shows how the desire for power can gradually crush one’s sense of morality over time, which was seen in Claudius. Dickens, on the other hand, shows a society where they already hold power and how they use to abuse those who don’t. Both show the fear of losing power through exaggerations, abuse, humiliation, and lack of morals. Dickens and Shakespeare both warn that when power is prioritized over humanity, morality collapses, and the most vulnerable ones are left to suffer the consequences. 

Work Cited

BUCK, NAOMI. “The Rich-Giving Paradox.” Corporate Knights, vol. 13, no. 1, 2014, pp. 18–19. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43242855. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.

Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. Second ed., London, Penguin Classics, 2002.

Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. WW Norton, 2016.

Lacy, Adam Britton. Money Over Morality, Power Over People. 2024. Thesis 2024.L33. Guilford College Thesis Collection. Guilford College, JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.37762524. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.

PATTEN, ROBERT L. “CAPITALISM AND COMPASSION IN ‘OLIVER TWIST.’” Studies in the Novel, vol. 1, no. 2, 1969, pp. 207–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/29531329. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.

Scott, Laurence. “Charles Dickens, the Writer Who Saw Lockdown Everywhere.” The New Yorker, 24 December 2020, https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/charles-dickens-the-writer-who-saw-lockdown-everywhere. Accessed 15 January 2026.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York, Spark Publishing, 2003.

ppression, injustice, and suffering. Both Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare explore this theme deeply in their works, revealing how those in authority can exploit their positions to harm others. This post examines how these two literary giants portray the abuse of power, highlighting specific examples from their texts and the lasting impact of their messages.

The Nature of Power in Dickens’ Works

Charles Dickens wrote during the Victorian era, a time marked by stark social inequalities and rapid industrialization. His novels frequently expose the harsh realities faced by the poor and vulnerable under the control of wealthy and powerful figures.

Power as Social Control

In Oliver Twist, Dickens presents power as a tool used by the upper classes to maintain control over the lower classes. Characters like Mr. Bumble, the beadle, wield authority over orphans and the poor, but instead of protecting them, they exploit their positions for personal gain. Mr. Bumble’s abuse of power is evident in his harsh treatment of Oliver and other orphans, reflecting the callousness of institutions meant to care for society’s weakest.

Corruption and Hypocrisy

Dickens also critiques the legal and social systems that enable abuse. In Bleak House, the endless court case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce symbolizes how the legal system can become a tool of power abuse, draining resources and hope from those involved. The characters caught in this system suffer not because of their own faults but because of the system’s inefficiency and corruption.

Power and Poverty

Dickens often links the abuse of power to poverty. Wealthy characters like Mr. Murdstone in David Copperfield use their authority to dominate and control others, especially women and children. This dynamic shows how power can isolate and silence vulnerable individuals, perpetuating cycles of poverty and suffering.

Shakespeare’s Exploration of Power and Its Corruption

William Shakespeare’s plays, written in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, often focus on political power and its consequences. His works reveal how ambition, greed, and the desire for control can lead to tragic outcomes.

Tyranny and Ambition

In Macbeth, Shakespeare explores how the lust for power corrupts the protagonist. Macbeth’s rise to the throne involves murder and betrayal, showing how unchecked ambition leads to moral decay. His abuse of power destroys not only others but also himself, illustrating the destructive nature of tyranny.

Manipulation and Deception

Shakespeare also portrays power abuse through manipulation. In King Lear, the king’s decision to divide his kingdom based on flattery leads to chaos and suffering. Characters like Goneril and Regan exploit their father’s authority for personal gain, demonstrating how power can be twisted by deceit and selfishness.

Justice and Revenge

In Julius Caesar, the struggle for power results in political assassination and civil war. The conspirators justify their actions as a defense of the republic, but their abuse of power triggers further violence. Shakespeare shows that power struggles often lead to cycles of revenge and instability.

Common Themes in Dickens and Shakespeare

Despite the different historical contexts and genres, Dickens and Shakespeare share several key ideas about power abuse.

• Power isolates individuals: Both authors show that those who abuse power often become isolated, losing empathy and connection with others.

• Abuse leads to suffering: Victims of power abuse suffer physically, emotionally, and socially, whether they are orphans, peasants, or nobles.

• Corruption is systemic: Abuse of power is not just about individuals but about flawed systems that allow or encourage exploitation.

• Moral consequences: Both writers emphasize that abusing power has moral consequences, often leading to downfall or tragedy.

  
  

Why These Portrayals Matter Today

The themes Dickens and Shakespeare explore remain relevant. Modern societies still struggle with power imbalances in politics, law, and social structures. Their works remind readers to question authority and recognize the human cost of power misuse.

By understanding how abuse of power operates in literature, readers can better identify and challenge similar patterns in real life. These stories encourage vigilance, empathy, and a commitment to justice.