Flash Facts

Image credit:  www.imdb.com/title/tt2884018/ "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton Shakespeare would have likely agreed with this statement to a slight extent. Shakespeare would have likely believed that the prospect of power, and the quest to grow one's power is what corrupts, not the power itself. Shakespeare presents this idea in many of his plays, Macbeth and Hamlet are the two I can think of offhand. In Macbeth , the idea of the quest for power corrupting an individual is easily seen through Macbeth's drive to get the crown, while ideas of power not corrupting are present through Malcolm and Macduff, one a son of Duncan, and the other a thane of Scotland. The quest for power is also present in The Lion King , which is based on the story of Hamlet, in Scar's corruption due to his greed and desire for power. In Macbeth , corruption in the quest for power is present through the rise and fall of Macbeth, and the u...

This piece entitled "Reliquary Casket with Scenes from the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket" (original image can be found here ) was made by an unknown artist around 1173–80 A.D. The medium of this piece was a Gilded silver with niello and a glass cabochon set over a tinted foil, over top of this latched case. The dimensions on the casket are 5.5 x 7 x 4.7 cm on the outside. This box was made during the rule of King Henry II of England, and is of British make. The box likely held a relic of Thomas Becket, the English saint who was martyred after his death at the hands of four of Henry II's knights at the Canterbury Cathedral. His martyrdom represents his struggles with the king over the separation of the rights of the monarch and the rights of the church. Represented in this piece are multiples scenes of Thomas Becket's martyrdom. It represents the style of decorating items, particularly personal items, with artwork of religious events or figures. ...