Degree Name
BS
Department
Geography
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Defense Date
2024-03-07
Publication Date
2024-03-14
First Faculty Advisor
Dr. Perry Hardin
Second Faculty Advisor
N/A
First Faculty Reader
Lauri Haddock
Second Faculty Reader
N/A
Honors Coordinator
Samuel Otterstrom
Keywords
Remorse, Machiavelli, Marcus Aurelius, Shakespeare, Chad, Nigeria
Abstract
In the year 1599 William Shakespeare penned a line for his new political drama The Tragedy of Julius Caesar: “The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power.” This thesis investigates if and how this claim is mirrored in reality. Utilizing the literature and philosophies of two historic political figures, Marcus Aurelius and Machiavelli, a spectrum of remorse in leadership is defined. On one end Aurelius articulates the necessity of remorse while Machiavelli argues the opposite on the other end of this spectrum. The research then takes us to sub-saharan Africa to explore differences in the leadership styles of politicians in post colonial Chad and Nigeria. By comparing them to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Henry V we can place them on the continuum of remorseful leadership, allowing us to evaluate the human experience of leadership, its pitfalls and its obligations.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Long, Joleah, "The Abuse of Greatness: A Comparative Study Between a Leader's Recognition of Remorse and Their State's Economic, Political, and Social Success" (2024). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 367.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studentpub_uht/367