Macbeth And Lord Of The Flies Analysis

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There are many factors that determine how people behave in their daily lives. We are run by a number of rules and regulations that influence the way we behave, talk and live. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows that without the influence of a civilized society and law and order, people’s characteristics can change drastically. Similarly in Macbeth, Shakespeare represents the loss of morality of a leader as his hunger for power clouds his judgement. Both pieces of literature present how both writers view the breakdown of morality through the breakdown of civil behaviour. Shakespeare and Golding present Jack and Macbeth as very complex characters, both presented as ‘eccentric’ and ‘heroic’ personalities. In both texts the characters are introduced in contrast to their surroundings. In Lord of the flies, the character Jack is first introduced to the reader in complete contrast to the setting. The setting is presented as ‘beautiful’ and ‘flawless’ whilst on the other hand Jack is presented as “something dark fumbling along”. This implies that Jack, and the children on the island, are the beasts, creatures, referred to in the title ‘Lord of the Flies’. Whereas in the text of Macbeth, the setting is first presented as evil, stated by Macbeth “no foul and fair a day I have not seen“. On the contrary Macbeth is presented as ‘brave’ and ‘courageous’, ‘the savior of the day’, this implies that the writers chose the great difference in setting and character for the reader to