Throughout the years, different authors have often turned to similar ideas and thoughts in their writing. William Golding is no exception. His story “Lord of the Flies” has some similarities with “Macbeth” by Shakespeare. Even if one piece of writing did not influence the other directly, certain traits cannot be left without recognition. There is a common theme of human savagery; however it is realized differently in each piece of writing. The differences are based on the reasons behind this behavior, the age of the characters and the influence of supernatural phenomena.
When the boys land on the island, they first enjoy their life. However, when it comes the time to eat and fight for survival their basic needs take control. “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!” (Golding) Their savagery is the result of fear and their basic needs. All that these boys are trying to do is to survive. They see their savagery as a must, as an absolutely needed behavior. In Macbeth, his savagery is the result of greed and want for power. He is aware that what he is going is wrong, but he refuses to control it. “Stars, hide your fires! Let no light see my black and deep desires.” (Shakespeare). The innocent children are compared to an educated adult.
It should also be noted that the heroes of “Lord of the Flies” are boys, kids. They were thrown into the situation that they should not have appeared in. They were unprepared and not ready. Some did try to establish order; however, not all boys are ready to become mature in minutes. “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything”. (Golding) Macbeth, on the other hand, is old and mature enough to tell right from wrong. He is ready to deal with such situations and should have made the correct choice. If it wasn’t for the influence of Lady Macbeth, perhaps this story would have had a different ending. “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under it” (Shakespeare), she urged her husband. Nevertheless, Lady Macbeth was not the main influence of Macbeth’s behavior.
Supernatural phenomena play an important role in both stories. In Macbeth, they are the driving force of his decisions. Moreover, the constant reappearance of the witches as if fuels his savagery. In the “Lord of the Flies”, the children’s behavior is driven by the monster. The difference between these two phenomena is that the witches were real in the story, while the beast was not. “Maybe there is a beast.maybe it’s only us.” (Golding) Both the boys and Macbeth were driven by fear. “When our actions do not, our fears to make us traitors.” (Shakespeare)
The theme of savagery in Golding’s and Shakespeare’s writing can be compared through the cause of such behavior, though the age of the characters and through the influence of supernatural phenomena. Humans have gone a long way of evaluation. However, there are still parts of a savage left in us and they can reappear under the right conditions. “He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.” (Golding). Both Golding and Shakespeare wanted to draw the readers’ attention to this danger.
Works cited
1. W. Golding. “Lord of the Flies”
2. W. Shakespeare “Macbeth”
