Hamlet And Lord Of The Flies Analysis

A person’s true colors are seen when they come across times of great challenges and conflict, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ~Martin Luther King. This quote best fits the plots of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet struggles to keep himself sane while acting insane to avenge his father murder. In the Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Piggy try to keep peace and order on the island while jack resorts to complete savagery. The Characters in both novels struggle and show their true nature when they are put through hardships. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character Prince Hamlet is introduced to conflict by the Ghost, telling him that he must avenge his death “Revenge his soul and most unnatural murder.” (1.5.32) After the Ghost tells Hamlet

Their troubles begin when they crash land on the island and realize that there are no grownups here. “This is an island. At least I think it’s an island. That’s a reef out in the sea. Perhaps there aren’t any grownups anywhere.” (Golding pg. 4) Not knowing when they will be rescued, Ralph and piggy think keeping order is the only way for them to survive on the island. Throughout the novel, Ralph tries to keep the group focused on survival with his rational thinking and leadership skills until they are rescued. Similarly Piggy uses his brainpower to ensure their survival. "I'm chief," said Ralph, "because you chose me. And we were going to keep the fire going. Now you run after food--" (Golding pg. 48) “Ralph – remember what we came for. The fire. My specs.” (Golding pg. 51) Both quotes above show Ralph and piggy trying to keep the group together and ensure survival. Both Ralph and piggy keep their cool, and work through the