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Comparison Of Power In Lord Of The Flies, And The Princess Bride

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“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”. In other words, this quote by Abraham Lincoln, means that power can reveal a person’s true character. One can see how this is true in the writing of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and William Goldman's The Princess Bride. By analyzing the actions of the characters of Macbeth, Jack and the character of Inigo, it is evident how power can change people. Macbeth goes to drastic lengths to become king with his greed for power, Jack creates a savage world with the willingness to do anything for power, yet, Inigo uses the power he gains through determination and training to avenge his father’s death.

In Macbeth, …show more content…

At first he thinks that just being the lead singer in the choir back at school should be enough to make him the chief. "A chief! A chief! "I ought to be chief," said Jack with simple arrogance, "because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp." (Lord of the Flies 1.229-231) However, he loses the vote and although Ralph asks Jack to lead the hunters, he is still furious. Not only is Jack power hungry, he is jealous of Ralph’s authority. He becomes obsessed with hunting. "I painted my face—I stole up. Now you eat—all of you—" (Lord of the Flies 4.191) Jack did kill the pig and get the meat. This implies that he is a good leader, but forcing the other boys to eat it should not give him power. It makes him more like a dictator. The other boys are under his influence and go wild after this. Jack is crazy with power on the night Simon in killed. He has worked his tribe up chanting and dancing during the storm and when Simon appears they attack and kill him. This act of savagery shows just how Jack’s power has evolved. Along with the death of Simon, Jack plans to hunt and kill Ralph. “They’re going to hunt you tomorrow.”( ) Sam and Eric relay this message to him while in fear of their own safety. Power has totally changed Jack. He is nothing more than a savage beast

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