“Both Shakespeare and Golding suggest that people’s hearts are evil and that this world is a dark and evil place”. In the light of this statement, compare and contrast how the writers present evil in ‘Macbeth’ and
‘Lord of the Flies’. In the course of your answer, consider how your understanding of contextual detail deepens your understanding of the texts. ‘Macbeth’, is William Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, written between 1599 and 1606.
It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful works. One of the main themes in
‘Macbeth’ is how easily a man’s heart can be corrupted with evil. Throughout the play, external forces of evil are constantly present
: reminding the audience that the world is a sinister place full of shadows. The evil surrounding Macbeth’s character gradually pushes him to descend into his own heart of darkness.
LOTF-beginning section-: The boys gradually become their own savage “beasts”. Unlike in “Macbeth”, the forces of evil are within the young, seemingly innocent boys, (Simon realizes the ‘beast cannot be killed as it lives inside us’), and continue to grow the longer they are away from order, society and civilization. Golding suggests evil is present even in the most good-hearted people and it can easily overpower us).
The witches play a key role in Macbeth as they are the ultimate corrupters. They are present at the start of the play where they plan to meet Macbeth, they plant the seed of ambition in Macbeth’s mind, their presence is seen in Lady Macbeth, ‘come thick night’, Macbeth is seen seeking them, (‘open, locks, whoever knocks’) and they give him warnings.
From the very beginning of the play, it is clear to the audience that Shakespeare portrays the witches as the main source of evil in ‘Macbeth’. During Jacobean times, people had a more religious way of life. Witches and the supernatural were associated with the devil and during the reign of King James VI, many witches were hunted down and burnt at the stake. By having the witches meet at a moor in ‘thunder, lightning and rain’, Shakespeare has already created a dark atmosphere. ‘Thunder’ and ‘lightning’ symbolize darkness and destruction, which then sets the mood for the entire play. It also reinforces the audience’s idea about evil present in the air.
(Is the evil there because of the witches or is the world dark and evil?).
‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’. and so this scene would have been very likely to scare, and excite
Shakespeare's
audience.
In ‘Macbeth’, the witches represent a dramatized version of the religious tensions during King James’ reign, as well as representing the chaos between Catholics and
Protestants.
Macbeth wells up from a deep awareness of evil.
It is clear from the start of the play that the witches play a key role. The first scene is the witches planning to meet Macbeth. this scene is very important ;they meet on a moor in thunder and lightning. These surroundings portray an evil image;the moor is a very lonely, barren and bleak place, while
thunder and lightning associate with evil. So even at the beginning of the play one of the themes is known.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
The opening scene with the Witches is a key scene as it sets the mood for the play . Shakespeare creates this mood of evil with pathetic fallacy shown when the witches speak, 'In Thunder, lightning, or in rain.'
At the time of the play any action against the natural order of things would have been met with horror and to the audience the thought of killing the King, who was
God's representative on Earth, would have been considered evil, (
Divine right of kings, to commit regicide is to act against God, Macbeth is no longer able to say
Amen after killing Duncan). At the meeting with the Witches
Banquo, (loyal, innocent) feels uneasy about believing what they have to say and dismisses it.
However, we begin to see a change in
