Lord of the Flies/Macbeth

What are the traits that a leader has to have in order to succeed? This question is one that the reader may ask when reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Macbeth by William Shakespeare. In Lord of the Flies, a group of boys survive a plane crash on a deserted island. They decide to vote for Ralph as the leader, but the skilled hunter, Jack, forces his leadership using his hunting skills leading to great tragedies. In Macbeth, the superior warrior, Macbeth, who is next in line for the crown, kills the king and takes power, but goes insane. The two texts Lord of the Flies and Macbeth both show that the best warrior or hunter does not always make the best leader shown by: the way the chosen leaders were able to run an environment that everyone was happy; the way the leaders that took power went insane; and the society created by the leaders that took power is disliked by the people.

These two texts can be compared by the way the chosen leaders were able to run a society in which everyone was happy. To begin with, Ralph, the elected leader sets rules to make the quality of life on the island better until they get rescued. Ralph is on the platform talking to the other boys: "We can't have everybody talking at once. We have to have 'hands up' like at school.'...'Then I'll give them the conch.'" (Golding 31). Ralph as the leader found order in the society and found a way that everyone can contribute ideas without distractions. In addition, with Ralph as the leader the island has got into a rhythm and everyone starts to enjoy their life on the island. The boys have been living on the island for a few days: "The first rhythm that they became used to was the slow swing from dawn to quick dusk. They accepted the pleasures of morning, the bright sun, the whelming sea and sweet air, as a time when play was good and life so full." (Golding 60). Likewise, Duncan, the king of Scotland, respects his people and their needs. Duncan tells his soldier: "So well thy words... [continues]

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