The second type of relationship is the inseparable relationship portrayed by Sam and Eric and Bolligrew and Blackheart. Sam and Eric do everything together and even speak together, either in unison or sharing words. Bolligrew and Blackheart, though different, share beliefs, are always together and rely on each other, for example, when Bolligrew needs someone to smash Obadiah’s eggs Blackheart is there and when Blackheart needs help in finding a way to attack Oblong, Bolligrew explains the method to him.
The status and class of the characters also give ideas about the society in each play. The state of the characters in both plays varies with class, and the status of characters change throughout the play. For example in “Baron Bolligrew”, Oblong’s status is high when he is talking of his aims to better the Bolligrew Islands and low when he is not sure what to do. For example, when he raises his sword to proclaim the “Knightly vow” he has high status but as he spots the small pink tail his status decreases dramatically as the others lay mental judgement on him. Oblong’s class is high as he is a knight, but he is still susceptible to low status. I think his status is similar to Piggy’s in Lord of the Flies, as his status varies throughout the course of the play, for example, when he has the conch and is speaking, he has high status, but when Jack makes fun of his name and clothes his status decreases. I believe Smooth and Ralph have similar status as, although they are not higher in class than the Duke and Jack, they seem to have higher status and control the groups in both plays. Jack and Bolligrew have similar status as they are both commanding and are somewhat of the same class when they boast of their prosperity. I think the Storyteller has the most status in “Baron Bolligrew” as he runs the whole play like a Godlike character and is portrayed higher by standing in an elevated position on the stage. However even his status decreases, or example, when Oblong returns the story teller is sitting with the Knights discussing their plan to send Oblong away.
The story teller and the knights status is the same at this point, and the Duke although higher in class, is lower in status as he has to have the plan to get rid of Oblong explained. In conclusion to status and class, status is mostly related to class in the two plays, however higher class does not always mean higher status.
Themes are also apparent in the plays. The main themes portrayed in “Barron Bolligrew” are corruption and Heroism showed by Bolligrew and Oblong respectively in which Heroism is shown to triumph over corruption. In comparison Lord of the Flies’ main theme is that of civilization and the corruption of humanity. Another main theme of the play is that dictatorship and brutality, represented by Rodger and Jack, triumph over democracy, wisdom and stability, represented by Ralph, Piggy and Simon. The Themes Coincide in the plays as corruption plays a big role in “Baron Bolligrew” and Lord of the flies.
Beliefs play an important part in the culture of the plays. The beliefs vary in both the plays. Ralph and Oblong both have good intentions and dislike cruelty and the hunting that Bolligrew and Jack partake in. Roger and Blackheart are similar in the fact that they share a lust for violence. For example when Roger’s cries for “Murder Unlimited” are heard they are similar to Blackhearts Insults on Oblong and the fact that he wants his “Satisfaction” by beating him. Piggy believes that the laws they were accustomed to in England should be transferred to the island. He believes they should be orderly. Jack also shares these views on rules and regulations at the start when he orders his Choir to Form a line. However, during the course of the play his beliefs deteriorate to the level of the savages that he once despised. The lack of rules and boundaries causes the Characters on the Island to become savage and the beliefs redundant. In comparison, Oblong tries to change the beliefs of the characters in “Baron Bolligrew” for good, for example, when he confronts Magpie about his stealing. Smoothe has the different idea of having rest and leaving the hard work to the poor, this is similar to the views of Jack as he states “We can do whatever we want.”
Customs play a big part in both plays. In “Baron Bolligrew”, the ritual of doing the actions to go along with the Duke’s vision of his perfect day is a custom that shows his high status in the group. Customs are also present in Lord of the Flies from
Ralph’s perceptions that you should go to sleep and wake up at a certain time to Jack’s chants of “kill the pig, spill its blood.” These menaces continue to show Jacks Transformation into a savage and Piggy’s “obsession” with the conch shows his appraisal on rules and regulations. “Baron Bolligrew” creates other rituals such as, the gathering of dragon tails and the legends used to tell the story. As Jack is transformed by his surroundings, Oblong transforms those in his surroundings, such as Magpie when he confronts him on his thieving.
The places in which the plays are set have a culture of their own. In “Baron Bolligrew”, the culture is that of heroes and Knightly hood compared to the school culture of Lord of the Flies, although it is set on an island, the occupants have brought over the school culture that is on display in the play. “Baron Bolligrew” and Lord of the Flies portray different cultures as “Baron Bolligrew’s” heroism and Knightly hood of the Arthurian age shows the signs of a single hero in an endless fight for good, as Lord of the Flies portrays the school culture of many different schools, comprehensive and public. Also, there are many different heroes in the play, such as Ralph, Piggy and Simon.
The Style of a play defines the type of play that it is. The stereotypes, sound and lighting are factors of a plays style. Stereotypes are used in both plays such as the bumbling, good hearted man that is the Duke and the big hearted merry knight of Oblong found in “Baron Bolligrew.” The stereotypes in “Baron Bolligrew” are more obvious, for example, the stereotype of an evil villain and his bumbling sidekick are apparent in Bolligrew and Blackheart. Also the use of names conveys the image of that person, such as Blackheart which displays the image that he has a black heart and has no good in him, Smoothe, to show his cunning and smoothness and Strongbody to show that he is all brawn and muscle. In comparison to the obvious stereotypes in “Baron Bolligrew” there are the subtle ones in Lord of the Flies. Jack is the stereotype of an upper-class public school boy and Ralph is the stereotype of a calm leader. However, this is their “face value”, as the play progresses, the stereotype is not clear making the characters more three dimensional and naturalistic. The stereotypes used in Lord of the Flies are more subtle than those in “Baron Bolligrew.” “Baron Bolligrew” uses more of the two dimensional stock character of the stereotype, such as, the villain and the sidekick, where as Lord of the Flies uses the stock characters, such as the public school boy, and builds on them, to make the character more three dimensional. Lord of the Flies seems to be more naturalistic in terms of the characters and where it is set, where as “Baron Bolligrew”
aims to be a non-naturalistic play in parts (Oblong and Magpie) and a naturalistic play in others (The court scene). What makes “Baron Bolligrew” funny is the constant switch between naturalistic and non-naturalistic, compared to Lord of the Flies where the whole play is naturalistic. The switch between non-naturalistic and naturalistic in “Baron Bolligrew” happens, for example, when Oblong addresses the crowd, this suddenly makes it non-naturalistic. Also the sets in the two plays convey the image of how naturalistic the plays are. In “Baron Bolligrew” the audience are always reminded that they are watching a play, by the Storyteller, for example, when the Captain walks on with a mast to represent the boat the Storyteller explains what is happening and the set is minimal and not naturalistic, where as the set in Lord of the Flies is meant to look like a beach and its surroundings.
The sound and lighting plays an important role in the outcome of the play, sound and light can be used to speed up or slow down the performance, create a mood and show emotions. Lord of the Flies and “Baron Bolligrew” have basic sound, though enough to set the scene and be effective. For example, the thunder and lighting when the Captain and Oblong are on the boat, is enough to show what is happening in the play and to create fear and how terrified Oblong is. The beach noises in Lord of the Flies create tension and add to the power of the silence. It helps the play to be more realistic and also helps to show the audience where the play is set. The stones on the beach also give the impression that it is on an island.
Lighting can change the whole play, as I stated before it is used not only to light the characters, but to create mood and show emotion. The lighting in “Baron Bolligrew”
Is used to light the characters mostly, but at times such as the ship scene, lighting is used to effect where the play is set and to change the mood as Oblong is clearly terrified. This is also apparent in Lord of the Flies, though lighting is used more to create effect and mood than it is in “Baron Bolligrew.” When Sam and Eric are alone together the dim, yellow lighting and the blackness around them is used to highlight fear and loneliness. The lighting is used, when Simon, Piggy and Ralph are on the beach, to show the lighted fire and it is used, when Jack and Roger are hunting, to show suspense fear and tension. Lighting is very important in creating the mood of the performance and it is another big factor in the outcome of the final performance.
In conclusion, there are many factors in creating a play, and the two plays studied share aspects of them. There are differences and similarities between the plays on the way they are performed, staged and processed. The plays are similar in some ways, such as the relationships and status between the characters, and are different in other ways, such as the themes, culture and genre. “Baron Bolligrew” conveys the image of Exaggerated Heroism and a tale of knights used to form a parody, where as Lord of the flies uses naturalistic settings and text to create a more realistic and serious play.