The Mark of the Beast: Civilisation and Morality in 'Lord of the Flies'

Peter Brook's adaptation of William Golding's classic novel faithfully represents its tale of a group of English schoolboys' descent into savagery after being left to fend for themselves on an unpopulated island. As Anthony Carew finds, the film's deceptively complex allegory raises as many questions – including about free will, responsibility, masculinity and human nature – as it answers.

Additional keywords:
Screens in the Classroom, middle years, senior secondary, Ladyworld, Monos, Bloody Beans, The Wild Boys, RM Ballantyne, Jules Verne, Scott McGehee, David Siegel, religious allegory, United Kingdom, hierarchy, patriarchy, age of criminal responsibility, gender