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Scholars have undertaken comparative studies of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' and Euripides' 'Bacchae.' Golding's novel has been recognized by critics as one of the most important texts for the 20th century. Close reading of the texts reveals how E.R. Dodd's understanding of the 'Bacchae' will allow deeper connections between the works, which have previously gone unnoticed.

This article examines similarities and differences in the two books "The Bacchae of Euphrides," by E.R. Dodd and "Lord of the Files," by William Golding. In comparing the two works, an important element in the characterization of the Apollonian figures, Ralph and Pentheus, has not been properly highlighted or it has been misunderstood: both characters clearly reveal the Dionysian urge, the desire for the irrational and chaotic, but both feel the need to repress these longings. Certainly, Jack and Ralph represent opposite forces, as do Dionysus and Pentheus. But one of the intriguing features in both "The Bacchae," and "Lord of the Flies," is the manifestation by Pentheus and Ralph of the Dionysian element.