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1984 Similarities Between Macbeth And 1984

Decent Essays

Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell are literary productions found in the majority of libraries around the world because of their importance to the English language coupled with the powerful messages that are delivered. Macbeth and 1984 are highly similar in how each author connects the audience’s values and beliefs when dealing with violence.

The major connection between Macbeth and 1984 is the ruling power that is responsible for all the violence. This connects Macbeth to The Party, as both leaders take total control when they rise to power. However both entities rise to absolute power in different ways. Macbeth obtained his power by murdering the previous king, while The Party in 1984 obtained …show more content…

Both Macbeth and 1984 have similarities between why the violence is committed. The big elephant in the room is murder and violence is more commonly used in Macbeth is because Macbeth is a stage play. So Shakespeare justifies all the bloodshed to make the play more interesting and pleasurable to watch. Beside that, Big brother and Macbeth justify their actions for the greater good to maintain peace, prosperity and claim they are doing the work of …show more content…

A martyr is someone who with their actions rallies the people into action, most of the time they do this by being slaughtered. In Macbeth Macduff’s family was the martyr, whereas in 1984 Winston was the martyr. When Macbeth murders Macduff’s family, it turns Macduff’s wife and child into martyrs, as from this Macduff bubbles with thoughts of retribution that leads to Macbeths end. Plotted killings brought forth rebellion, on the other hand though similar actions happen in 1984, with drastically different results. Because 1984 is set in the ‘future’ the upper party has created a way for human martyrdom to be eradicated. O’Brian describes this action as “making the brain perfect before we blow it out”. With brain manipulation big brother effectively has denied the ability of Winston, or any in his similarly oppressed place, to motivate others to change the way the world

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