Explore the way Orwell & Shakespeare present forbidden relationships in 1984 and Romeo & Juliet.
Both Orwell and Shakespeare base their respective works in dystopian societies, where the countries inhabited by the protagonists’ aid the destruction of their love. However, it should be noted that the ethics of these two societies differ grandly due to the periods the pieces were produced. 1984 was set in a totalitarian state, Oceania, where the government, Big Brother, endeavour for total control of its citizen by instilling fear using propaganda, omnipresent telescreens (CCTV), and thought police whereby one could be arrested by what they think. In contrast, Romeo and Juliet is set during the Elizabethan time, in the patriarchal principality of Verona, where the families of Romeo and Juliet hold grudges against each other and try to undermine one another. This essay, will be exploring different parts and comparing both pieces to try and determine whether the “love” presented by Orwell and Shakespeare were “true love” or “rebellion”.
Before Winston became acquainted with Julia, he initially expressed hatred towards her, as it is demonstrated when stated “suddenly his heart turned to ice and his bowels to water” The quote could illustrate that Winston could not merely withstand the sight of Julia without loathing her and that he even envisioned “hitting her with a cobblestones” to commit a premeditated murder suggest that Winston was prepared to commit one of the grandest sin so he could eliminate Julia. The word “suddenly” propounds that he could not resist the presence of Julia which he involuntarily felt impulsively, suggesting that their attraction could have been fateful; nonetheless, one may argue that Winston was merely unable to distinguish the difference between “love” and “hate” to which he concluded that he hated Julia’s presence; alternatively, it should be noted that Winston could have simply been petrified due to