William Shakespeare and George Orwell: Comparison between King Lear and 1984 (Essay Sample)

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Comparison between King Lear and 1984
King Lear is a tragedy play by William Shakespeare that depicts the gradual descent of the title character into insanity after he shares his kingdom amongst two of his daughters based on how they praise him. This action brings dire consequences to all of them. 1984 is a novel by English writer George Orwell that provides a warning on the perils of a totalitarian society. King Lear and 1984 contains a number of notable similarities and differences. This is a comparative essay that compares King Lear and the novel 1984.
Some time in ancient Britain, King Lear decides it is time to step down since he is getting old. He also wants to avoid any political or family conflict that may occur after his death, considering that there is no male heir to take over as the king. He therefore decides to divide his kingdom equally among his three daughters. Before he does that, he tests them by asking how much each one of them loves him. Regan and Goneril, who are Lear’s eldest daughters, give him flattering answers. However, Cordelia, who is his youngest and most loved daughter, says there are no words that can describe how much she loves him. This causes Lear to become very angry, resulting in him disowning Cordelia. At the same time, the King of France is courting Cordelia and decides he still wants to make her his wife even without her land. Cordelia goes with him to France even without the blessings of her father (Urkowitz, 291).
According to Urkowitz (309), Lear then finds out that leaving his land to his eldest daughters is a huge mistake. Regan and Goneril quickly begin to undermine the little authority that he still holds. Overwhelmed by disbelief that he is being betrayed by his own beloved daughters, Lear slowly descends into madness. He runs away from his daughter’s houses to wander on a heath in the midst of a fierce thunderstorm.
While writing 1984, George Orwell has witnessed the peril presented by absolute political authority in an era of advanced technology. According to Roberts (218), he explicitly presents that danger in the novel. It is among the most well-known novels of the dystopian, or negative utopia genre. Unlike the case of a utopian novel whereby the author tries to depict the ideal human society, a negative utopia novel does the exact opposite; it depicts the worst human society the author can think of. This is an effort to convince readers to avoid any actions that might result in such a social degradation. When the novel was being published in 1949, it was during the onset of the nuclear age and prior to television becoming a common fixture in homes. The vision that Orwell had of a post- nuclear war dictatorship whereby everyone is always been monitored by telescreens appeared terrifyingly possible. The fact that Orwell hypothesized such a society just three decades into the future compounded this concern.
A common theme in 1984 and King Lear is that of power. King Lear provides a reflection of power, or, putting it more accurately, the loss of power. After Lear steps down and shares his kingdom among his ungrateful daughters, he finds out what it feels like to lose the authority and power that accompanies the responsibilities of being a king. Lear is a family patriarch in addition to being a monarch. Shakespeare was trying to convince readers to look at the similarities between a king’s relationship with his subjects and a father’s relationship with his daughters (Mack, 137).
In 1984, it is not about totalitarianism only. It also makes readers live through the dictatorship. The nation of Oceania is controlled by the Party, which wants power for its own sake. The party even controls the history and language of the people of Oceania. It is at one point forcing the implementation of an invented language known as Newspeak, a language that tries to deter political rebellion by doing away with all the words and terms related to it. Even having rebellious thoughts is against the law. Winston Smith, who is the novel’s main protagonist, feels frustrated by the rigid control and oppression of the Party, which prohibits sex, free thought and expressions of individuality (Roberts, 221).
Another common theme in the two works is authority and totalitarianism. King Lear is all about political authority in the same measures as it is about the dynamics of family. In addition to being a father, Lear is also a King. When he hands over his authority to his evil and unworthy elder daughters, he throws not just himself and his family into cruelty and chaos, but also the entire Britain. As his two wicked daughters indulges their craving for power, the kingdom slides into civil strife. According to Mack (153), it is at this point that readers realize that in addition to Lear destroying his own authority, he has also destroyed the entire authority of Britain. The hierarchal and stable order that he initially represented falls apart, engulfing the realm into disorder.
In 1984, the author depicts the ideal totalitarian society; the most extreme depiction of a contemporary government having absolute power. The novel’s title was meant to show how the future would be fast forwarding from 1949 when it was published. If the dictatorship was not fought, certain variation of the society described in the novel could end up being a reality in just thirty five years. Orwell depicts a nation in which every aspect of the human life is monitored and controlled by the government to the extent that it is even illegal to have disloyal thoughts. As the narrative progresses, Winston Smith, the timidly rebellious hero, decides to challenge the excesse...