Even though Hamlet and 1984 are written centuries apart they shine an interesting light

on the human condition. Hamlet is a play concerning a son seeking revenge while 1984 is a
novel about attaining freedom from a totalitarian society. Despite the difference in subject matter
and time periods they were written in, they share similarities in themes. They have both stood the
test of time as they discuss matters that are related to human nature. In particular, these two
pieces of literature highlight the importance of the following themes of corruption, love, and
appearance versus reality.

Corruption is a major theme in the novel 1984 and in Hamlet. In 1984 The Party was
built on corruption and exercised their power on the citizens. The party’s main objective is to
have complete control over the citizens. This is done through the use of propaganda, strict laws,
and stripping citizens of their individualism. An example of propaganda in 1964 is The Party’s
slogans which are “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” This promotes The
Party’s ideals. That they are willing to wage war to continue to remain in power and they try to
convince the people that freedom is the true slavery so it's better to give up their rights and listen
to The Party. They also advertise ignorance as being a strength so that the citizens don’t try to
learn more and overthrow The Party once they discover that they are being taken advantage of.
When Orwell wrote “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human
face—for ever.''It was a great description of how life in Oceania is. Under big brother’s rule, they
constantly take away more of the citizens’ rights in an attempt to have complete control over
everything. Power corrupted The Party to commit unjust acts, which is similar to Hamlet. The
desire for power causes Claudius to kill his own brother to gain the throne. When Hamlet says
“‘Tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it
merely.” He is talking about the state of affairs in Denmark and how corrupted things are. Due to
his corrupted uncle, he lost his father and parts of his mother in a philosophical sense. Since
Claudius is so corrupted that he marries Gertrude a short time after King Hamlet’s death. In both
1984 and Hamlet, corruption is the cause of all their problems, and it causes both Winston and
Hamlet’s sanity to deteriorate.

Another major theme that is found in these literature pieces is love. Both Winston and
Hamlet are restricted on who they can marry. However in 1984 there is an extreme restriction as
the Party tries to eradicate feelings of love that aren't for The Party. An example of this is when
Orwell writes “There will be no loyalty, except loyalty toward the Party. There will be no love,
except the love of Big Brother.”(220) Citizens in Oceania are appointed partners and are unable
to express their thoughts on the matter. The party implants the idea in citizens that marriage is
only necessary to produce children. This is why when Winston and his ex-wife did not produce
children they got divorced. This differs from Hamlet because the reason he is restricted on who
he can marry is because of his status. An example of this is in Act 1 scene 3 when Laertes says
“But you must fear, His greatness weigh’d, his will is not his own; For he himself is subject to
his birth: He may not, as unvalued persons do, Carve for himself; for on his choice depends.The
safety and health of this whole state; And therefore must his choice be circumscribed Unto the
voice and yielding of that body Whereof he is the head.” In this quote Laertes is telling Ophelia
that Hamlet is unable to marry as he pleases because he is bound by the duty of being royalty. So
when Hamlet marries he has to marry for the sake of the country and not for love. Some
speculate that is the reason why when Hamlet’s mother married Claudius she didn't object or talk
negatively about him because she saw it as her duty as a queen. Both stories don’t have a joyous
ending for the main characters and their love interests.

Appearance versus reality is a major theme throughout both pieces of literature. In 1984
the Party had a large emphasis on how things appear to be and tried to convince citizens of things
that are different from reality. Winston also contributes to this by working in the records section
of the Ministry of Truth. He deletes records that don't align with The Party’s ideals and creates
ones that do. The quote “Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who
controls the present controls the past.” This shows that The party was manipulating history to
ensure that they will remain in power. So all public records are edited and don't consider the
reality of the situation. It only matters how The Party appears to citizens. For instance the
chocolate rations were reduced but they present it as an increase. This causes people to be
overjoyed though in reality it was reduced but just appeared to be an increase. This differs from
Hamlet because in 1984 the manipulation of reality is done on a much larger scale as there is
propaganda everywhere. However in Hamlet a few characters hide their true nature and make it
appear that they are something else.Hamlet expresses his frustration with how people are
different from how they seem when he says “What a piece of work is a man! how noble in
reason! How infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how
like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals!
And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not me; no, nor woman neither,
though, by your smiling, you seem to say so.” Despite his anger, even Hamlet pretends to be
something that he is not so he can survive. He pretends to be insane so the king doesn't suspect
him. There is a commonality between the two literature pieces as The Party edits records so that
citizens won't start to suspect that the Party can make mistakes or is treating them unjustly. In
Hamlet a lot of things aren't as they appear to be throughout the play; the lines between
appearance and reality progressively gets more blurred. As the characters start to seem more
alike to what they merely pretended to be. Hamlet starts to seem more insane, Gertrude who
pretends to be a victim of circumstance really becomes one when she unknowingly drinks
poison. This is a stark contrast to 1984 as throughout the whole novel it was clear to readers that
The Party was corrupt and unjust. Winston’s sense of reality gets blurred at the end of the novel;
this is shown when Orwell writes “almost unconsciously he traced with his finger 2+2=5”.
Winston no longer knows what is real but only cares how The Party makes things appear to be.
1984 and Hamlet offer similar but different insights on the topic of appearance versus reality.
 Overall 1984 and Hamlet have a lot of similarities in their themes. There are a few
differences as 1984’s main conflict is man versus society while Hamlet is man versus man. These
literature pieces are both commentaries on human nature that emphasize on the themes of
corruption, love, and appearance versus reality. I think in both stories the main conflict is caused
by people’s desire to obtain power. It corrupts their mind and compels them to do anything to
gain it. In 1984 it's a totalitarian regime that will do anything to remain in power while Hamlet is
about the greed of Claudius. Shakespeare and Orwell each have their own unique ways of
incorporating these themes into their stories.