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Similarities Between 1984 And Macbeth

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One must avoid being deceitful and masking the truth behind their intentions, or they shall witness tragic events occur. The theme of deception by appearance leading to negative consequences present in both Orwell’s 1984 and Shakespeare’s Macbeth connects them to a great degree. Although Lady Macbeth displays herself to be a gentle character, she successfully convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan by teaching him to display himself as innocent, but with foul intentions. Lady Macbeth’s deceitful behavior inevitably leads to a wretched ending. When Macbeth develops second thoughts about killing King Duncan, Lady Macbeth tells him how to deceive others with his looks, by telling him to “Look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under ’t.” (Shakespeare 1. 5. 76-77). In this quotation, Lady …show more content…

The word “serpent" is also contradictory to how Macbeth is portrayed in the beginning of the play. He displays himself as a confident and loyal soldier, while the word serpent symbolizes stealthiness and betrayal. In the end, it is seen that negative consequences are suffered, as Lady Macbeth’s deceptive behavior causes her husband’s death in battle. In a similar fashion, in Orwell’s 1984, Julia displays herself as a loyal member of The Party, despite her often disobeying party rules. This deception eventually leads to a tragic conclusion. When Macbeth finds out that Julia is not a loyal member of the Party like he thought she was, Julia explains that she does “voluntary work three evenings a week for the Junior Anti-Sex League. […] I always carry one end of a banner in the processions.” (Orwell 80). In this quotation, Julia explains her deceptive techniques to Winston after her appearance made him think she was a supporter of The

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