"Winston woke up with the word 'Shakespeare' on his lips" (29).Orwell's allusion to Shakespeare holds great meaning not only to Winston's dream but to the entire novel. Shakespeare is known for using paradoxes to stimulate growth in both his characters and viewers. Those who understand the paradox and see both sides simultaneously end satisfied; those who are narrow-minded and see only one dimension end unfulfilled. At a first glance, it seems that this allusion may be related to the Ingsoc principle of doublethink, since this requires the ability to accept two seemingly contradictory ideas at once. However, due to the position of the allusion (after a dream Winston had which later became reality) the allusion seems to hint that there is a larger paradox between Oceania and reality. Oceania appears to be real but it is a world where dreams foreshadow the future and the past can be changed by a single word. Only those who see through this paradox can begin to have a grasp on humanity and reality, but those who accept Oceania as it is presented contribute to the continuing spiral of Ingsoc and unlimited power.
Works Cited:
Platt, Peter G. Shakespeare and the Culture of Paradox. Farnham and Burlington: Ashgate, 2009. 22 Aug. 2010 <http://books.google.com/books?id=eWL9Pj-AjzoC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=shakespeare+annihilate+culture&source=bl&ots=UhzgZtgGcQ&sig=PeOlWb2D7eDoeZxXn6-xjdBhVcc&hl=en&ei=RWpxTNGTCMP7lwfkt5y7Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false>.
Photo Credit:
Simmons, Erika Iris. "Mix-Tape Mixed-Media: Art of Erika Iris Simmons." MonsterFresh.com. 24 March 2009. 24 Aug. 2010 <http://monsterfresh.com/2009/03/24/erika-iris-simmons-cassette-tape-art-iri5/>.
very interesting thinking -- Shakespeare alone can be an important connection -- but to go in this direction, examining a particular aspect of his work, very VERY intriguing
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