Winston Smith of George Orwell’s 1984 and Hamlet of...

Heroes in literature and history, more often than not, meet tragic ends, unless they were created by Walt Disney. These particular people are often seen as someone who is apart from the masses in morals and attempt to accomplish a higher calling for the common good. The problem with this type of hero is that they are destined for suffering.Two such characters exist in classic literature, Winston Smith of George Orwell’s 1984 and Hamlet of William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.† Hamlet is the true classic tragic hero, though, because he is of noble birth, possesses high moral standards, completes the task he is given to better the world, and causes tragedy in both his life and the lives of others. Traditionally, a tragic hero is†¦show more content†¦Hamlet searches for the good in the world and even the good in others who have hurt him. â€Å"Laertes: Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet: mine and my father’s death come not u pon thee, nor thine on me! Hamlet: Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee† (Hamlet V. ii. 293-296). Even as Hamlet dies he allows the man who was his killer to rest in peace knowing that Hamlet does not hold his own imminent death against him. The tasks assigned to both men by â€Å"destiny† also characterize their level of heroism. Winston’s task is one merely of his own making by fighting the invisible force of Big Brother. Hamlet is given a task by a greater cosmic power who is the ghost of his deceased father. In most classic tragedies the hero is given their task by a higher power, such as God or fate, and do not devise one of their own making such as in Winston’s case. Another difference between the two men is that Hamlet succeeds in completing his mission whereas Winston does not. It is Hamlet himself who, subduing murderous nature, will hold his vengeance in check until it is pronounced fair by others (thus conforming, if not to medieval Danish law, to a biblically based sixteenth-century English statute that required at least two witnesses to condemn someone for treason). Only after the ‘honest’ ghost (1.5.138), Horatio, and, finally, Laertes have confirmed that ‘the Kings to blame’ (5.2.320) does Hamlet kill Claudius; thus, as a repentant Laertes finally says, the usurper is