Shakespeare

“Winston woke up with the word ‘Shakespeare’ on his lips.” (31)

It is unusual for Winston to be thinking about Shakespeare in a time when literature is nearly obsolete.  The Party has taken control and censored much of the literature that had been published previously, including Shakespeare. Anything that does not agree with the Party is illegal because of the controversies it creates.  Many of Shakespeare’s plays were about controversial topics. Orwell sees Winston as a character similar to Shakespeare, using writing as a way of creating controversy.