Macbeth vs Nineteen Eighty-Four: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Drama, Fiction
Macbeth
“Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches.”
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The play concerns a trusted general who secretly lusts for power. Encouraged by the prophecies of three witches and urged on by his ambitious wife Macbeth commits regicide. Left fearful and superstitious by this…
Nineteen Eighty-Four
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
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Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, often referred to as 1984, is a dystopian social science fiction novel by the English novelist George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair). It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Nineteen Eighty-Four highest: Nineteen Eighty-Four 4.2 · Macbeth 3.5.
- Macbeth is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 4 for Nineteen Eighty-Four.
- Nineteen Eighty-Four has the widest readership — 5733183 ratings behind its score.
- Macbeth runs the darker storyline; Nineteen Eighty-Four stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Macbeth | Nineteen Eighty-Four | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (18773) | 4.2 (5733183) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (1169) | 5.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (555) | — |
Reception
| Macbeth | Nineteen Eighty-Four | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 18773 | 5733183 |
| Editions | 1867 | 536 |
| Citations | 66 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 8761 | 3170038 |
| Reading it now | 325 | — |
| Written reviews | 190 | 171557 |
| Wikipedia attention | 485 | 140637 |
| Pages | 84 | 244 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Macbeth or Nineteen Eighty-Four?
Nineteen Eighty-Four has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Nineteen Eighty-Four 4.2/5, Macbeth 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: Macbeth or Nineteen Eighty-Four?
Macbeth is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Macbeth (84 pages, ≈ 1 h 33 m); Nineteen Eighty-Four (244 pages, ≈ 4 h 31 m).
Which is harder to read: Macbeth or Nineteen Eighty-Four?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Macbeth: Challenging; Nineteen Eighty-Four: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Macbeth: no film adaptation on record; Nineteen Eighty-Four: 5 film adaptations.