“He was not of an age, but for all time!” - Ben Jonson
The above quote, written about William Shakespeare, is as true today as it was in Jonson's time.
I am currently reading a book about The Bard. Given the power of the unhinged evangelicals, the rise of Doug Ford in Ontario, and, of course, the madness in the Benighted States of America, the following sentence by Stephen Greenblatt resonated with me:
"Shakespeare was fascinated by the crazed ranting of those who hate modernity, despise learning and celebrate the virtue of ignorance."
Not much has changed in 400 years, eh?
Oh, Lorne, please. Not much has changed in 400 years? How can you possibly say that. We have cultivated the virtue of ignorance to a level that would have amazed the Elizabethan era. We've even harnessed it to tablets and mobile devices so that it can dwell within us no matter where we go. No, my son, much, very much has changed in 400 years although I suspect Shakespeare would quickly recognize it and marvel at our prowess at incorporating it in every aspect of our lives.
ReplyDeleteWell, Mound, I could say that our baser, more atavistic impulses simply have more technological cultivation today.The beast residing beneath the thin veneer of civilization simply has more means of expression today.
DeleteI read Greenblatts The Swerve - very entertaining non-fiction!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marie. It's on my list, along with his Hamlet in Purgatory.
DeleteWill understood the Wisdom of the Ages, Lorne. But he also understood the people who could only afford to sit on the floor.
ReplyDeleteHis insights into the human condition were indeed remarkable, Owen. I never tire of his genius.
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