I think we can all agree that Bill Shakespeare was a master wordsmith. He was successful in his own time, and 400 years later we still study and perform his works. Like Bach, Mozart, Van Gogh, Michelangelo and Duke Ellington his art has "stood the test of time".
Bach and Mozart are a little different because they laid down some of the foundations for music. Michelangelo and Van Gogh have some of the best art works in the world and that most modern day artists cannot compete with their work.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Greatness is a matter of perception. The only reason these artists are popular is because many people find their work appealing. I doubt all people we in the early 21st century perceive as "great artists" will have such popularity in the future or were popular until recently.
ReplyDeleteBrian
I'm going to have to agree with Brian. The only reasons we still study Shakespeare is because he was so popular in his time. Not many people in his era were as famous as he was, and his success has continued for centuries. Today, we have a multitude of famous celebrities. Had Shakespeare been born in the 20th or 21st century, he would have gained some fame, and would then be forgotten and replaced by a new wave of authors.
ReplyDeleteThis is how our society works. We idolize the celebrities of older days, and quickly forget modern ones. For example, who is better known: King Henry VII, or Ronald Regan? Mozart or Chuck Berry?
Will people in the future study the celebrities we have now, or will they be lost in history? Only time can tell.
I agree that greatness is a matter of perception, and I agree with Sasha that today Shakespeare would not be as popular, but for different reasons. I do not believe that it is the way of our society to quickly dismiss people after they have had their few moments of fame, no matter what they do- I believe it is the way of our society to dismiss one-hit wonders with very little or no talent, like a lot of the music that is 'popular' today. Today Shakespeare may not be as popular because many people view his work as 'boring' or 'stupid'. But it has stood the test of time, and I think that is purely because it's good. Like Bach or Mozart or even The Rolling Stones, who are all still popular today because they actually created some form of art, unlike people like Kesha and Justin Bieber, who will thankfully be gone and forgotten within ten years.
ReplyDeleteI think that Shakespeare could be even more famous than he already is, but most of his works are poorly understood because his plays aren't meant to be read and most people now read them. Reading iambic pentameter in Olde English is like trying to sing in binary.
ReplyDeleteI'm also going to agree with Brian that greatness is a matter of perception. Also, as Ana said, I highly doubt that if Shakespeare had lived in our generation, I assume that he would not have not become as famous as he did in his time purely because the society's interests have drastically changed from memorable artists like the ones above, to ones that Ana mentioned like Justin Bieber, who I imagine will be forgotten in the near future. One point I will add to is how the society has changed throughout the years. People in our time do not seem to be as recalling, as you do not see people reminisce as much about the past greats who have not deceased too long ago like Michael Jackson, to ones who seem to be much more memorable from quite a long time ago like Mozart. One thing I wonder is if the people in the future will remember famous artists like him, or the one's that seem to be more memorable to us like Shakespeare?
ReplyDeleteSome very interesting comments. I love this line from Isaac, "Reading iambic pentameter in Olde English is like trying to sing in binary."
ReplyDeleteIs it possible for an artist from the 21st century to have the same kind of longevity as Shakespeare or Handel or has mankind exhausted our potential for creative innovation?
I think popularity is one of the reasons that Shakespeare is still read today, but I also have to argue that it is not the only reason we still read about him today. We have to understand that, as Isaac T said, when Shakespeare wrote his plays, they were meant to be "played". Reading them is not as enjoyable as watching them. My Father has played a part in many of Shakespeare's plays (performed at Camosun College). He has given me his script several times, but I have almost fallen asleep reading the script. When you see live people performing the play, you don't have to think of how they look, feel, sound, speak, or interact. That is all played on stage before you. When you read the script, it is just very plain and dull. If you were to read it all, it seems strange. The people are all speaking in a different type of speech than ours today, but since you see them acting everything out, you can, get a stronger sense of what some of the more complex words of that era meant.
ReplyDeleteI think that Shakespeare's works were remembered because there was not a lot of competition. The arts is a lot like survival of the fittest; although today a lot of art may be better than Shakespeare's it is only the best of the best that shall be remembered.
ReplyDeleteI think Shakespeare's works were remembered because back then, they were only so many people that were smart enough to compete for attention. So if you were lucky enough to be smart and you had an imagination, you were good to go.
ReplyDeleteMany people from all walks of life went to watch the shakespearian plays, not just the well-educated. They were written to be easily understood by everyone while still maintaining an element of subtle satire. People back then, like nowadays, also needed a financial basis as well as talent and intelligence. Many an artist was unsuccessful because of this
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