Lost in a Mordern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Lost in a Mordern World - Essay Example Shakespeare and his contemporaries would form the basis for modernism in Renaissance and Enlightenment thought, giving birth to modern science, the industrial revolution, liberalism, and democracy through their writing, methodologies, and values, and these themes determine the worldview of later writers like Jin, Rash, and Cameron. Root elements of modernism can be found in Shakespeare that will evolve thematically not only in later literature historically but also in the development of the popular culture, mass-media, and society of modern times. Shakespeare’s work in this manner also describes the growth of modern personal identity in the characters of his plays, and these patterns can be found similarly underlying the characters, conflicts, and themes of writers such as Jin, Rash, and Cameron as they express their own conflicts in contemporary literature. When Shakespeare writes, â€Å"All the world is a stage,† this can be seen as an important characteristic of mode rnism that expands from his recognition of it in early 17th Century culture, as well as being reflected in the news media, pop culture, and the â€Å"15 minutes† of fame Warhol saw each person as sharing in their modern social roles. When Shakespeare describes libertine behavior, the excess of consumption and intoxication in his characters in â€Å"As You Like It,† these patterns are also becoming more extreme in the New York society Peter Cameron describes in his literature or as Rash describes the addiction, alcoholism, and substance abuse in characters from Appalachia. In summary, the root issues and themes of modernism can be found in Shakespeare’s works and where these themes resonate with other authors in the 20th Century, they reinforce the interpretation or recognition that they are critically important in understanding the society and behavior of individuals during the time period. This relates also to post-modernism as it seeks to define and characteri ze modernism through historical evolution, and in doing so to solve the existential dilemma that many writers reflect in their characters and themes in modern literature. In Act II, Scene 7 of â€Å"As You Like It,† Jaques states: â€Å"A fool, a fool! I met a fool i' th' forest, A motley fool. A miserable world! ...And thereby hangs a tale.' When I did hear The motley fool thus moral on the time, My lungs began to crow like chanticleer That fools should be so deep contemplative;† The position of the motley fool in Shakespeare is ironic, for the cutting criticism that the poet offers to society in the form of insightful literature is directly related to the tone and composition of the court jester in English society at the time. Not only does the motley fool analyze and criticize authority, the State, and society from the same position as the author in modern literature, the modern author is often given a role in society that is similar to that played by the jester in the court of the kings and royals in English society. The court hears the jester’s interpretation, biting sarcasm, criticism of power, and cutting wit, tolerating the behavior symbolically by dressing the jester in a coat of many colors and patches. The fabric of this dress represents the fabric of knowledge itself, which is woven together from many strands, patched together from many theories, stitched together as a unified symbolic garment, and then worn as a social role. As such this dress is magical, in that it represents both the democratic society and the scientific method in Shakespeare, as well as