Journal 14
If I were to re-stage this play in modern times I would leave in everything because the whole idea of modern sensibilities really don't exist. Racism and homosexuality are issues that most people look at today as facts of life and don't find as offensive as most things. Nowadays racism is more common place than people think, especially with the latest terrorism in the news. Many people look at those who appear possibly Arabic as terrorists, even if they are American. The issues on racism today stem from the middle east and terror as opposed to religion, which is the cause of racism in the Elizabethan world. Also the idea of being gay nowadays is as commonplace as turning on your tv and watching an episode of Will and Grace, it's not what it was just thirty years ago. I personally, don't feel like the idea of homosexuality is shocking or anything that would terrify someone with "modern sensibilities". These ideas are more common in present times than back then and are now more accepted now as well. They are still relevant topics that should be addressed as opposed to being glossed over.
I don't know
I tend to believe that the fact that we keep doing things such as discussing whether the sonnets prove that Shakespeare was gay show that we really aren't comfortable with homosexuality in our culture. If it was a fact of life, we could have focused on the brilliant literature in front of us. Personally, I am continuously shocked at how intolerant people are (and by people I mean American, "free-thinking" students).
Ryan K Bishop
I'm with Ryan
Though I have to admit, I agree with the original post as well. The reason, or evidence for my reasoning, that I agree with Ryan is yesterday on the news I heard a congressman from the upper-midwest, I think, talking against the proposed revisions to/repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. He was worried that if we allowed gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military, that that would open the door to hermaphrodites (like someone would have a choice about being born that way) and transgendered/transvestites. I'm not sure why this is such a fear.
First, by some modern and not-so-modern sensibilities, women in uniform are already engaged in transvestism. I don't really believe that, but some people do. Probably though, pretty soon we will see women in pants as being dressed in a gender neutral manner, at least once men start wearing skirts or kilts more often. :-)
I also can't help but be reminded of the court battle over California's Proposition 8 that overturned the "right" of gays and lesbians to marry. The people fighting to keep gays and lesbians from being married want to keep their identities hidden, not on tv broadcasts of the trial. In Washington, a case is headed to the US Supreme Court over the fight to find out who signed the initiative to repeal the "Everything but Marriage" law. There is still quite some desire to keep gays and lesbians from having the same rights and social/political privileges that straight people have. While it's a good deal less than it was 30 years ago, I agree, but it's both a case of see how far things have come but see how far they have yet to go. Same with racial and religious intolerance. Bradley
Bradley
Modern Sensibility
I agree with the fact that the idea that these issues were far more troubling during Shakespeare's day than in our time. I agree with you fully in the idea that homosexuality is something that our society lives with, it's so apart of our lives that for most people it's just common, like myself. I am not bothered with such issues, and I feel that by reading Shakespeare work and examining the issues as they were presented then can shed light on our current attitudes and perceptions of these issues. I agree that there is no way to present Shakespeare's work other than wholly completely with all of the attitude and perspectives of Shakespeare's society.
Veronica Sparks
"Modern Sensibilities"
I agree with what you have to say about the modern sensibilities. That whole idea makes me think of narrow-minded people. Sure they exists today but they are not as significant.