The article starts with the general notion of oppositions as these occur in language and thought. Its aim is to ponder the notion of opposition itself, with a view to ascertaining its heuristic value in the realm of aesthetics, and that with special reference to Shakespeare's role in that particular field of discourse. The opposition 'ancient-modern', having risen to historical prominence in the famous Querelle des Anciens et des Modernes of the seventeenth century, is singled out for detailed consideration in order to test its abiding explanatory power in two outstanding philosophies of art, i.e. the aesthetics of Hegel (1817-1829) and Cohen (1912) which, in exemplifying their theoretical axioms, time and again resort to literature, more precisely, the contrast between 'ancient' and 'modern' texts, to highlight the 'modernity' of primarily one author: Shakespeare. In this respect, Hegel and Cohen do agree, however else divided through the argumentative exigencies of their different philosophical systems. A brief conclusion reflects on Shakespeare's ubiquitous function in any kind of discourse, the impact of Hegel--as opposed to the neglect of Cohen--in subsequent literary criticism, and finally, the usefulness of the comparative method.
