TheDevil - // Exactly, and who is to blame him in those days? They knew no better. So to quote a (known) racist, out of context of his arts, is surely racist? //
I think you have to look at context here, the devil in the detail so to speak.
If Mr Stewart wanted to quote a racist, there are plenty of them throughout history to choose from.
In my view, he chose the quote to illustrate a point about the assumption of mankind to know everything about everything, when clearly that is wrong, and Shakespeare is making that point clear.
The fact that the words 'angry ape' are used by Shakespeare as an illustration of his point is just that - clarification of the point he is trying to make.
For any black person to isolate those two words and construe intended racism is, in my view, utterly unreasonable, and should be rightly dismissed as the potential trouble-making that it clearly is.
I think Mr Stewart is more intelligent and decent than to descend into overt racist exchanges with a stranger in a social media debate.
Watch this space.