User talk:English Literature Lover

“All The Worlds A Stage”

The Author: William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1964, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. Between 1585-1592, Shakespeare was an important member of a company of stage actors called Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Shakespeare’s also an English poet, dramatist, and actor, often called the English Nat’l Poet, and considered by many to be the GREATEST DRAMATIST OF ALL TIME.

Title: The world is a stage for human being, where they play their different roles of life. In fact human beings play their parts in life as characters play their role on stage.

1st Paragraph: All the World’s a stage And all the men and women are merely players; They have their exit and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many part, His acts being seven ages. Context: This sonnet of Shakespeare is from his famous play “As You Like It”. This poem describes various stages of human life. Life has been compared to a play or drama played by every man and woman on the stage of the world. His seven stages of life are the seven acts of a play. This shows Shakespeare’s deep knowledge and transience of human life.

Explanation: In these lines the poet compares this world to a stage. All men and women are only actors and actresses on the stage of this world. All these people have different routes to enter this stage and also have different exits to go out. They enter this stage when they are born and leave this stage when they die. Every person, during his life time plays many parts. These parts are called seven ages. These ages are actually like acts of a play. ''' 7 AGES OF LIFE 1. An infant crying 2. A complaining school boy 3. A lover 4. A bearded soldier 5. A wise justice 6. A Pantaloon (An old man) 7. A Oblivion (Second childhood)'''

Stage 1 (an infant crying):  At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms. Explanation: Shakespeare says that each human being performs seven parts in this small drama on the stage of the world. He makes his entry as a baby who is fully dependent upon others. This stage ends when the infant grows into a school child. Child during the first few years of life. A week crying sound Vomiting

Stage 2 (A Complaining School Boy): And then the whining school-boy, With his satchel, and shinning morning face, Creeping like snail, unwillingly to school Explanation: The second stage is his boy-hood. This is his school going period. It is the time when he complains all the time. His face shines like the bright and fresh morning. He carries his school bag and unwillingly goes to school at the speed of an insect. An unpleasant sound To move slowly School bag

Stage 3 (A Lover): And then the lover, sighing like a furnace, With a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Explanation: This is the third stage of man’s life. Now he is a grown up person and assumes the form of a lover. It is the time when he loves his beloved ardently. He sighs like a furnace or an oven. He writes a song in praise of his beloved’s eye brow. He also sings such songs again and burns in his emotions. To take & then let out a long deep breath. Very bad or serious

Stage 4 (A Bearded Soldier): Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth Explanation: In these lines the poet shows the fourth stage of a man’s life. When he matures, he becomes a soldier. He takes strange oaths. He has a beard like a tiger or a leopard. He is fierce like these animals. During this stage of life, man is jealous of honour of other. He is very quick-tempered and owns quarrels. Since he is warm-blooded, he looks for temporary reputation and fame. To achieve this temporary fame, he is even ready to go into the mouth of a gun. He does not bother for dangers. leopard Very bad or serious

Stage 6 (An Old Woman) The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound Trunk Child’s high voice

Explanation: This is the last stage of man’s life. In this stage he changes from his old age to the oldest one. This is a strange stage of life. In this period all the life which has been previously full of strange events, comes to an end. Man becomes child once again. This is like his second childhood. In this stage he is childish as well as childlike. At this stage he forgets almost everything. His memory becomes very weak. He loses teeth, eye- sight and taste. He is without everything. This is the stage in which he completes the drama of his life and leaves the stage of this world for the next.

Stage 7 (Last Stage): Last scenes of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything Forgetfulness Without - French word

Explanation: This is the last stage of man’s life. In this stage he changes from his old age to the oldest one. This is a strange stage of life. In this period all the life which has been previously full of strange events, comes to an end. Man becomes child once again. This is like his second childhood. In this stage he is childish as well as childlike. At this stage he forgets almost everything. His memory becomes very weak. He loses teeth, eye- sight and taste. He is without everything. This is the stage in which he completes the drama of his life and leaves the stage of this world for the next.

CONCLUSION: Life is drama, the world is a stage and we human beings are actors. The theme hints at the greatest irony in the lives of human beings. Shakespeare over here has masterfully described the stages of human’s life. The use of imagery and of acting and stage is a recurrent one in Shakespeare.