All the World's a Stage

William Shakespeare


All the world's a stage,
And all men and women are merely players;
They have their exists and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and pucking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whinning schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face , creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress, eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pentaloon,
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. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
 

Available Answers

  1. 1.

    The title of the poem is a comparison. How is that comparison explained in the first five lines?

  2. 2.

    Why does the schoolboy whine and creep like a snail? What shows, nevertheless, that he is healthy chap?

  3. 3.

    Do you think the speaker praises the young lover, or does he gently make fun of him? Which words make you think that?

  4. 4.

    Do you think the soldier is described seriously, or in a somewhat mocking tone? What supports your answer?

  5. 5.

    What kind of man is the judge? Prosperous or poor? Dignified or easy-going? A serious thinker or showy talker? What leads you to that view?

  6. 6.

    The speaker seems to be quietly laughing when he talks of the lover, the soldier and the judge. Does he do the same in talking about old age and the approach to obilion? If not, what attitude does he now show? Sympathy? Sadness? Contempt? What feeling do you see especially in the last two lines?

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