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All the World's a Stage Class 11 Summary | Questions & Answers | William Shakespeare | Neb Compulsory English | Neb English Notes 

All the World's a Stage by William Shakespeare 

ABOUT THE POEM

All the World's a Stage by William Shakespeare 

This realistic poem, "All the World's a Stage," was composed by one of the famous English poets, William Shakespeare. The lines in this poem are taken from Shakespeare's play "As You Like It." This pastoral comedy, "As You Like It," is believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The first performance of the play is not fixed, although there was a performance at Wilton House in 1603.

These lines are delivered by a character in this play whose name is Jacques, a tragic character.  He delivers these lines in Act II, Scene VII, line number 139. Jacques uses these lines as a monologue.

This poem has presented the reality of human life, where both the world and its people are presented in metaphorical form as stages and players. The poet has presented here seven different stages of a person's life in this poem. This poem has shown the beginning and end of human life in the earthly stage, where man has to play various roles in his lifetime and finally leave this earthly stage and move towards his final destination (death).

This poem has presented the real theme that a person is an eventual loser in the game of life. He or she has to leave this worldly stage, losing everything behind.

This monologue also presents the theme of life and its seven stages. The great poet Shakespeare has described these stages, which are observed in the life span of man.

With the help of this monologue, Shakespeare has given us the message of the impermanence of life. Through this speech of Jaques, he has presented the real fact that the game of human life and all the strange events come to an end too quickly.

 

MAIN SUMMARY

All the World's a Stage by William Shakespeare

SUMMARY OF JAQUES'S MONOLOGUE:

In the very beginning, the speaker compares the whole world to a stage where men and women are mere players (actors). They have entrances and exits. When they are born, they enter the stage (the world), and when they die, they leave. At this stage, each person has to play seven different roles in their lifetime, depending on their age.

SEVEN STAGES OF MAN'S LIFE AND HIS ACTS:

Infanthood Stage:

The first stage of a man's life is infanthood. He plays in the arms of his nurse or mother. In this stage, he often vomits and cries. He is fully dependent on the care of others.

 

Stage of Boyhood:

In the second stage of his boyhood, he is a school-going student. He puts his bag on his shoulder with a bright face and reluctantly goes to school like a snail.

 

Stages of a Lover:

In his third stage, he becomes a lover. His breath is hot here. He is too busy with the composition of ballads for his girlfriend's eyebrows, and he has a great desire to get her attention.

 

Stages of a Soldier:

In the fourth stage, he is aggressive and ambitious, full of strange oaths. He looks like a leopard with his beard. He wants prestige in whatever he does. He is ready to die in the battle to earn the 'bubble reputation'. He is ready to defend his country and becomes a soldier.

 

Stages of Maturity and Wisdom:

In his fifth stage, he becomes an impartial judge with maturity and wisdom. His belly seems fairly round. He looks firm and serious with his eyes and formal cropped beard. He tries to provide fair justice for others.

 

Stage of Old Age:

In the sixth phase of his life, he is seen with loose pants and glasses. He is changed into a thin old man. His manly voice turns into a thin, childish tone.

 

Stage of Extreme Old Age (Second Childhood):

The final stage of all is his second childhood. Gradually, he loses his faculties of sight, hearing, smell, and taste and falls out of his life roles.

Thus, Shakespeare has presented various images of the seven stages of man's life in the poem 'All the world's a stage'.

Life is like a play, and the world is a stage where we are all actors and play our parts.

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