ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining 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 honor, 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 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.
Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Analysis and Review of the poem.
"All the World's a Stage" is a sonnet that encapsulates the cyclical nature of life as a performance, with individuals playing various roles throughout their existence. The seven ages of man, from infancy to old age, are succinctly depicted, highlighting the transition from dependence to experience and eventual decline.
The sonnet's construction as a theatrical metaphor is evident in its use of stage imagery and the division into seven stanzas, each representing an age. This structure of poem written in a narrative poem, as if the poet is telling a story. The diction of the poem is descriptive in nature and I love poet took his readers through the stage or phases of life using the figure of a man. There are applications of poetic devices such as; personification, metonymy, metaphor, allegory, irony, etc.
Looking at the poem, Shakespeare's portrayal of the various ages reflects the societal norms and expectations of the time period. The poem effectively convey the cyclical nature of life and the societal expectations within which individuals navigated their various roles. The infant's helplessness, the schoolboy's reluctance, and the lover's, the soldier's bravery, the justice's wisdom, and the aged man's decline mirror the prescribed roles.
In conclusion, I will say that this poem teaches young people a moral lesson about life, making them to understand the cycle of life. Williams Shakespeare did justice to this poem which passes wisdom to our contemporary generation.
* Photocredit: Opera mini
* Photocredit: Opera mini