NEB Grade:11 (English) 2.3 All the World's A Stage - by William Shakespeare (Poems) Part- 2

 NEB Grade:11 (English) 2.3 All the World's A Stage - by William Shakespeare (Poems) Part- 2

Before Reading…

Answer these questions.

a.     How does life begin?

Life Begins at Fertilization with the Embryo's Conception. It begins after the union of male and female gametes or germ cel.ls during a process known as fertilization (conception)

b.     Do you think that the whole world is a stage?

Yes, I believe in the Shakespeare’s saying as it forwards the concept that all the men and women merely players act different roles at different stages of life.

c.      Are we the actors in the world? What roles can a person play in his/her life?

Yes, we are the actors in the world. And we play different roles at different stages of life.

Title: All the World’s a Stage

•      The title “All the World’s a Stage” states that the world is a stage for human beings where they play their different roles in life.

•      Infact, human beings play their parts in life as characters play their role on stage.

•      Here in the title, the poet has compared the whole world with a stage where men and women are only players (actors). After birth, they perform their many roles here in this worldly stage and finally, leave this stage moving towards their final destination (death).

            ( Reference to the context:  a.)

   Central Idea/ the Theme of the Poem  

•      The central idea of this poem is the cycle of life from a man's birth to death. It is about how everyone in the world plays their own parts in life and how their characteristics change with their age.   

•      It also tells us how one starts out as an infant, helpless, without understanding, and ends in the  same way without being aware of what is happening around him. One starts life in helplessness and ends in the same way. 

•      Another important theme of this poem  is the transient of life. We do not get our life for ever. It has a short span and we have to play different roles and finally we have to leave this world for ever.

Summary: All the World’s Stage

•      This poem is an excerpt (a little part or piece) from Shakespeare's famous drama 'As You Like It'. Here the poet has compared the world with a stage and human beings with actors and actresses playing different roles on this stage.  It describes the various stages of life. He counts them seven. The seven stages of life are the seven acts of play.

•      The first stage is that of an infant who is completely helpless, and dependent upon others, particularly upon his/her mother and this stage goes in crying noisily, weeping and vomiting on the laps of his/her mother or nurse. 

•      The second stage is that of a complaining school boy carrying a school bag on his back. His face shines  in the morning sunlight but he walks very slowly and most unwillingly  like a snail towards his school. (starts learning)

•      The third stage is that  of a lover or early youthhood who rejected in love sighs like a furnace . He writes sad love poems expressing the pain of unfulfilled love and dedicates the poem to his beautiful beloved.

•      The fourth stage is that of a soldier who keeps a leopard  like beard and makes vows. By this time he grows a matured responsible person. He works hard for his life, family and country. Such a soldier is jealous of other peoples  honor. Eager for earning honor and fame for himself . The soldier is ready to sacrifice his life in the battle  of facing the cannon balls bravely . However fame and glory are short losting and vanish like bubbles, reputation doesn't lost forever. One characteristics of this age is that he gets angry very soon.

•      The fifth stage  is that of a judge with a big belly which show that  he love to eat tasty  food  in large amount . It is the age of adulthood. By this time s/he has earned a good experience from life. Eyes become more serious. Now he is able to take lots of important decisions. This is the most powerful stage of life.

•      In the sixth stage , a late middle age man (an old man) has been described . His body has become thin and his legs have become so lean. His pant is so loose on his legs. His eyesight has become poor so he wears  spectacles He carries a punch with him. He has lost his youth. The voice of his youth is gone. And his voice sounds broken weak and feeble like child.

•      In the seventh and last stage of life man grow old and wait for his death to put on end to the unique and eventful dance of life  This stage of old age is mans second childhood as he loses both physical and mental abilities . just like a child , he passes in the stage of forgetfulness and loses all his vital senses including vision , sense of taste and his teeth and becomes entirely  dependent on other while waiting for death.

•      Understanding the text...

a. Why does the poet compare the school boy to the snail ?

The poet compares the school boy to the snail because a snail moves very slowly  so does the school boy too as he is going to school. He walks slowly and unwillingly like a snail.

b. How does the soldier play his part on the stage of the world?

The soldier works hard for his life, family and country and he takes a strong oath (kasam) and he is ready to sacrifice his life in the battle  of facing the cannon balls bravely . He is very sensitive on the point of honour . He is quick and hasty in quarrel. 

c. How does the justice act out his part on the stage of this world ?

A judge is a well fed, sleek person. His belly is full with male chicken. He has serious looking eyes and well shaped beard . He plays his part successfully by using wise maxims and other examples.

d. Why does the man call mans last age as second childishness and more oblivion ?

The man calls mans last age as second childishness and more oblivion because during this age  the person becomes old and forgetful. He losses all his senses and other power. In his mood and activities too, He becomes like a child . It is an age of utter forgetfulness like a child.

e.   In what sense are we the players in the world stage?

 We are the players in the world stage in the sense that we perform different  sorts of seven roles here in this world stage and then depart from the world.

Reference to the context…

a.     Explain the following lines:

            All the world’s a stage,

            And all the men and women merely players

            (See the answer above- in the title of the poem)

b.     Explain the following lines briefly with the reference to the context.

            They have their exits and their entrances;

            And one man in his time plays many parts,

These catchy lines have been derived from William Shakespeare‘s poem "All the World's a Stage” and Jacues's monologue where the poet has said that the people in the world have their entrances (birth) and exits (death). They arrive here in this worldly stage through birth and depart this stage through death. A man here in this worldly stage has to perform many roles throughout  his lifetime and  depart  the stage at the end in form of his death.

c.         Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow.

            Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel

            And shining morning face, creeping like snail

            Unwillingly to school.

                    i. Which stage of life is being referred to here by the poet?

The  second stage of complaining school boy  life is being referred to here by the poet.

ii. Which figure of speech has been employed in the second line?

Simile, a figure of speech has been employed here in the second line whereby the boy’s walking has been compared with that of snail.

                    iii. Who is compared to the snail?

The complaining school boy is compared to the snail.

iv.       Does the boy go to the school willingly?

No, the boy doesn't go to the school willingly. His unwillingness can easily be noticed from his walking like the snail towards his school.

d. Simile and metaphor are the two major poetic devices used in this poem. Explain citing examples of each.

In this poem, major poetic devices used by the poet are simile and metaphor.

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things in an interesting way. ...

The main difference between a simile and metaphor is that a simile uses the words "like" or "as" to draw a comparison and a metaphor simply states the comparison without using "like" or "as".

The examples of simile and metaphor of used in the  poem are presented below:

Examples of Simile are :

Ø 'creeping like a snail'

Ø 'bearded like a pard‘

 Examples of Metaphor are :

Ø 'All the World's a Stage'

Ø 'Seeking the bubble of reputation' .

Ø  ‘And all the men and women merely players’.

Ø ‘Seeking the bubble reputation’.

Ø ‘His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide’.

Ø ‘and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble’.

e. Which style does the poet use to express his emotions about how he thinks that the world is a stage and all people living in are mere  players?

Ø  The poet  uses a narrative style to express his emotions about how he thinks that the world is a stage and all people living here are mere players or characters. These players pass through seven different stages in their lives. The poet has explained all the real aspects of all the stages for the readers to understand the facets of life.

f. What is the theme of this poem?

 (See above: in the theme of the poem)

   Reference beyond the text…

 a. Describe the various stages of a human's life picturized in the poem, All the World's a Stage ?

•      The speaker compares the world to a drama or stage. All men and woman are only actors of this world stage. We enter with our birth and exit with our death. Between the entrance and exit, we play seven different roles.

•      The first stage is of infancy where he goes in crying, weeping and depending upon others for every little need.

•      Then, the infant grows into a school going boy. His parents send him to school, but he goes there most unwillingly. 

•      The third stage is of a romantic youth or a lover. He is now full of energy. He falls into love. He tries to woo his beloved by singing songs and writing poems for her.

•      The fourth stage is that of a bearded soldier who has turned into a man from the boy with many responsibilities for both to his family and his country. He is brave, full of enthusiasm, and seeks reputation.

•      By the fifth stage, he becomes a wise justice with a middle aged man. Experiences have made him wise like a judge with a large belly due to interest in male chicken.

•      The sixth stage is that of an old man who is lean and thin, with glasses on his nose. His manly voice turns into a childish treble.

•      Seventh is the last stage and act also known as the 'second childhood'. He becomes very old with weak memory. Like in the first stage, he again becomes helpless, depending upon others for his every need. It is now the stage of exit from the drama of life.

b. Is Shakespeare's comparison of human's life with a drama  stage apt ? How ?

•      Ofcourse, Shakespeare’s comparison of human’s life with a drama stage is apt, suitable and appropriate. He compares the whole world with a stage where men and women are only actors. He has presented seven stages of life, which are like the seven acts of a play. 

•      In a drama, every player enters the stage, acts his/her part and then exits. In the same way, we enter this world by birth perform different characters in our life and exit from this world though our death. Shakespeare says that every man has seven stages during his lifetime which is quite right in relation to life. Players or people come into this worldly stage and perform their seven different roles and finally part away from this stage.

•      Here in this worldly stage, we play the role of an infant, a boy, a lover, a soldier, a judge, an old man and an extremely old man. As Everybody takes birth, grows, and with every growth, man's life changes and he works, fulfils duties and responsibilities according to age, and finally leaves the world. 

•      Thus, Shakespeare's comparison of human life with a drama is very appropriate.

Major Poetic Devices in this poem 

      Some major poetic devices used in this poem are:

ü Alliteration: examples : 'shrunk-shank', 'quick in quarrel', 'plays many parts' etc.

ü Consonance: examples: 'shrunk-shank'

ü Assonance: example: 'sixth age shifts'

ü Metaphor:  example: 'All the world's a stage'

ü Simile: example : 'creeping like a snail', 'bearded like a pard'

ü Repetition : example: Words like 'sans age' are repeated

 

 

   (All Images Credit: Google Images)

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