Introduction to English Literature

(Lesson 01) ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

(William Shakespeare)

Introduction

This poem is an excerpt (extract/ section) from William Shakespeare’s celebrated

comedy, As You Like It. It narrates the life cycle of a man by comparing it to a play. The
different stages of a man’s life from infancy to death become the different acts that make up
this play. The poem is 28 lines long. It does not have a rhyme scheme, but it is written in
iambic pentameter. This means that every line has a rhythm of five beats.

Reference:

These lines have been taken from the poem, “All the World’s Stage” composed
by William Shakespeare.

Context:

In this poem, the poet has drawn a very faithful picture of the seven stages
(phases/periods) of human life. These phases of human life begin from infancy and end in
old age. He has also highlighted the roles to be played by human beings during these seven
stages of their lives. In fact, he has compared this world to a vast stage of a theatre.

Line 1 – 8

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 (crying) and puking (vomiting) in the nurse’s arms;

And then the whining (moaning) school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping (sneaking) like snail

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Explanation:

The whole world is a stage, and all men and women are merely players. The poet
says that the world is a stage on which the play of life is to be acted out. All men and women
are simply actors in this play. All people have their exits and their entrances. Here, exits
and entrances refer to deaths and births. One man in his life plays many parts or roles.

The different acts of the play are the seven ages or periods of man’s life. First, the man
is the infant who cries and vomits in the nurse’s arms. The next part is that of the petulant
schoolboy, with his shoulder bag and shining morning face, walking slowly like a snail,
unwilling to go to school. Thus, childhood and adolescence are the first two acts of man’s
life.

Line 9 – 19

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 lin’d,

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

Explanation:

Then comes the lover, sighing constantly like the sounds of a furnace, and dedicating
sad ballads to his mistress’s eyebrow. The lover is a youth full of fanciful desires. The next

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role is that of a soldier full of strange oaths who has a beard like a leopard. The soldier is
eager to maintain his honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, and seeks short lived glory
even in the face of death. So, man seeks glory and honour in this stage of life.

Although an adult, he is still full of the energy and temper of youth. Then the man
becomes the justice. The respected judge has a fair round belly from eating good chicken,
severe eyes and a beard of formal cut. He is full of wise sayings and modern instances and
he too plays his part. The justice marks the man becoming mature with knowledge of the
world around him.

Explanation:

Line 20 – 28

Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful hose, well sav’d, 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; (forgetfulness)

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

In the sixth age, man shifts into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon, or a thin old man.
He has spectacles on his nose and a pouch on his side. The pants from his youth are way too
wide for his legs that have grown thin with age. His big manly voice is turning back into the
high-pitched voice of a child, he sounds like pipes and whistles.

Therefore, old age has set in. We already see the man’s voice becoming childlike, an
indicator of the next stage that is coming. The last scene of all that ends this strange
eventful history of the life of man is second childishness and simple oblivion. The poet

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implies that just before man dies and returns to oblivion or nothingness, he becomes a child
again because he has no teeth, no eyes and no taste. He loses everything to become a child
again and then face his death.

Conclusion

This poem gives us a brief summary of the cycle that every man’s life must follow.
According to the poet, the seven parts that a man plays in his life are- infant, schoolboy,
lover, soldier, justice, old man, and finally a child again at the time of death. The poem
describes the world as a stage where all people are actors who must act out these seven acts
or stages of life.

All World’s Stage by William Shakespeare

All the world 's a stage,

‫ہی ُداین ک‬
‫ایجیٹسےہ‬
And all the men and women merely players:
‫اورامتلرمدووخانیتضحماسےکادااکرںیہ‬
They have their exits and their entrances;
‫اِسجیٹسےکدایلخاوراخریجرےتسںیہ‬
And one man in his time plays ,many parts,
‫س‬
‫اور ک‬
‫ایاناماینپزدنیگںیمیئکرکداراھبنتاےہ‬
His acts being seven ages.At first the infant,
‫سےسےلہپوہ ک‬،‫ےہ‬
‫ایریشوخارہچبےہ‬ ‫ب‬ ‫استرکدارادارکتا‬
Mewling and puking in the nurse 's arms,
‫وجاینپرنسےکتبازؤںںیمفیحناوازںیمروتاےہاوردودھیکےقرکتاےہ‬
And then the whining school-boy,with his satchel,
‫ایوبلھج ِدكےکاسھتگیباُاھٹےئوکسكاجےنواالہچبنباجتاےہ‬
‫رھپ ک‬
And shining morning face,creeping like snail,
‫ببڑیوصعمتیمےکاسھت ُسسترویےس‬
Unwillingly to school.And then the lover,
‫ہناچےتہوہےئوکسكاجتاےہ۔رھپ ک‬
‫ایاعقشنباجتاےہ‬
Sighing like a furnace,with a woeful ballad,
‫س‬
‫ایآگوایلیٹھبیکرطح ُدیھکتیگاگرکدر ِدفڑاقےسآںیہرھبتاےہ‬
‫وج ک‬
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‫‪Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then soldier,‬‬
‫س‬
‫وہتیگوجاسےناینپوبحمہبیکآوھکنںیکرعتفیںیماھکلوہتاےھ۔رھپوہ ک‬
‫اییلمعانامنباجتاےہ‬
‫‪Full of strange oaths,and bearded like the pard,‬‬
‫ِبجےنبیجعودعےےیکوہےتںیہاوراُسیکداڑیھیلتپیسوہیتےہ‬
‫‪Jealous in honour,sudden and quick in quarrel,‬‬
‫زعترپوکیئوھجمسہتہنرکےنواال‪،‬ڑلےنںیمزیت‬
‫‪Seeking the bubble reputation‬‬
‫اوراِس ُداینیکاعریضاکایمیبےکےھچیپاھبگاےہ‬
‫‪Even in the cannon 's mouth.And then the justice,‬‬
‫س‬ ‫س‬
‫ایستآدیم نباجتاےی‬
‫ای ا‬ ‫اہیںیہکاُےسومتاکیہاسانمویکںہنرکتاڑپے‪،‬رھپوہ ک‬
‫‪In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,‬‬
‫دوعںیتاھکاھکرکاُساکٹیپوگكوٹمكاسوہاجتاےہ‬
‫‪With eyes severe,and beard of formal cut,‬‬
‫آوھکنںںیمیتخسآاجیتےہ‪،‬اورداڑیھریمسیسرھکاتیلےہ‬
‫;‪Full of wise saws and modern instances‬‬
‫تباتتباترپ بج ک د‬
‫دیمسقیکاثمںیلاوراہکوںیتایبمرکتاےہ‬
‫‪And so he plays his part.The sixth age shifts,‬‬
‫اسرطحوہیھباانپرکداراھبنتاےہ۔اوریٹھچرمعےکےصحںیموہنباجتاےہ‬
‫‪Into the lean and slipper'd Pantaloon,‬‬
‫س‬
‫ک‬
‫ای ُدالبالتپلپچےنہپزمکوراسانام‬
‫‪With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,‬‬
‫ُگت‬
‫ایرطف ھلیےکاسھت‬
‫آوھکنںرپہمشچاور ک‬
‫‪For his shrink shank;and his big manly voice,‬‬
‫سیئگںیہاوراُسیک اتب ُر ب‬
‫عآواز‬ ‫ویکہکناُسیکڈنپایلں ُ ڑ‬
‫‪Turning again toward childish treble,pipes,‬‬
‫ںیمدوتبارہوچبںیسیجوطالطہآیئگےہ‬
‫‪And whistle in his sound.Last scene of all,‬‬
‫س‬ ‫س‬
‫وباتلےہوت ُُمےسیٹسجباجیتےہ۔اسوتںیرمعآخڑیدحےہ‬
‫‪That ends his strange eventful history,‬‬
‫اوراہیںرپاُسیکرھبوپرزگاریوہیئزدنیگوکاگللگلاجیتےہ‬
‫‪Is second childishness and mere oblivion,‬‬
‫بب‬
‫ای ُھلکڑڑہچباسنباجتاےہ‬
‫ابوہ ک‬

‫‪5‬‬
Sans teeth,sans eyes,sans taste,sans everything.
‫انبذاہقیےکاورامتلزدنیگےکولازامتےس ب‬،‫انبآوھکنںیکروینشےک‬،‫انبداوتنںےک‬
‫مڑاوہاجتاےہ‬
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POINTS TO REMEMBER (SUMMARY)

i. This poem has been composed by William Shakespeare who is the greatest
dramatist and the poet. He usually writes dramatic tragedies. This poem is ,in fact,
a speech by a character from his comedy “As You Like It”.
ii. In this poem, he has compared the world to a stage and men and women its actors
and actresses. He divides the life span of a man into seven acts. A man comes on
the stage of world and after performing his assigned roles he leaves the stage i.e.
dies.
iii. First of all he plays the role of an infant who is weeping and vomiting out milk in
his nurses’ arms.
iv. After that, he becomes a school going child, who is going to school unwillingly
with his bag.
v. Then he becomes a lover who is sighing like a furnace and singing sad songs which
he had composed in the praise of his beloved s’ eye- brow.
vi. At the fourth stage, he becomes a soldier, a practical man who quick in quarrel and
is ready to die for the sake of bubble reputation.
vii. His fifth role is like that of a wise person with a fair round belly who quotes
modern instances and proverbs in his talks.
viii. The sixth stage turns him into a leaned and slippered pantaloons old man heaving
spectacles on his nose. His voice trembles when he speaks.
ix. At the seventh and last stage, he becomes too much old man. He develops a habit
of forgetting things. He is without teeth, without eye-sight and sans taste. Now he
is ready to leave the stage of the world.