All the World’s A Stage

This poem is a masterpiece of Shakespeare’s keen observation and fine poetry. All the World’s A Stage is
an extract from Shakespeare’s famous play As You Like It. Shakespeare is regarded as the world’s
greatest dramatist and poet.

In this poem, he has masterfully described various stages of human life. He compares the world with a
big stage and all human beings are actors and actresses. Man first appears in this stage as an infant
crying and vomiting in the arms of a nurse or mother.

Then he is seen as a schoolboy with a shining morning face, walking slowly and unwillingly to school.
Soon he becomes a young man burning with the passion of love and singing in praise of his beloved. In
the next stage, he is like an ambitious soldier who is ready to undertake any adventure in order to gain
honor and fame.

In the next stage, he plays his role as wise and mature justice. Then we find him as an old man with
spectacles on the nose and a bag in his hand. His size shrinks and his manly voice turns into a thin
childish voice. His last stage is very pathetic as he loses almost all his senses and joys of life.

The poem draws a sad and realistic picture of human life. The underlying meaning is that life is
temporary and changing phases of life pass rather too quickly. The language is simple and the imagery is
attractive. He shows us that man’s stay in his world is quite temporary. After performing the role
allotted by God, he leaves this world.

Text with Explanation

Lines 1-6

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.

Reference and Context

These lines have been taken from the poem All the World’s a stage written by

William Shakespeare.
 In this poem, the poet uses the imagery of acting on stage. He decides human life into seven stages. He
says that this world is a great stage of life. All human beings are just like actors.

They play their roles and leave the stage through the door of death. These stages of a man’s life are a
baby, a schoolboy, a lover, a soldier, a judge, an old man, and a very old man.

Explanation

In these lines, Shakespeare describes the various stages of human life. He says that this world is like a
stage on which all human beings appear as actors. They enter the stage at their fixed time s and leave it
on their turn.

One man plays seven roles in his life. He starts his journey of life as a child. Shakespeare has given a
realistic picture of a child. A child is a helpless creature. At this stage, he is seen crying and vomiting out
milk in his mother’s arms.

He drinks a large quantity of milk but does not digest it. He seems totally helpless and dependent in this
stage. In this way, he makes her clothes dirty. The nurse or mother has to look after him and feed him.

Lines 7- 9

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel,

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school

Reference and Context

Same as for lines 1-6

Explanation

In these lines, William Shakespeare wants to tell us that human life is not a fixed and static thing. It is
constantly growing and changing. Man becomes a schoolboy after passing through the period of
childhood.

In the second stage of human life, man can be seen as a complaining schoolboy with a shining morning
face walking slowly but not get ready for school.

Perhaps, change in atmosphere, homesickness, the burden of new responsibility and the strange and
stern attitude of the teacher make him go to school reluctantly.

Shakespeare has drawn a beautiful picture of his schoolboy. He compares it with the movements of an
insect snail. Snail is known for its slow movements. It is a creeping insect.

The school-going boy also marches to the school like a snail. He always complains about school,
homework, or the teacher. He is not satisfied with his school and does not want to go to school.
Lines 10-12

And then the lover

Sighing like a furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress’s eyebrow

Explanation

In these lines, William Shakespeare has described the third stage of man’s life in a realistic manner. The
third stage starts with the man’s stepping into adolescence. Now he is full of deep emotions and sexual
passion.

He is full of energy and vigor. In this stage of life, man is lost in the world of his own dreams. He runs
after his mission in a wild and passionate manner. He becomes a lover and craves a sweetheart.

When he misses his dream queen, he sings sad songs and adores her beauty. The picture which
Shakespeare has given us about the feelings, emotions, and behavior of a lover is quite correct. Every
young man behaves in a similar manner at this stage of life.

Lines 13-16

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

Explanation

In these lines, William Shakespeare has given us the most realistic and accurate picture of the fourth
stage of man’s life. In this time man becomes an ambitious soldier. He is ready to undertake any
adventure in order to gain honor, glory, and fame.

In fact, at this stage, a man has all the qualities of a fit soldier. He is at the climax of his youth and
physical strength. His practical life begins at this stage. He sets high aims and makes great vows. With his
small beard, he looks like a leopard.

Power in his body forces him to accept any challenge. He wants to surpass others. He craves fame. Even
for temporary fame, he is ready to take risks in his life. During this career, he is always ready to
undertake adventures and take risks for money and reputation.
Lines 17- 21

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.

Explanation

In these lines, Shakespeare has drawn a very beautiful picture of man’s fifth stage of life. In the fifth
stage, a man plays his part as a wise and serious justice. Now, he is mature in mind. He becomes a good
judge of things.

He can wisely tell right from wrong. His belly becomes round due to eating fat cocks. He has a beard of
normal cut. He becomes strict in dealing with routine matters. The severity in his eyes shows the
seriousness of the situation.

He pays full attention to the details of every matter. His conversation is full of proverbs and wise sayings.
In his conversation, he uses instances of past and present events. In this way, he plays a very important
and useful role in society.

Lines 22-28

The sixth age shifts,

Into the lean and slipper 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

Explanation

In these lines, The poet describes the sixth stage of human life. In the sixth stage of life, a man appears
to be an old person. He becomes weak and thinks that he has retired from the activities of life.
 The man becomes slim and his former garments become loose to him. He starts wearing spectacles.
The skin of his cheek starts dangling. The clothes of his youth become very loose and wide his shrunk
legs.

He becomes so weak that he slips and stagger when he walks. He trembles at every step. His big and
strong manly voice changes into a thin childish voice and a sound of a whistle can be heard in his breath.
In this way, he plays his role in the world.

Lines 29- 32

Last scene of all

That ends this strange eventful history

Is second childishness and mere oblivion?

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything

Explanation

In these lines, the poet describes the last stage of human beings. The last stage is the stage of oblivion
and forgetfulness. It can be called extreme old age. It is the stage of total forgetfulness and second
childishness. This stage puts an end to the eventful life of man.

Man can not enjoy the charms of life. He becomes without teeth, without eyesight, without taste, and
without everything. This is once again the stage of total helplessness. It evokes a feeling of pathos. At
this stage man’s life becomes very painful and difficult.