All The World’s a Stage Summary, Appreciation, Figures of speech, questions and answers

1.4 All the World’s a Stage

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 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 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.

– William Shakespeare

About the poet

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s prominent dramatist. He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon”. This poem is taken from his play ‘As you like it’. Here he compares the world to a stage, where the drama of human life is enacted.

Meanings

mere: just, simply

players: actors

mewling: crying with a soft high sound, whmper

puking: throwing up, vomitting

whinning: complaining

satchel: school bag

furnace: huge oven or heater

woeful ballad: sad poem/song

pard: poetical short form of ‘leopard’

cannon’s mouth: facing great danger to life

with good capon lined: with excess fat from careless eating habits

saws: sayings

youthful hose: closefitting covering for legs, stockings

shank: legs (knee to ankle)

treble: (here) three times weaker than

second childishness: a return to the helpless, ignorant state of a child

oblivion: the state of being unaware or unconscious of surroundings and happenings

sans: without

Summary

All the world’s a stage is a poem taken from the play ‘As You Like It’ written by William Shakespeare. It is a monologue by Jacques in which he gives the depiction of the stages of a man’s life from cradle to grave i.e. from birth to death.

In this poem the poet William Shakespeare calls this world we live in as a stage. All men and women are merely actors playing their part. Everyone has their well defined roles and have their entries and exits at a particular time. Each actor plays multiple roles that can be divided into the seven ages which every human being goes through.

The first stage or role is that of an infant/baby who whimpers and pukes in the nurse’s arms. He cannot do anything on his own but depends on others for all his needs.

The second stage is when the baby grows into a young lad. He wakes up early with a bright and shiny face. But he is crying and complaining as he has to carry his school bag. He creeps slowly like a snail as he is unwilling to attend school.

This is followed by the third stage which is that of a lover. He sighs like a furnace and sings sad songs dedicated to his mistress’ beauty.

In the fourth stage he has become a serious soldier who has a beard and is full of promises. He is ever ready to fight and quarrel to save his honour and reputation, so much so that he is ready to lay down his life for it.

Then comes the fifth stage that of the judge. He is now a mature middle-aged man with a round belly. He has a serious and formal appearance and who has gained a lot of wisdom.

In the sixth stage man becomes old and thin and wears loose pants and slippers. He has spectacles on his nose and carries a pouch on his side. His tightly fitting stockings are too loose now as his legs have become thin because of age. His big manly voice has turned into a child’s shrill and when he speaks it sounds like a whistle.

The seventh stage which is the last and final stage is like playing the last scene. This stage brings the man back to his childhood which is without teeth, without vision, without taste and without anything. And thus this play comes to an end and with it ends the cycle of life.

Appreciation of a Poem (Point wise)

The title of the poem: ‘All The World’s A Stage’

The poet: William Shakespeare

Theme/Central idea: The theme of the poem is the cycle of life. This poem describes the various stages of life from birth to death. The poet compares the world to a stage, where the drama of human life is enacted.

Rhyme scheme: Free verse i.e. no rhyme scheme, but there is a steady rhythm of five beats in each line.

Figure of speech: Metaphor

Special Features: The poem has a narrative style which makes the poem flow smoothly from one stage to the next one.

Favourite line/lines: All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players;

Why I like/don’t like the poem: I like the poem because it beautifully describes the life cycle which we all are a part of.

Appreciation of a Poem (Paragraph Format)

The poem ‘All the World’s A Stage’ by William Shakespeare is taken from Shakespeare’s play ‘As you like it’. The main theme of the poem is the cycle of life. In this poem Shakespeare describes the varied stages of life from birth to death. He compares the world to a stage, where the drama of human life is enacted. The poem is written in free verse i.e. no rhyme scheme, but there is a steady rhythm of five beats in each line. The figures of speech in this poem are Simile, Metaphor, Alliteration, etc. In the lines ‘All the world’s a stage, and all men and women are merely players’ there is a comparison between two different things. The special feature of this poem is its narrative style which gives the poem a smooth smoothly from one stage to the next one and the imagery. My favourite lines in this poem are All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. I like the poem because it beautifully describes the life cycle which we all are a part of.

Warming Up!

1. Pair work

Talk to your friend about all the things related to ‘Seven.’

For example: Seven Wonders of the World.

Pair up with your partner and name those given below all of the under:

Answer:
(a) The Seven wonders of the world: The Great Wall of China, Christ the Redeemer Statue, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, The Roman Colosseum, The Taj Mahal and Petra.
(b) The Seven continents: Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica.
(c) The Seven colours of the rainbow: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red
(d) The Seven notes of the musical scale : sa-re-ga-ma-pa-da-ni./doh-re-me-fa-so-la-ti
(e) The Seven seas of the world : Arctic Ocean, Antarctic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean.

2. Life is often compared to many things. Write down 7 things that life can be compared to and justify the comparison. For example,

(a) Life is a keyboard, because if you press the right keys you have typed a good destiny.

(b) Life is a great teacher; she will repeat the lessons till you learn.

(d) Life is a journey one must travel, no matter how bad the journey.

(e) Life is a book, some chapters are sad while others are happy.

(f) Life is a race; there will always be people who are faster than you.

(g) Life is a dance, a song, a celebration; enjoy it.

3. Match the approximate ages with the stages.

Answer:

No.	Age-group	Stages
(1)	Birth to 2 years	(d) babyhood/infancy
(2)	3 years to 12 years	(g) childhood
(3)	13 years to 17 years	(a) teenage/adolescence
(4)	18 years to about 44 years	(f) adulthood
(5)	About 45 years to 60 years	(c) middle-age
(6)	65 years up to 75 to 80 years	(e) senior citizen/ elderly person
(7)	Above 80 years	(b) old age/second childhood

Extra Textual Questions and Answers

What do ‘exits’ and ‘entrances’ refer to?

Answer: Entrances refer to birth and exits refer to death.

Why is reputation like a bubble?

Answer: Reputation is like a bubble because it is short lived and can burst anytime causing trouble.

What is the major difference noticed in the 5th and 6th stage of life?

Answer: The fifth stage is that of the judge. He is now a mature middle-aged man with a round belly. He has a serious and formal appearance, who has gained a lot of wisdom.

ENGLISH WORKSHOP

Answer:
(1) Stage – Life
(2) Characters – Roles played by human beings
(3) Script – Story of life
(4) Dialogues – Conversation
(5) Entry – Birth
(6) Exit – Death

2. Read the poem carefully and complete the following table.

Answer:

First	infant	(1) frightened (2) crying, puking
Second	schoolboy	(1) unhappy (2) whining, creeping unwillingly to school
Third	lover	(1) woeful (2) sighing, singing sad ballads
Fourth	soldier	(1) jealous in honour, ambitious (2) quarrelling, facing danger

3. Write down in your own words the differences between the following stages of a man’s life.

2nd stage and 4th stage

3rd stage and 5th stage

In the third stage which is that of a lover. He sighs like a furnace and sings sad songs dedicated to his mistress’ beauty.

Whereas in the fifth stage that of the judge. He is now a mature middle-aged man with a round belly. He has a serious and formal appearance and who has gained a lot of wisdom.

1st stage and 7th (last) stage

The first stage or role is that of an infant/baby who whimpers and pukes in the nurse’s arms. He cannot do anything on his own but depends on others for all his needs.

4. Pick out lines that contain Imagery (a picture created in the mind by using words) of the following people.

(a) School boy (2nd stage) – a snail

‘The whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school.’

(b) Soldier (4th stage) – a pard

‘Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel.’

(c) Judge (5th stage) – fair round belly

In fair round belly with good capon lined
With eyes “severe and beard of formal cut

(d) Senior citizen (6th stage) – lean, shrunk shank

His youthful hose, well-saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank

5. You will notice that there is no Rhyme-scheme in the poem. It appears similar to the poem 1.1 ‘Where the Mind is without Fear’ by Tagore.

However Tagore’s poem has no steady rhythm/meter either it is called Free Verse. Shakespeare uses lines with a steady rhythm of 5 beats in each. It is termed as Blank Verse. (No rhyme-scheme but uniformity in rhythm)

Copy the lines from “Ánd all the men and women merely players” to “sudden and quick in quarrel”.

Put a stress mark on each of the syllables stressed in the lines as – for example, And all the men and women merely players;

6. Think and write on your own

(a) What is the theme/central idea of this poem?

Answer: The theme of the poem is the cycle of life. This poem describes the various stages of life from birth to death. The poet compares the world to a stage, where the drama of human life is enacted.

(b) Which two stages of man, described by Shakespeare sound humorous? Say why.

Answer: I find the second and the third stage quite humorous.

In the second stage the school going lad is crying and complaining and s unwilling to go to school.

And in the third stage he is a lover and sings songs dedicated to his lover.

(c) The last (7th) stage of life sounds very sad and miserable. How can you make old age also cheerful and happy?

Answer: We can make old age much cheerful by preparing for it well in advance, by taking care of our health, keeping our body fit through regular exercise and having good relation with our family members.

7. (A) The poem is entirely metaphorical. Pick out the comparisons from the poem.

(a) world – stage

(b) actors – all the people of the world

(d) school boy – snail

(e) the lover’s sigh – furnace

(f) spotted leopard – bearded soldier

(g) last stage – old age

(B) Pick out from the poem two examples of each.

Answer:

(a) Simile	(1) Creeping like a snail (2) Soldier bearded like the pard
(b) Onomatopoeia	(1) And then the whining schoolboy (2) Sighing like a furnace
(c) Alliteration	(1) They have -their exits and their entrances (2) His youthful hose, well- saved, a world too wide
(d) Metaphor	(1) They have their exits and their entrances (2) men and women merely players
(e) Inversion	(1) His acts being seven ages. (2) With eyes severe and beard of formal cut
(f) Transferred Epithet	(1) with a woeful ballad (2) Into the lean and slippered pantaloon

8. Read the summary of the play ‘As You Like It’ by William Shakespeare using the Internet. Find out which character has narrated the above poem and on what occasion. Also, make a list of all the characters of the play.

As You Like It – Summary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_You_Like_It

The play is set in a duchy in France, but most of the action takes place in a location called the Forest of Arden. This may be intended as the Ardennes, a forested region covering an area located in southeast Belgium, western Luxembourg and northeastern France, or Arden, Warwickshire, near Shakespeare’s home town, which was the ancestral origin of his mother’s family—whose surname was Arden.

Frederick has usurped the duchy and exiled his older brother, Duke Senior. Duke Senior’s daughter, Rosalind, has been permitted to remain at court because she is the closest friend of Frederick’s only child, Celia. Orlando, a young gentleman of the kingdom who at first sight has fallen in love with Rosalind, is forced to flee his home after being persecuted by his older brother, Oliver. Frederick becomes angry and banishes Rosalind from court. Celia and Rosalind decide to flee together accompanied by the court fool, Touchstone, with Rosalind disguised as a young man and Celia disguised as a poor lady.

Rosalind, now disguised as Ganymede, and Celia, now disguised as Aliena (Latin for “stranger”), arrive in the Arcadian Forest of Arden, where the exiled Duke now lives with some supporters, including “the melancholy Jaques”, a malcontent figure, who is introduced weeping over the slaughter of a deer. “Ganymede” and “Aliena” do not immediately encounter the Duke and his companions. Instead, they meet Corin, an impoverished tenant, and offer to buy his master’s crude cottage.

Orlando and his servant Adam, meanwhile, find the Duke and his men and are soon living with them and posting simplistic love poems for Rosalind on the trees. It has been said that the role of Adam was played by Shakespeare, though this story is also said to be without foundation.^[1] Rosalind, also in love with Orlando, meets him as Ganymede and pretends to counsel him to cure him of being in love. Ganymede says that “he” will take Rosalind’s place and that “he” and Orlando can act out their relationship.

The shepherdess, Phebe, with whom Silvius is in love, has fallen in love with Ganymede (Rosalind in disguise), though “Ganymede” continually shows that “he” is not interested in Phebe. Touchstone, meanwhile, has fallen in love with the dull-witted shepherdess Audrey, and tries to woo her, but eventually is forced to be married first. William, another shepherd, attempts to marry Audrey as well, but is stopped by Touchstone, who threatens to kill him “a hundred and fifty ways”.

Finally, Silvius, Phebe, Ganymede, and Orlando are brought together in an argument with each other over who will get whom. Ganymede says he will solve the problem, having Orlando promise to marry Rosalind, and Phebe promise to marry Silvius if she cannot marry Ganymede.

Orlando sees Oliver in the forest and rescues him from a lioness, causing Oliver to repent for mistreating Orlando. Oliver meets Aliena (Celia’s false identity) and falls in love with her, and they agree to marry. Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Silvius and Phebe, and Touchstone and Audrey are all married in the final scene, after which they discover that Frederick has also repented his faults, deciding to restore his legitimate brother to the dukedom and adopt a religious life. Jaques, ever melancholic, declines their invitation to return to the court, preferring to stay in the forest and to adopt a religious life as well. Finally Rosalind speaks an epilogue, commending the play to both men and women in the audience.

All the world’s a stage

Act II, Scene VII, features one of Shakespeare’s most famous monologues, spoken by Jaques,

characters:

Duke Frederick, Duke Senior’s younger brother and his usurper, also Celia’s father
Rosalind, Duke Senior’s daughter
Celia, Duke Frederick’s daughter and Rosalind’s cousin
Touchstone, a court fool or jester
Le Beau, a courtier
Charles, a wrestler
Lords and ladies in Duke Frederick’s court
Oliver de Boys, the eldest son and heir
Jacques de Boys, the second son, announces Frederick’s change of heart
Orlando de Boys, the youngest son
Adam, a faithful old servant who follows Orlando into exile
Dennis, the servant who announces Charles’s arrival in Oliver’s orchard
Duke Senior, Duke Frederick’s older brother and Rosalind’s father
Jaques, a discontented, melancholic lord
Amiens, an attending lord and musician
Lords in Duke Senior’s forest court
Phebe, a proud shepherdess
Silvius, a shepherd
Audrey, a country girl
Corin, an elderly shepherd
William, a country man
Sir Oliver Martext, a curate

9. Read the poem again and write an appreciation of the poem in a paragraph format. (Refer to page no. 5)

Appreciation of a Poem (Point wise)

The title of the poem: ‘All The World’s A Stage’

The poet: William Shakespeare

Rhyme scheme: Free verse i.e. no rhyme scheme, but there is a steady rhythm of five beats in each line.

Figure of speech: Metaphor

Special Features: The poem has a narrative style which makes the poem flow smoothly from one stage to the next one.

Favourite line/lines: All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players;

Why I like/don’t like the poem: I like the poem because it beautifully describes the life cycle which we all are a part of.

Appreciation of a Poem (Paragraph Format)

Extra Questions

Q. What does the title of the poem say?

Ans- The world is a stage for human beings, where they play their different roles of life. like the characters that play their role on stage.

Q. List the seven stages of life according to the poem ?

Ans- Seven stages of life are-

An infant crying
A complaining School boy
A lover
A bearded Soldier
A wise justice
An old man
Second Childhood

Q. Why does the schoolboy walk at a snail’s pace? Is he happy?

Ans- The schoolboy walks at a snail’s pace to delay the school as he doesn’t want to go to his school.

Q. What does the lover do?

Ans- The lover sings ballads for his mistress.

Q. What makes the soldier quick in quarrel’?

Ans- Youthful energy, fierce passion, hot blooded.

Q. How does a man play his part as ‘the justice’?

Ans- The man gaining enough knowledge, wisdom.

Choose the correct alternative:

1. The poet compares this world with stage and the humans as the players he divides human life into___________ stages.

(a): Five

(b): Seven

(c): Ten

(d): Four

Ans- Seven (b)

2. ______ is the second stage of human life.

(a): Baby

(b): Experienced

(c): Adventures

(d): Childhood

Ans- Childhood (d)

3. The poem is composed by

(a): William Shakespeare

(b): P.B Shelley

(c): John Milton

(d): William Wordsworth

Ans- William Shakespeare (a)

4. In the sixth stage in the poem ‘The Seven Ages of Man ‘ a person become __________ .

(a): Victorious

(b): Powerful

(c): Weak

(d): Healthy

Ans- Weak (c)

5. Shakespeare has described the second childishness in the ___________ .

(a): Second stage

(b): Fourth stage

(c): Last stage

(d): Fifth stage

Ans- Last stage (c)

6. As a young lover, according to the poet, man

(a): Learns to dance

(b): Composes ballads for his beloved

(c): Does exercises to build his muscles

(d): Gives advice

Ans- Composes ballads for his beloved (b)

7. Bubble reputation means-

(a): Everlasting fame

(b): Long -term popularity

(c): A short lived, transitory period of fame

(d): Bubbles formed in rain

Ans- A short lived, transitory period of fame (c)

8. “Sighing like a furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrows.” What is the figure of speech in the first line?

(a): Simile

(b): Metaphor

(c): Personification

(d): Repetition

Ans- Simile (a)

9. The title of the poem is a comparison of life to a____.

(a): Game

(b): Drama

(c): Cycle

(d): Dream

Ans- Drama (b)

10. The poem compares “exit” to___.

(a): Birth

(b): Life

(c): Doors

(d): Death

Ans- Death (d)

Figures of speech

1. All the world’s a stage.
Metaphor
Explanation: The poet has indirectly compared the world to the stage.

2. And all the men and women are merely players.
Alliteration
Explanation: The sound of the letter ‘a’ is repeated for poetic effect.

Metaphor
Explanation: The poet has indirectly compared all the men and women of the world to actors.

3. And one man in his time plays many parts.
Inversion
Explanation: The order of the words has been changed. The correct order is “And one man plays many parts in his time”.

4. They have their exits and entrances.
Metaphor
Explanation: The poet has indirectly compared deaths and birth to exits and entrances.

5. His acts being seven ages.

Metaphor

Explanation: The poet has compared the actions of men to seven ages.

Inversion

Explanation: The order of the words has been changed. The correct order is, “His life has seven ages.”

6. At first, the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Onomatopoeia
Explanation: The word mewling denotes the sound of the cry of an infant.

7. creeping like a snail
Simile
Explanation: The Poet has used a direct comparison between the schoolboy and snail.

8. Sighing like a furnace
Simile
Explanation: The Poet has used a direct comparison between the deep breath of sighing to that of a furnace.

Onomatopoeia
Explanation: The word sighing denotes the sound of a lover’s deep breath which is similar to that of the furnace.

9. Sighing like a furnace with a woeful ballad
Transferred epithet
Explanation: The epithet ‘woeful’ has been transferred from the lover to the ‘ballad’.

10. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Simile

Explanation: The soldier’s beard is compared to that of a leopard.

11. with eyes severe and beard of formal cut.
Inversion
Explanation: The order of the words has been changed for poetic effect. The correct order is “with severe eyes and formal cut beard.”

12. His youthful hose well saved a world too wide.
Transferred Epithet.
Explanation: The epithet “youthful” has been transferred from the old main to hose.

13.Turning again toward childish treble,

Onomatopoeia
Explanation: The word treble denotes the sound of a musical note.

14. And whistles in his sound.

Onomatopoeia
Explanation: This sentence reminds us of the sound of a whistle.

15. Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Repetition
Explanation: The word ‘sans’ has been repeated for poetic effect.

Std 10

1.1 Where the mind is without fear

1.2 The Thief’s Story

1.3 On Wings of Courage

1.4 All the World’s a Stage

1.5 Joan of Arc

1.6 The Alchemy of Nature

2.1 Animals

2.2 Three Questions

2.3 Connecting the Dots

2.4 The Pulley

2.5 Let’s March

2.6 Science and Spirituality

3.1 Night of the Scorpion

3.2 The Night I Met Einstein

3.3 Stephen Hawking

3.4 The Will to Win

3.5 Unbeatable Super Mom- Mary Kom

3.6 The Concert

4.1 A Thing of Beauty is Joy For Ever

4.2 The Luncheon

4.3 World Heritage

4.4 The Height of the Ridiculous

4.5 The Old Man and The Sea: Book Review

4.6 The Gift of Magi