As You Like It - Notes

"All the World’s a Stage" by William Shakespeare

  • Excerpt from As You Like It, a comedy by William Shakespeare.

  • Paired with excerpt from Tuesdays With Morrie.

The Seven Ages of Man

  • Extended Metaphor: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players".

    • Life is compared to a play, with people as actors.

    • People have entrances (birth) and exits (death).

    • Individuals play multiple roles throughout their lives, divided into seven ages or acts.

The Seven Ages

  1. Infant:

    • "Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms."

    • Helpless and dependent.

  2. Schoolboy:

    • "Whining schoolboy, with his satchel, And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school."

    • Reluctant and slow to learn.

    • Simile: Creeping like a snail.

  3. Lover:

    • "Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress' eyebrow."

    • Full of intense emotions, writing ballads for his beloved.

    • Simile: Sighing like a furnace.

  4. Soldier:

    • "Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel."

    • Aggressive, concerned with reputation, and easily provoked.

    • "Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth."

    • Willing to risk life for fleeting fame.

  5. Justice:

    • "In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances."

    • A well-fed, authoritative figure offering advice.

  6. Pantaloon:

    • "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."

    • A foolish old man wearing baggy pants; representation of decline.

  7. Second Childishness:

    • "Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."

    • Loss of senses and memory, becoming dependent like a child again.

    • "Sans" means without.

    • Referring to dementia, Alzheimer's, and the vulnerability of old age.

A suitable theme for "All the World’s a Stage" is the cyclical nature of life, from helplessness at birth to helplessness in old age, emphasizing the inevitable decline and loss of vitality. Other literary analyses that could be explored include: the use of metaphors and similes to illustrate each stage of life, Shakespeare's commentary on societal roles and expectations, and the universality of the human experience.