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 honor, 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.
Notes
From: As you Like It
Act II
Scene VII
Visit the Shakespeare Glossary for vocabulary questions! oldpoetry.com/home/guide/sp_glossary
Leave a guest comment (subject to review)
Comments
1 - 72 of 72
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yay! Shakespeare!
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Please help me
From guest Anjali (contact)
I have to read this poem and answer some questions for a project can someone please help me to understand this poem??????
MOD MESSAGE
http://oldpoetry.com/board/topic/1492
Jim -
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love
From guest aimee (contact)
i love poems so does shakespear i wish i could write them every day and im a big fan of the "stage" i want to be a singer shakespear inspiered me lots of love aimee -
blahh!
From guest Georgia (contact)
It is a wonderful poem, but i am in 6th grade and i do not understand most of the meaning. Can someone please paraphrase the whole poem for me? -
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For guest Bobbi and others
My own opinion of the line you mention; "made to his mistress' eyebrow" is that the man (at this stage the lover) is so under the spell of his sweetheart that she only has to raise an eyebrow and he will comply with her every wish.
Jim
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All the World's a stage
From guest Sridevi R. (contact)
It is not old poetry it is gold poetry. suitable for all ages (period)
MOD MESSAGE
I agree!
Jim -
Can Someone Help Me!?
From guest lVlr. IVIijZacLe (contact)
I have a question, why were all the actors during Shakespeare's time men. I mean I know that women were not aloud to act but, I don't know why. Can someone please help me? -
And then,if you want to be in the audience
From guest Greg White (contact)
for the leaving of the stage there are two two very different ways,one voluntary the other.. to step off, in the breath, in meditation. to fall off, into `mental illness'. -
Calming
From guest Luci (contact)
This poem calms me by reminding me that it's not the little things in life that should anger me or hold me back. The line "They have their exits and their entrances" shows that life goes on and that all these small problems will resolve themselves with time. -
Inspirational
From guest Sinia (contact)
I have to write an assignment about my life, right from childhood to-date. I looked for an intro in vain, until i took a break off the assignment, with a movie called "Idlewild." In this movie, unknowingly, i found my well hidden intro, "The world's a stage...." That was enough to set me going. I didn't know it in detail but i knew it talked about life from birth to death. It's guiding me now, all the way! Shakespeare lives on! I wonder who will be the Shakespeare of our generation? -
...
From guest aliyah (contact)
this poem, if you learn key words in the stanzas,is a very true and good poem. it is also easy to memorize! -
Moralitic
From guest Prince (contact)
Really amazing, shakespeare never find it difficult to summarize whole human life into couple of sentences. it shows us how life is so small...... -
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From guest Alice Brown (contact)
i want to know what it means by Made to his mistress' evebrow then, a soldier? do you know? -
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all the world is a stage
From guest EYA (contact)
All the world is a stage is a comparison between the stage and the world not the world and the stage. In life we dont see the truth of other people, while in stage we do. Truth of life, destiny, human ambitions...is seen more clearly through theater not through life; which makes the stage a means for clerifying the world through acters who do not perform for persons while perform like persons -
Magnificent Aries
This is 'man' human living life.We each 'play' our part
on this stage(our own piece of the world/earth)we may
get Married,have children,what ever we do for a living
'playing parts'be it Doctor,School Teacher Soldier
what ever you do you are living 'a part' of a life
From birth to Death each lives his/her part. -
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help me please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From guest melissa (contact)
i have to read this poem and answer questions on it for an assignment for school. can anyone help me understand what the inner message is here and what i shakespeare writing about? -
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From guest Lawrence (contact)
It's amazing to see how shakespeare could summarize all our deeds in few sentences without loosing the touch of real life. This poems rocks fro me amongst his poems. -
Oh My God....
From guest kuzhahan (contact)
i loved this poem from the moment i read it in my 4th grade english class... wow.... now i have read it again.... that was the first time i read the word "Sans" and i remember how i did not accept its meaning, untill my teacher brought out the dusty dictionary to prove it...
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all the worlds a stage
From guest julie (contact)
this peom is very good and has a great feel for life -
All the Worlds a Stage
From guest Carter Newton (contact)
All of us baby boomers who are now dealing with aging parents in the era of modern medicine remember that long ago we studied Shakespeare too. This peace is now much more more poignant and meaningful to us as a painful reality. -
All the world's a stage
From guest Amy (contact)
thanks for the inspiring comments guys. I'm studying this at school and at first didn't like it but now I have a much better appreciation for Shakespeare's poetry! -
Evergreen
From guest ISHA JOLLY (contact)
A timeless masterpiece by the gr8 poet........shows the practicality of life aftr all this is what life is.....it is like a vicious circle...........we come play r part nd go........i also search for the meaning behind this life.......what is it??? -
Bravo!
Thanks for sharing. This stage we all play upon, morphing thru time, usually oblivious to the pantomime in which we are embedded, speaks thru the ages to each one of us.
(What the heck school do you attend -- you're way ahead of me!) -
never say never
Always time for a little Shakespeare! -
This is one of the poems that pops back into my mind fairly often Few things are as enduring a message!
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in-sanity
its insane how this poem can just strike the correctness, the perfection, and the very flame of amazement. It's so accurate and incredible, that i can barely think of anything else after reading such a powerful poem. -
How true
That was deffinetly a perfect representation of life's circle. -
AMAZING
From guest Jane (contact)
i had to do this 4 school and it was hard to memorize but it was worth it the words were deep and hey i got an A thanks 4 writing it -
Shakes was having fun
From guest Mark (contact)
We are actors on a stage. We are in a play and can choose whatever role we please, be it drunken idiot or doting parent. The play started at negative infinity and will run until positive infinity. It is the grandest of all plays, and we are blessed to have a part in it. The fact that our performance is of finite length is of no consequence. Every actor's performance is of finite length. The important thing is the brilliance of the performance. The brilliance of the performance transcends pain and suffering. Methinks these wise saws are from the fifth stage. -
All the Worlds a Stage
From guest Karen (contact)
I am only in my seventh year of schooling, we haven't done Shakespeare in class, but I love his writing. I don't find the language difficult to understand at all. -
From guest VANY (contact)
I LIKE SHAKESPEARE BUT Y DO CHILDREN IN YEAR 7 HAVE TO LEARN HIS HARD LANGUAGE?? -
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happens
im in seventh grade but i learned the work of edgar allen poe, william shakespeare and all of those other fine poets in 6th grade. And I understood perfectly what they are trying to express, but as i get older, i will TRULY understand why he said this, or why he wrote that. course it is easier for poets.
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'with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow'
That made me laugh
Brutally honest and biting. && yet so true. One of Shakespeare's best writes (from what I believe)
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the story
From guest homoma (contact)
i like how you do compare the world to a stage players are us, our scripts being what we say thatz nice cool and awesomeley true nice -
Depressing?
From guest Richard John (contact)
Our lives aren't real, and don't have any lasting meaning. We are acting out a part, 'strutting' and worrying until it is all over, and then death silences us. -
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Anger
From guest GJ (contact)
i think shakespeare is cool but on thursday i have to say the whole thing in front of my class and i only how half of it and on thursday i'm going to get an BIG FAT "E" -
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Beautiful, Shakespeare was very insightful and well-versed.
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Life
From guest Jack English (contact)
No one had an insight on life as did Wm. Shakespeare. Succinct, caustic, brutally honest. Is there a lesson to be learned by reading him? Methinks so! So, after 50 years, I shall reread him! -
Yawn
From guest mystery person (contact)
The world is not a stage. It is a little biosphere that has beauty, grace, power, and great possibility. It is a place where where semi intelligent life proceeds in an unorganized way to fight over limited resources and misguided notions (religion). The fact humans are not capable of improving or even maintaining the world for even the shortest period of time is evidence we have some seriously inferior traits. I'm still happy to be here and i do hope to grow old. :) -
From guest Sara (contact)
Its not possible to misinterpret poetry, which also goes with the fact that just because you found nothing in a poem doesnt mean something isnt there for someone else. Shakespeare does a great job about making that point extremely clear. In case no one has noticed there are over sixty comments arguing and just speaking about how there is or is not meaning, Shakespeare is or is not brilliant, you are or are not stupid. I mean poetry can only mean what you allow it to mean. And its different to everyone. The point behind poetry isnt to have black and white areas of this means this. Its all up to the reader and what it means to them specifically. -
From guest jakeofspades (contact)
Useless garbage? Tut tut - this poem puts the life of man into such beautiful language. I accept that this mass of verse and Shakespeare's immortal reputation creates such standards that this poem doesn't seem to live up to. But once you penetrate the sentences, it's all so eloquently done. -
From guest joe (contact)
it isn't because no one understand what shakespeare says in his works that it is neccessarily good and profound, maybe there is simply nothing to unederstand from this useless garbage! -
I have an objection
From guest Abdu (contact)
if we are all actors on a stage......whos the audience. -
ALL the world's a stage
The first two lines-
'All the world's a stage,
And all the men andwomen merely players'
is a very much loved quotation even today. It has a depth of our Indian philosophy. But the rest, that is , the continuing lines lack the power to arouse thought-process,hence not much of impact -
WOW!
Wonderful poem here, Shakespeare's one of the most beautiful works!
The stages of life that have been depicted are equally marvellous!
A poem that should be read by all...
Madhumita
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Wow
From guest ympoetry (contact)
Without a doubt it amazes me that such mastery of Literature and life was endowed to men such as Shakespeare in the day.. truly magnificent.. -
within context or out of context
think -
What’s said has been said,
mouthfuls of garbled stony words
pave the centuries
on and on
But yes the stages of life have not changed!
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That's amazing
It is true that this poetry is amazing, and I can say that even tough I didn't read this from here. Man! It is in our school text book. I really liked and appricate this true poetry.
Actually, it is the one which inspired me to write "The Ages"
Which I beileve is an extended form of this rare of the rarest peice. It's true and being a fact, it can't be this best, but, yeah! i think it is nice. tough, one can imagine the differenciation b/w me and him. -
Question. Does anyone think that there are any similarites between All the World's A Stage and the mythic five races of humans? If anyone has any ideas, let me know.
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How is it getting misinturpered? I've never read the whole thing, just that section.
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William Shakespeare got it.
The world is nothng but a theartrical stage where we humans are actors.From our birth we enter the stage and keep on acting true to our age until old age when we act the last scene and the curtain draws.We are heard no more.( Death).
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Shakespeare is truly inspirational. I mean, come on! This poem inspired me for a writing assignment with the worst prompt word imaginable! Popcorn. Seriously, I'm not even joking and Shakespeare kind of helped me along. He was such a genius. You get really good writers who are unknown and really emminent writers whose work simply dies with time. He was famous at the time and his work lasted ages.
There is no doubt that he was brilliant. This is a brilliant poem. Mine often follow the same sort of pattern, starting out with a thought building on it and coming back to the thought at the end, like a keyhole effect. All hail Bard! -
the poem reveal's the universal truth of human exixtence
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Man, this thing is getting misinterpreted left and right.
Listen, take a look at the context, really look at the language. Go and track down the act and scene from As You Like It, take a look at who says it and what the significane of that. Seriously, do some thinking for yourselves, people!
Edited on Dec 03, 2:25 p.m. because ''. -
The greatest entertainer and most PROFOUND thinker is no one other than SHAKESPEARE.
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Shakespeare’s profound knowledge of human life can be seen here.
The different stages of life hint at the fact that nothing is permanent
in human life and change is the law of nature.
He compares the whole world to a theatrical stage,where all the men
and women are players and play their role accordingly.
Their role starts right from their birth and ends with their death.
He discussed the seven stages of human life very beautifully.
The first period of man’s life begins as a helpless child when he
Completely depends on others for his care.He is nursed by the mother
Or someone else whosoever is going to look after him.
After some years of development he enters to the second period or
stage of his life .From NOW HE BECOMES A SCHOOL GOING BOY.
The third stage begins with adolescent age.
The fourth one begins and he now becomes a soldier.He has stepped in
The practical life.
Then the fifth one now he is like a judge,full of experience,knowledge
Dignity and quite serious in his behaviour and attitude.
After this sixth period of human life begins now he has become old
,his body has become weak,shrink,his energies has been gone with the time.
He sometimes act just like a child actually he is not energetic now so he
Depends on others.
The last period is miserable because there would be no eyesight,ears
,teeth,energy properly working this is the end of human life.
Well all the stages passed on very slowly and gradually man can do
Anything in his life as MAN IS THE CROWN OF ALL CREATION.
And as he has a definite and proper aim of his life.
He is the architect of his own fate.
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Shakespeare genius for earning a living writing plays reaches a pinnacle in thi poetry excerpt. Instead of writing that all the world a plumbing circuit in which humanity must travel from the initial glistening drop in the clouds to a huuricane's eyewall and heavy deposition in torrential rain before reaching a hevay lake resevoir, pipes, consumtion and exit, or describing life as a political philsophy that must be imagined by a man or woman in society reaching a special age of empirical realization before convecting back from the heigth of office holding to the level of ordinary citizen sickening and perhaps becoming a ward of the state as an invalid or prisoner, Shakespeare choose to model life upon his own trade of playwriting.
Shakespeares keen wit and readings of Marlowe drew all the cognoscenti of the day into his Globe theatre where they could learn of the nature and perhaps folly of social reality as well as observe what the very best dressed women would wear as fashion leaders. If only Andy Warhol had led humanity to toss soup cans instead of actual tomatoes before the era of King James, perhaps social evolution would have brough a better understanding of the realtion between scripted scnearios and society-for-itself. Yet the Elizebethan era had no canner of vegetables to inspire, and tomatoes and other projectiles served to assault badly written stage productions for some time, I think. -
Shakespeare gives an effective and detailed description of the seven ages of man's life, but the last stage has been described most accurately. He describes the last stage when man’s plight becomes very pathetic and he is deprived of everything: without his eyes, without teeth and without taste. The dark, gloomy but realistic description creates fear and pity for the retired hero of the stage. The poet uses the metaphor of “second childishness” and “oblivion” when he becomes only a shadow, old tattered coat a scarecrow. Like an infant he is at the mercy of others. His sons and daughters want to get rid of him and consider him a burden.
Muhammad Shanazar
shanazar@hotmail.com -
Shakespeare's depiction of the lover is very effective, appropriate and convincing. Every young boy or girl has some kind of romance which keeps him/her absorbed. The lover idealises and praises the hair, the eyes, the eyebrows, the lips and other parts of her body. He becomes jealous lest anyone else should involve with her and in her absence he sighs like a furnace. Most of the lovers compose verses in praise of their beloveds. Sometimes the lover assumes appearances in a miserable plight to attract attention of his beloved or to prove himself a faithful lover. The description of a lover is based upon Shakespeare’s keen observation and psychological insight. It has universal appeal and its validity is undisputed.
Muhammad Shanazar
shanazar@hotmail.com -
The poem ‘All the world is a stage’ by Shakespeare expresses his keen power of observation, his sound knowledge of human life and profound insight into nature. Though the poem is unrhymed yet it may be regarded a thing of beauty owing to it perennial appeal. It is an extract taken from “As You Like It”, a comedy written by Shakespeare. Although biologically, medically and socially life is divisible only into three parts: childhood, youth and old age yet the poem throws light on the seven stages of human life.
Man at the first stage enters into the s stage of the world as an infant mewling and puking in the arms of his mother or governess. Man then enters into the second phase of life age as a whining school-going boy. He goes to his school unwillingly creeping like a snail. Man’s third performance on this stage is in the manner of a romantic lover sighing deeply like a furnace and singing loudly the romantic songs. His force of romantic passion keeps him all the time restless. Man’s fourth role makes him a soldier. He takes unbelievable oaths, wearing leopard-like beard showing sensitiveness in matters of honour. He is ready to pick quarrels without any cause of provocation, caring least he plunges into dangers and takes the risks of life. The fifth role of man’s life makes him a person with the round belly as mature as a judge and settles the disputes in the society. Man’s sixth stage of life makes him unable to earn his livelihood on account of his old age. He wears loose dresses which make him a comic figure n the society. His seventh part of life turns him into a second-time. Shakespeare’s distribution of man’s life into seven different periods portrays a genuine sketch of every human being living in any part of the earth.
Muhammad Shanazar
shanazar@hotmail.com
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William Shakespeare in “All the World is a Stage’, depicts a realistic picture of human life from the lap of the mother to the grave. The poet in this poem metaphorically regards a stage, and all men and women actors who perform their respective roles and depart. The poet describes seven stages, rather seven episodes of human life in this world. Firstly he enters this world as an infant who, in his nurse’s arms, is totally helpless. Secondly, he is a child who unwillingly goes to school. Thirdly, a young man who turns into a lover, sighing for his love. Fourthly he becomes a soldier who is ever ready to stake his life for country’s honour. Fifthly, he is a judge with a big belly but wise sayings. At this stage he becomes sober and serious. He settles people’s disputes with wisdom and is respected by other fellow beings. Sixthly he becomes a lean old man in loose dress. Finally, he reaches such a stage when he, like an infant again, and is totally dependent upon others. Then he loses his teeth, eyes and taste, etc. he becomes an old tattered coat or a scarecrow, it is the bitter end that he neglects in the days of vigour. Imperceptible feet of the passing decades bring along a horrible change. The face which once had been a stage of beauty becomes creasy, wrinkled and furrowed like the field of autumn. The eyes become cloudy with the spots of cataracts and pour out fluid full of disgust. Teethless mouth begins to dribble from both the corners and flesh begins to hang like loose sleeves. The poem signifies man’s helplessness and momentary stay in this world. Man passes through different ups and downs in life with a new hope and vigour. But this poem leaves a note of despair and melancholy different similes and metaphors make the impressions forceful. A young man, no doubt, sighs “like a furnace” for his sweetheart, but in vain. Man’s last stage when he loses everything is very pathetic. He deserves sympathy and love and childlike care.
Shakespeare was a dramatist, poet, and player; therefore he metaphorically regarded “All the World a Stage” whereupon each man and woman gets an opportunity to perform his/her role in seven episodes. Failure or success of the world hereafter depends upon the role, the players enact upon this vast stage where numerous heroes and villains with numerous plots and interwoven subplots are in function and drama of the world becomes too intricate like the mind of Shakespeare to understand. But there is a shortcoming that creates ambiguity in metaphorical representation of the world, a stage. If all men and women are the players where are the spectators? They are the part and parcel and without them the stage is incomplete; however, the division of the seven stages of human life is matchless, universal and Shakespeare represents his perennial experience that each man and woman has to undergo. In fact Man in these seven stages journeys through illusions to reality, sweetness to bitterness, darkness to light and everything to nothing. Had Shakespeare been alive in the present modern world of trade, he must have regarded the world ‘A Market’ and all men and women either buyers or sellers who often forget the route of return in the crowded mazy streets engaging, involving themselves in the activities of commerce.
Muhammad Shanazar
shanazar@hotmail.com
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Shakespeare was a dramatist, poet, and player; therefore he metaphorically regarded “All the World a Stage” whereupon each man and woman gets an opportunity to perform his/her role in seven episodes. Failure or success of the world hereafter depends upon the role, the players enact upon this vast stage where numerous heroes and villains with numerous plots and interwoven subplots are in function and drama of the world becomes too intricate like the mind of Shakespeare to understand. But there is a shortcoming that creates ambiguity in metaphorical representation of the world, a stage. If all men and women are the players where are the spectators? They are the part and parcel and without them the stage is incomplete; however, the division of the seven stages of human life is matchless, universal and Shakespeare represents his perennial experience that each man and woman has to undergo. In fact Man in these seven stages journeys through illusions to reality, sweetness to bitterness, darkness to light and everything to nothing. Had Shakespeare been alive in the present modern world of trade, he must have regarded the world ‘A Market’ and all men and women either buyers or sellers who often forget the route of return in the crowded streets engaging, involving themselves in the activities of commerce. (Reply)
Prof. Muhammad Shanazar
From Pakistan
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This poem explains all the stages of life, there a so many stages of so that makes life itself a stage.
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Hi Nicola,
'sans means without. You can visit our glossary of Shakespeare's wording at oldpoetry.com/special/sp_glossary
Andrew -
without, without.
By all means -- pout. -
What does it mean by sans teeth, sans eyes etc.? What is 'sans'?
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I'm doing this play for a compotion piece at my school. Does anyone else find it enjoyable ,but very boring at some times?
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He is making it to her eyebrow because he is too lovestruck or insecure to look her in the eye.
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The lover "sighing like a furnace" means in today's parlance that he has the "hots" for a girl. He professes his love to her in a ballad that commends the beauty of the girl's eyebrow. It is a "woeful ballad" because she apparently does not return his love or is playing hard to get. The parallel situation today would be a kid composing a rap song to whatever anatomical part he most fancies in a girl (and we can be sure that it won't be an eyebrow). Two things always strike us about the Bard: his universality and his timelessness.
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Thank you! That was very helpful! Although there's another part that I'm also not too sure about: 'and then the lover, sighing like furnace, made to his mistress' eyebrow.' Could you explain this to me too?
It's just that I am doing this speech for my Gold medal Verse and Prose Exam, so I need to understand what this speech means. -
The "bubble reputation" is fame: it is a "bubble" because it is a trivial and flimpsy thing, which can pop at any moment. The "cannon's mouth" signifies the profession of arms. The cannon, too, can pop at any moment, but it is hardly a trivial and flimpsy thing. Hence, man is willing to risk real danger ("the cannon's mouth") in order to obtain the illusion of fame (the "bubble reputation").
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There's one line in this speech that I don't understand. Could anyone explain to me what it means? 'Seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon's mouth'.
Thanks! -
Shakespeare is plain out awesome is all I gotta say. Even the plays are awesome. Without them, we wouldn't have all the storie lines in so many movies that we have. I hate it when people say his plays suck, but yet they go home and watch a movie based on one of his plays. I think he rocks, period. He will never die!
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do u hav any explanation about this piece of poem?!?
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I love this poem of WS. I saw the title, and had to read it again. Yes, Steve, after you pointed it out, I noticed the same thing. Such a strange coincidence(sp?). He was not only a great poet, but very smart as well.He's my poetic hero!!
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Stages of human life are masterfully described here in this poem.Well transient nature of life and fame is discussed beautifully.Excellent piece of work.
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I love this piece. I love the last line especially, to represent the last breath of life.
Shakespeare is a GOD, he knows what he's talking about in every aspect possible.
The great thing about this poem is the truth that lies in it. There truely are 7 stages of life... and he has outlined them all perfectly. I love this! -
I am doing this as my monolougue for school, and I love it. But does anyone else find it sarcastically and cynically hilarious?
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I'm surprised that one has not been inclined to point out the possible subtle allusion to eastern philosophy made here by Shakespeare regarding the first four lines. One could easily interpret it as such: In one play or one lifetime, one man plays one part, playing many parts in many lifetimes, entering and exiting through birth and death, between which he typically undergoes seven acts(within ONE play). These seven "acts" or phases also correspond to the seven Churches in the revelation of St. John(seven states of a church) and the seven stages of consciousness(chakras) along the cerebrospinal axis. Food for thought?
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Isn't this piece usually called "The Seven Ages of Man"? That's how I usually see it credited. But whatever. It's still a great piece.
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This poems very title was used as one of the first catch phrases ever.It has been use in 300 hollywood movies alone .
True to his nature he will always remain a classic. -
hehehe poetry slips from the pen and aches onto the page. i think i like it, i will confer, (gathers self into a bunch-whispers) ok, the gang have voted and we like it.
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Second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
the first of those two lines is on par with the greatest of all shakespeare......second childishness, alzheimer's disease (RIP Ron Reagan) etc.......you know....and the last line there is brilliant as well, but somehow doesn't carry the weight that it should, being death itself. but yes....myself being an actor i enjoy this thing, it's a great monologue, even if there's very little character in it. but yeah. peace. -
great
this was really really beutiful and i think ill tell all my friends about this it is geortgus -
This is such a gr8 peace of writing and i am using it for a speaking competition at the moment. it has saved my life from the usual bore of some other writing, which i have to say is nothing near as good as the standard of shakespeare.
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I think this is one of the most beautiful and powerful pieces ever written. It refelcts such an incredible and unique view to life that I think I have never forgotten this poem since I forst read it at 12 yers old! I have always though it gives a great insight to how Shakespeare may have been.
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this human being was a genius of characterisation.
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I had a similar beef with Shakespeare being classified in Olde English, but completely respect the site's decision to do so. You probably get a lot less people like us asking about it than you do people blissfully ignorant who are glad it is listed as it is.
I love this monologue. It even inspired me to write a similar piece, in my own style (i.e., not Shakespeare's). allpoetry.com/Poem/555565 I have 9 divisions, instead of 7, but maybe we can chalk that up to increased life span. If Willy lived today, he might have made his have 9 as well.
Thanks for including this classic piece of his literature.
Peace,
Lo
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