BSc BA ADP English Notes Poem All the World is a Stage (William Shakespeare) Important Questions

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Question No 1. Bring out the literary merits of the poem "All the World's a Stage" by Skakespeare. Or Critical Appreciation of the Poem.

Ans. This poem is, in fact, a speech delivered by a character, Jacques, in Act-II Scene-VII (lines 139-166) of Shakespeare's "As you Like It". It is a very good piece of poetry, full of wise analysis of human life. The speaker tells us very seriously and superbly about seven stages of a man's life in this world. He wishes to promote the understanding of a man's life. The poem summaries various seven stages of a man's life in a very effective manner.

The speaker tells us that the first of all, when a man enters on the stage of life or this world, he acts of an infant who weeps  and vomits in the arms of his nurse. Then he becomes a boy and goes unwillingly to school with a bright morning face and a bag of books on his shoulder. Then he becomes a lover. He sighs in love and writes poems in the praise of his beloved. Then he becomes a soldier and tries to find/get honour and fame and is even ready to fight till death for that. Then he becomes a judge. He has a beard of formal cut. He is fat with eating much. He tells proverbs and wise saying to people and old dresses of young times becomes loose. He wears pair of a spectacle on his nose and has a side bag/pocket/purse. His voice becomes childish. Then he becomes a very old man, nearing death whose teeth have fallen down. Neither he can hear, nor see, nor taste things. He cannot enjoy life anymore. Thus his life comes to an end.

The theme of man's seven stages of life has been presented with a very masterly hand in the poem. The description of each stage is realistic. Good and fresh imagery has been used to bring the real picture. All the vocabulary has been taken from the world of theatre. The poet has arranged every detail with a great skill and ingenuity. The treatment is straightforward and modern, rather universal for all the times to come.

All the poem is a long simile because the poet is presenting the seven parts/periods of a man's life in the vocabulary and imagery of the world of stage and theatre. Words like "the infant/Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms". "creeping like snail/Unwilling to school". "sighing like a furnace" and "bearded like the pard" bring before us not only the realistic comparison between the two sides of the simile but also the real picture, solid and living picture in true colors. A few such other words are:

"... fair round belly" (line 16)

"... beard of formal cut" (line 17)

"... shifts/Into the lean and slipper's pantaloon" (line 19-20)

"... spectacles on nose and pouch on side" (line 21)

"Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything". (line 26)

The whole piece has been narrated with full dramatic force and we begin to see before our very eyes the very seven roles of man in all their audio-visual colors.

The poem/address has been written in blank verse, i.e., iambic pentameter but it is not monotonous. It is varying. Most of the words are polysyllabic and of Anglo-Saxon origin. The vocabulary is specialized. It pertains to the world of stage and theatre. The rhythm is subtle and sublime. Most of the lines are end-stopped, without enjambment. But here and there we find a run-on line as line no. 4, 8, 10, 14, 18, 22 but here also there is no enjambment except in line no. 14 and 22. The last line seems to have an extra syllable for giving it an extra force and final touch.

Question No 2. What are seven stages of man's life? Or What are the seven different roles that every man and woman has to play on the stage of this world?

Ans. All this world is like a stage of a theatre and all human beings are like actors and actresses. They come on the stage, play their roles and disappear after giving their performance. Everyone plays seven roles, or there are seven stages of a man's life. At first he is an infant crying and weeping in the arms of his nurse. Then he becomes a lover and sighs like a furnace for the love of his beloved. He sings songs in praise of his beloved.

Then he becomes soldier with big heavy beard as that of a leopard. He is ready to quarrel for the sake of honor and fame. Then he becomes a judge. He has a big fat belly and a formal-cut beard. He has a stern look at his face. He often quotes proverbs etc. Then he becomes an old man with loose clothes and spectacles at nose. He has pockets at the side of dress. His voice is thin and childish. Then comes the last (the seventh) stage. It is almost a second childhood. Man loses all senses now. He loses his eyes. He has no teeth. He cannot hear. He loses his tasting power.

Questions No 3. What are the seven ages of man?

Ans. The seven ages of man are given below:

1. Infant

2. A school boy

3. A lover

4. A soldier

5. A judge

6. An old man

7. A very old man

Question No 4. Which age, in your opinion, is most accurately described?

Ans. I feel that all the seven ages have been most accurately described. Shakespeare was himself an actor and an actor always observes very keenly. Still, if I have to choose the best description, I will choose that of the seventh when a man becomes very old. The poet has explained masterly how all the youthful passion is all spent. All ambition dies away. The man is reduced to only a shadow of himself. He sinks into oblivion. He loses almost all the fine senses. Specially the last line.

San eyes, sans teeth, sans taste, sanse everything.

Is remarkable and summarizes a lot of things in a small number of words. The last word "everything" is so full of pathos. This word gives a good finishing touch to the description.

Question No 5. As a young person do you agree with Shakespeare's description of a lover?

Ans. Yes, as a young person I fully agree with Shakespeare's description of a lover. A lover is so full of sentimentalism and emotionalism. He may be in love with a girl or with a mission as his education or career, but he is always absorbed in the idea of his beloved. A lover does not actually mean only a lover of a girl. It may include that, too. But that is only one aspect of life. Really it means the enthusiastic approach towards one's ideal whether it is of becoming a true Muslim, a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, or anything else. The description given by Shakespeare suits in all these cases.