The Poem “All the World's a Stage” by William Shakespeare - - Paraphrasing, Central Idea, Summary (12th Class

12th class Poem " All the World's a Stage"

Written BY

William Shakespeare

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Original Readings

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.

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Stanza-1

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

Simple and easy paraphrasing of stanza-1: Line by Line

The whole world is like a stage,

And all men and women are just actors.

They come and go, entering and leaving life,

And each person plays many roles during their life,

Going through seven stages. First, he's a baby,

Crying and spitting up in the nurse’s arms.

Then, he’s a schoolboy, complaining with his bag,

With a fresh face, walking slowly like a snail.

Simple and easy paraphrasing of stanza-1: In a Paragraph

The world is like a big stage, and all men and women are just actors. They enter and leave the stage of life, playing different roles as they grow. A person’s life has seven stages. First, they are a baby, crying and being cared for by a nurse. Then, they grow into a schoolboy, complaining about going to school, carrying their bag, with a fresh, bright face, but walking slowly, like a snail.

Stanza-2

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,

Simple and easy paraphrasing of stanza-2: Line by Line

Reluctantly going to school. Then, he becomes a lover,

Sighing like a furnace, writing sad poems

About his beloved’s eyebrow. Then, he turns into a soldier,

Swearing unusual oaths, with a beard like a leopard,

Eager to protect his honor, quick to argue,

Chasing after short-lived fame,

Even if it means facing danger in battle. Then, he becomes a judge,

With a round belly, filled with fine food.

Simple and easy paraphrasing of stanza-2: In a Paragraph

After reluctantly going to school, the person becomes a lover, full of passion, sighing like a furnace and writing sad love songs about his beloved’s eyebrow. Next, he turns into a soldier, making strange promises and growing a beard like a leopard. He is protective of his honor, quick to get into arguments, and seeks short-lived fame, even if it means risking his life in battle. Then, he becomes a judge, with a round belly from eating fine food, and wise in his judgments.

Stanza-3

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

Simple and easy paraphrasing of stanza-3: Line by Line

With serious eyes and a neatly trimmed beard,

He’s full of wise sayings and modern examples;

And so he plays his part. Then, he enters the sixth stage,

Becoming a thin old man in slippers,

Wearing glasses on his nose and a pouch at his side;

His old stockings, once fitting, now much too loose

For his thin legs, and his deep manly voice

Becomes high-pitched and childlike again.

Simple and easy paraphrasing of stanza-3: In a Paragraph

As the person enters this stage, he has a serious look and a neatly trimmed beard, filled with wisdom and modern examples to share. He plays his role in life, but then moves into the sixth stage, becoming a thin, elderly man wearing slippers. He now needs glasses on his nose and carries a pouch at his side. His old, well-kept stockings are now too loose for his thin legs, and his once strong, deep voice turns high-pitched and weak, like a child's.

Stanza-4

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.

Simple and easy paraphrasing of stanza-4: Line by Line

And his voice whistles when he speaks. The final stage,

That ends this strange and eventful life,

Is like a second childhood, full of forgetfulness,

Without teeth, without eyes, without taste—without anything.

Simple and easy paraphrasing of stanza-4: In a Paragraph

In this final stage, the person’s voice whistles when they speak. This last part of life ends their strange and eventful journey. It’s like a second childhood, where they become forgetful and lose many abilities. They are left without teeth, without sight, without taste—without anything.

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The Summary of the poem “All the World's a Stage” written by William Shakespeare

In the poem "All the World's a Stage" by William Shakespeare, the speaker compares life to a play where every person is an actor who goes through the following seven stages, or "ages," of life.

Infancy: The first stage represents a baby, who is helpless and cries in the nurse's arms.
Childhood: The second stage is the schoolboy, who is reluctant to go to school and often complains, carrying his satchel and moving slowly.
Lover: In the third stage, the individual becomes a lover, filled with passion, sighing and composing sad poems for their beloved.
Soldier: The fourth stage depicts the soldier, who is bold and full of oaths, ready to fight for honor and reputation, even in dangerous situations.
Justice: The fifth stage is the judge, characterized by wisdom and authority, with a round belly from good food, offering sound judgments based on life experiences.
Old Age: The sixth stage shows an elderly man, who is thin and frail, wearing slippers and spectacles, with his youthful spirit fading as he becomes more dependent.
Second Childhood: The final stage is a return to a childlike state, marked by forgetfulness and loss of abilities, where the individual is left without teeth, sight, taste, or the vigor of earlier years.

These stages symbolize the journey of life, highlighting the changes and roles people play as they age.

2. In the poem "All the World's a Stage" by William Shakespeare, the speaker compares life to a play where every person is an actor who goes through seven stages, or "ages," of life. The first stage is infancy, where the baby cries and needs constant care. Then comes childhood, where the boy reluctantly goes to school. The third stage is the young lover, full of passion and writing love poems. Next is the soldier, quick to fight and seeking honor. After that is the wise and respected judge, who is mature and full of experience. In old age, the person becomes frail, wearing glasses and loose-fitting clothes, and their voice weakens. Finally, the last stage is "second childishness," where a person loses their senses and independence, returning to a state of helplessness before life ends.

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The central idea of the Poem “All the World's a Stage” written by William Shakespeare

The central idea of Shakespeare's "All the World's a Stage" is that life is like a play, where each person is an actor playing different roles at various stages of life. These stages, or "acts," start from infancy and move through childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age. In each phase, people behave in ways typical of that stage, until finally, in old age, they return to a state of dependency, similar to childhood, before life ends. The poem reflects the inevitability of aging and the cyclical nature of human life.

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Q. What are the seven stages of life, as described by William Shakespeare in his poem "All the World's a Stage,"?

The seven stages of life, as described by William Shakespeare in his poem "All the World's a Stage," are:

Infancy: The first stage represents a baby, who is helpless and cries in the nurse's arms.
Childhood: The second stage is the schoolboy, who is reluctant to go to school and often complains, carrying his satchel and moving slowly.
Lover: In the third stage, the individual becomes a lover, filled with passion, sighing and composing sad poems for their beloved.
Soldier: The fourth stage depicts the soldier, who is bold and full of oaths, ready to fight for honor and reputation, even in dangerous situations.
Justice: The fifth stage is the judge, characterized by wisdom and authority, with a round belly from good food, offering sound judgments based on life experiences.
Old Age: The sixth stage shows an elderly man, who is thin and frail, wearing slippers and spectacles, with his youthful spirit fading as he becomes more dependent.
Second Childhood: The final stage is a return to a childlike state, marked by forgetfulness and loss of abilities, where the individual is left without teeth, sight, taste, or the vigor of earlier years.

These stages symbolize the journey of life, highlighting the changes and roles people play as they age.

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