1. Fill in the blanks using the words given in the box to complete the summary of the poem.
Shakespeare considers the whole world a stage where men and women are only (1) actors. They (2) enter the stage when they are born and exit when they die. Every man, during his life time, plays seven roles based on age. In the first act, as an infant, he is wholly (3) dependent on the mother or a nurse. Later, emerging as a school child, he slings his bag over his shoulder and creeps most (4) reluctantly to school. His next act is that of a lover, busy (5) composing ballads for his beloved and yearns for her (6) attention. In the fourth stage, he is aggressive and ambitious and seeks (7) reputation in all that he does. He (8) promises solemnly to guard his country and becomes a soldier. As he grows older, with (9) maturity and wisdom, he becomes a fair judge. During this stage, he is firm and (10) serious. In the sixth act, he is seen with loose pantaloons and spectacles. His manly voice changes into a childish treble. The last scene of all is his second childhood. Slowly, he loses his faculties of sight, hearing, smell and taste and exits from the roles of his life.
2. From your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions briefly in a sentence or two.
a) What is the world compared to?
The world is compared to a
drama stage.
b) “And they have their exits and their entrances” - What do the words ‘exits’ and ‘entrances’ mean?
The words ‘exits’ and
entrances’ mean birth and death.
c) What is the first stage of a human’s life?
The first stage of a
human’s life is infant.
d) Describe the second stage of life as depicted by Shakespeare.
The second stage of a
human’s life is a school boy. He slings his bag over his shoulder and creeps
most reluctantly to school.
e) How does a man play a lover’s role?
A man plays a lover’s role
by busily composing ballads for his beloved and he yearns for her attention.
f) Bring out the features of the fourth stage of a man as described by the poet. a )
In the fourth stage, a man
is aggressive and ambitious and seeks reputation in all that he
does. He promises solemnly to guard his country and becomes a
soldier.
g) When does a man become a judge? How?
As he grows older, with
maturity and wisdom, he becomes a fair judge. During this stage, he
is firm and serious.
h) Which stage of man’s life is associated with the ‘shrunk shank’?
The sixth stage of man’s life is associated with the ‘shrunk
shank’.
i) Why is the last stage called second childhood?
Slowly, the man loses
his faculties of sight, hearing, smell and taste and exits from the roles
of his life like a child.
3. Explain the following lines briefly with reference to the context.
a) “They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,”
Context : The above lines are taken from the poem “All the world’s a stage”, written by “William Shakeshpeare”. It is an extract from Shakespeare’s play “As you like it”.
Explanation:
In a drama, every player enters the
stage, acts his/her part and then exits. In the same way, We enter in this
world by birth. We lead our life in different characters. We exit from this
world at the time of our death.
Comment : Shakespeare’s comparison of man’s life with a
drama stage is very opt.
b) “Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation”.
Context : The above
lines are taken from the poem “All the world’s a stage”, written by “William
Shakeshpeare”. It is an extract from Shakespeare’s play “As you like it”.
According to the poet, every man has seven stages during his life time. These
lines describe the fourth stage of a man’s attitude.
Explanation:
In his fourth stage, as a soldier, a
man is very jealous in his honour. He is ready to fight with his enemy. He
wants to gain the unstable fame and name even by sacrificing his life on the
battlefield.
Comment :
Shakespeare here shows the fourth stage man’s attitude of yearning for
reputation.
c) “Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”
Context : The above lines are taken from the poem “All the
world’s a stage”, written by “William Shakeshpeare”. It is an extract from
Shakespeare’s play “As you like it”. According to the poet, every man has seven
stages during his life time. These lines describe the last stage of a man’s
life.
Explanation: The last
stage of a man is known as his second childhood. A child can not see, hear,
smell and taste anything, during childhood. When a man grow old, slowly he
loses his senses of sight, hearing, smell and taste like the child. So this
stage of his life is considered as second childhood.
Comment :
Shakespeare clearly expresses his views on the final stage of a man.
4. Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following lines from the poem.
a) “All the world's a stage”
b) “And all the men and women merely players”
c) “And shining morning face, creeping like snail”
d) “Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,”
e) “Seeking the bubble reputation”
f) “His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide”
g) “and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble”
5. Pick out the words in ‘alliteration’ in the following lines.
a) “and all the men and women merely players” -
b) “And one man in his time plays many parts” -
c) “Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel.” -
6. Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow.
a) Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
i. Which stage of life is being referred to here by the poet?
The second stage of life is being referred to here by the poet.
ii. What are the characteristics of this stage?
Laziness and unwillingness
to go to school are the characteristics of this
stage.
iii. How does the boy go to school?
The boy goes to school unwillingly.
iv. Which figure of speech has been employed in the second line?
Creeping like snail -
simile
b) 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.
i. What is the soldier ready to do?
The soldier is ready to
guard his country.
ii. Explain ‘bubble reputation’.
Shakespeare means ‘bubble
reputation’ a short lived glory.
iii. What are the distinguishing features of this stage?
In the fourth stage of his
life, a man is aggressive and ambitious. He seeks reputation in
all that he does. He promises solemnly to guard his country and becomes
a soldier.
c) And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
i. Whom does justice refer to?
Justice refers to a
judge, someone very respected.
ii. Describe his appearance.
He is fair. He has round
belly and formal beard.
iii. How does he behave with the people around him?
He behaves firm and
serious with the people around him.
iv. What does he do to show his wisdom?
He shows his wisdom in
his wise sayings and modem instances.
i) “All the world's a stage,
And all the
men and women merely players;
a.
What does
the poet consider the whole world?
The poet
considers the whole world a stage.
b.
Why does the
poet compare the world to a stage?
The poet
compares the world to a stage because he thought all men and women behave
like the actors of a drama.
c.
Who are the
players in the drama of life?
All the men
and women are the
players.
d.
What does
the wod ‘Players’ refer?
The word
‘players’ refers to actors.
ii. They have their exits and their
entrances;
And one man
in his time plays many parts,
a.
What do the
players have?
The players
have their exits and entrances in the world.
b.
What do
‘they’ refer?
‘They’
refers to men and women.
c.
What does
‘parts’ refer to here?
‘Parts’ refers to characters in a drama.
iii. His acts
being seven ages. At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;
a.
How many
stages are in the life time?
There are seven
stages in the life time.
b.
Who is known
as a nurse?
Mother is known as
a nurse.
iv. Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like
snail
a.
Does the boy
go to the school willingly?
No, the boy doesn’t go to the school willingly.
b.
Who is
compared to the snail?
The school
going boy is compared
to the snail.
c.
What does
the boy carry to school?
The boy carries his shoulder bag on his back.
v. Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow.
a.
How does the
lover sigh?
The lover
sighs like a furnace.
b.
What does
“woeful ballad” mean?
“Woeful ballad” means unhappy (or) sad song.
vi. 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.
a.
What does
the phrase ‘jealous in horror’ mean?
The phrase
jealous in horror means ‘the young man takes great care of his honour and
his reputation as a good man’.
b.
What does
the phrase “sudden and quick in quarrel” mean?
The above
phrase means ‘in an argument the youngman might suddenly becomes violent.’
c.
How was his
beard?
His beard was like a large cat, such as a leopard.
vii. In fair
round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes
severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise
saws and modern instances;
a.
What does
the phrase ‘capon lin’d’ mean?
Capon lin’d
means ‘to fill something at the edges’. Here it means ‘the man was
fat from eating good chicken’.
b.
Describe the
apperance of the judge.
The judge’s eyes
were severe and he had a formal cut of beard. He was very fair.
c.
How does the
judge look like?
The judge
looks like very firm and serious.
d.
Whose eyes
are referred to here?
The judge’s eyes are referred
to here.
viii. The sixth age shifts
Into the
lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With
spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
a.
What does
the poet mean the phrase ‘lean and slipper’d pantaloon”?
This phrase
means ‘a thin old man’.
b.
How is the
man on the sixth stage?
The man is thin. He wears
spectacles on nose and has a pouch on side.
ix) Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth,
sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. ”
a.
What does
‘sans’ mean?
‘Sans’ means
without.
b.
What is
second childishness’?
At the last
stage, the man becomes like a child again. It is known as second childishness.
c.
Describe the
last stage.
At the last stage, man loses his eye sight,
hearing, smell, and taste.
7. Complete the table based on your understanding of the poem.
child : crying
judge : wise saying
soldier : ambitious
school boy : unhappy
second childhood : loses faculties
second stage : whining
old man : oblivion
8. Based on your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions in about 100 – 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required, to present and justify your point of view.
a) Describe the various stages of a man’s life picturised in the poem “All the World’s a stage.”
According to Shakespeare, the world is a stage and everyone is a player. He says that every man has seven stages during his life time. The first stage of a man is childhood. He plays in the arms of his mother. He often vomits and cries in this stage. In his second stage, the man is an unwilling school going student. He becomes a lover in his third stage. He is very busy composing ballads for his beloved and yearns for her attention. In the fourth stage, he is aggressive and ambitious. He seeks reputation in all what he does. He is ready to guard his country and becomes a soldier. In his fifth stage, he becomes a fair judge with maturity and wisdom. In the sixth stage, he is seen with loose pantaloons and spectacles. His manly voice changes into a childish treble. The last stage of all is his second childhood. Slowly, he loses his faculties of sight, hearing, smell and taste and exits from the roles of his life. Thus Shakespeare pictures the seven stages of a man’s life in the poem ‘All the World’s a Stage’.
b) Shakespeare has skilfully brought out the parallels between the life of man and actors on stage. Elaborate this statement with reference to the poem.
Shakespeare considers the
whole world a stage where men and women are only actors. In a drama, every
player enters the stage, acts his/her part and then exits. In the same way, We
enter in this world by birth. We lead our life in different characters. We exit
from this world at the time of our death. Shakespeare says that every man has
seven stages during his life time. In a drama, a player loves his beloved for
the sake of the play. At the end, the players say goodbyes and part away. In
real life, husband and wife lead their life till death knocks at their door.
Like the drama’s end, death parts them. The players in the drama really wants
the reputation for their performance. For fame and name, they give their best
on the stage. A man in the fourth stage also is an aggressive and ambitious. He
seeks reputation in all what he does, like the player in the drama. Thus
Shakespeare has skilfully brought out the parallels between the life of man and
actors on stage.
ESSAY
• Introduction
• Role of a man
• Seven Stages
• Conclusion
Introduction:
William
Shakespeare is one of the most important literary figures of the English
language. He compares the world to be a stage and life to a play and catalogues
the seven stages of a man’s life
Role of a man:
According to
Shakespeare, the world is a stage and everyone is a player. He says that every
man has seven stages during his life time.
Seven Stages:
• The first stage of a man is childhood. He plays in the arms of his
mother. He often vomits and cries in this stage.
·
In his
second stage, he is a school going student. He slings his bag over his shoulder
and creeps to school unwillingly.
· He becomes a lover in his third stage. He is very busy composing ballads for his beloved and yearns for her attention.
·
In the
fourth stage, he is aggressive and ambitious. He is willing to die in a battle
to earn ‘the bubble reputation’. He is ready to guard his country and becomes a
soldier.
·
In his fifth
stage, he becomes a fair judge with maturity and wisdom. He has a pot belly. He
is firm and serious.
·
In the sixth
stage, he is seen with loose pantaloons and spectacles. He is a thin old man.
His manly voice changes into a childish treble.
·
The last
stage of all is his second childhood. Slowly, he loses his faculties of sight,
hearing, smell and taste and exits from the roles of his life.
Conclusion:
Thus Shakespeare pictures the seven stages of a man’s life in the poem
‘All the World’s a Stage’.
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