Appreciation of the Poem All the World's a Stage by William Shakespeare.

1. Appreciation & Figures of Speech
All The World’s a Stage
By Ms. Prasida Nair
Appreciation
‘All the World’s a Stage’ is a monologue from William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like
It. This monologue is said by Melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII. In this poem, There is
no rhyme - scheme in the poem, but Shakespeare has used lines in a steady rhythm of 5
beats. Hence it is called as a Blank Verse. The poet has used various figures of speech to
bring out the beauty of the poem.
‘All the world’s a stage’
This line is Metaphor where the world is indirectly compared to a stage. Shakespeare has
also used symbolism to beautify the poem.
Shakespeare compares the entire world to a stage, where all human beings perform
their allotted role given by God. Every individual has to go through seven acts that are the
seven stages of man’s life. Infancy, schoolboy, lover, soldier, middle aged, old aged and last
is where man experiences his second childhood where he loses all his faculties of sight,
smell, hearing and slowly but surely, and ultimately dies. Thus man begins his life helpless,
dependent and without understanding anything and ends the same way.
Figures of Speech
1. All the world’s a stage
Ans : Metaphor : The world is indirectly compared to a stage.
2. And all the men merely players
Ans : Metaphor : men and women are indirectly compared to a actors.
Alliteration : Sound of ‘m’ and ‘a’ is repeated for better poetic effect.
3. They all have their exits and entrances
Ans : Metaphor : deaths and births are indirectly compared to exits and entrances.
Alliteration : Sound of ‘e’ and ‘th’ is repeated for better poetic effect.
4. And one man in his time plays many parts
Ans : Alliteration : Sound of ‘p’ repeated for better poetic effect.
Inversion : The words are not in correct grammatical order, the correct order is
‘and one man plays many parts in his time’.
5. His acts being seven ages
Ans :Inversion : The words are not in correct prose order. The correct order is
‘Seven ages being his acts’.
6. Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms
Ans : Onomatopoeia : sound is expressed through the word ‘mewling’.

2. 7. Then the whining schoolboy with is satchel
Ans : Onomatopoeia : sound is expressed through the word ‘whining’.
Alliteration : Sound of ‘w’ is repeated for better poetic effect.
8. Creeping like a snail
Ans : Simile : The schoolboy is directly compared to a snail.
9. Sighing like furnace
Ans : Simile : The lover’s sigh is directly compared to a furnace.
Onomatopoeia : Sound is expressed through the word ‘sighing’
10. With a woeful ballad
Ans : Transferred epithet : The adjective ‘woeful’ is transferred from the lover to
ballad.
11. Beared like a pard
Ans : Simile : The beard is directly compared to the fur of a leopard.
12. And then the justice in fair round belly with good capon lined
Ans : Inversion : The words are not in correct grammatical order, the correct order is
‘and then the justice in fair round belly lined with good capon’.
13. With eyes severe and beard of formal cut
Ans : Inversion : with severe eyes and beard of formal cut.
14. His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide.
Ans : Transferred epithet : the adjective ‘youthful’ has been transferred from the old
man to his hose.
Alliteration: Sound of ‘w’ is repeated for better poetic effect.
15. Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Ans: Repetition: The word ‘sans’ is repeated for better poetic effect.
16. And whistles in his sound
Ans: Onomatopoeia: Sound is expressed in the word ‘whistles’.
17. Turning again toward childish treble pipes
Ans: Alliteration: Sound of ‘t’ is repeated for better poetic effect.