Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
All the world’s a stage by William Shakespeare infers that life is predestined. This metaphor suggests that as humans, we go through the several stages of life as actors following a universal script; people do what they are expected to despite individuality, to follow societal rules. Shakespeare emphasizes the concept of transformation and development of human beings to imply the predicable steps of life, but also indicates that there is a cycle which brings you back to where you started.
People make their first entrance onto the stage as infants, but from the moment they make their appearance, their role is set. People like to think that they are independent and are able to choose their own paths, but in reality people act according to scripted roles. “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts; His acts being seven stages.” This quote is a reflection on society and exemplifies the idea that ‘all’ people follow a similar path, that in some way they are obligated to stay on it. Humanity has expanded and supplanted basic morals and values in aims strive for perfection, over time a sort of guidebook has been created on how people in a society should be, what they need to achieve. Viewing life as something that is predestined or boundaried excludes individuality or unique existence; this proposes that humans think in terms of a prototype. The entire soliloquy covers man's life on earth. The world is where we live our lives as if we were on stage. We play out our parts from birth until we exit in the end, but this has become a routine over generations and nothing more is achieved.
The ever-growing human being goes through constant development and experience by interacting with others, education, and life experience. Life takes you through a journey, a rollercoaster of emotions, relationships, bodily changes etc. However, every single person goes through these changes and evidently the result of each stage is predictable. “And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel, And shining morning face, creeping like a snail, Unwillingly to school.” One stage of life which Shakespeare addresses is childhood. Which I have derived from this extract is that children are reluctant to leave the protected environment of their home; at such a young age one cannot be confident enough to exercise their own prudence and judgment. This is something that can be expected from a child because many, if not all people have experienced this phase; it has become a norm.
"Seeking the bubble reputation; Even in the canon's mouth" The world is a stage, and all people recite a script which has been predestined, this is relevant in relation to the soldier because he seeks praise, acknowledgement and success because that is what society tells us we want. A soldier's desire to be renowned based on his efforts in battle, even to the extent that he would sacrifice his life, but that this effort is empty because the war he is fighting is not noble or even necessary. He has strived to perfect himself, emulating those who have achieved greatness, a ‘utopia’ on how people in a society should be. The path had already been chosen, and the soldier was somewhat forced therefore the individuals aims are lost and are taken on by the ‘actor’ in the ‘play’.
Every stage Shakespeare describes is an apparent indication of the circle of life. The cycle starts when you are born, an infant, helpless and reliant, and ends on your death bed, helpless and reliant. During the last phases on one’s life, they begin to lose charm, both physical and mental. “The sixth stage shifts, Into lean and slipper’d pantaloon, With his 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.” At this stage one begins to become brunt of others’ humor, assertiveness and firmness shrinks, as well as physical stature and personality, all of which are common traits gained by the elderly. As dementia and death approaches, one’s status is loss and he becomes a non-entity. He becomes dependant on others like a child and is in need of constant support before finally, dying. A wheel moves you forward but always brings you back to where you started, and all that goes on in the middle is predictable.
On the deeper level Shakespeare is looking at the fact that our lives although the main focus to us are only fleeting parts of the larger world, we all make entrances and exits, as do the people in our life. When freedom and independence is controlled by the norms in a society, life is no longer uncertain, and results in a set of prearranged actions where one is acting out like a preprogrammed robot, lacking individuality. Shakespeare explains that the world is like a stage where the actors of a play give their performances, the actors being the men and women of the world each of whom are protagonists of their own play.
Word count: 872