Question

Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a paragraph format:

All the World’s a Stage 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 honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, Sicking 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. -William Shakespeare

• The title and the poet of the poem     [1]
• Rhyme scheme     [1]
• Figures of speech     [1]
• Central idea/theme     [2]

Answer 1

All the World’s a Stage

William Shakespeare wrote the poem “All the World’s a Stage.” It comes from “As you like it,” a play by Shakespeare. It is a monologue delivered by one of the play’s characters.

The poem is written in blank verse, which means that each line has a consistent rhythm of five beats but no rhyme system. Metaphor is the most notable figure of speech among numerous others, including simile, alliteration, and repetition. There is an implied comparison between two distinct things in the lyrics “All the world’s a stage, And all men and women are merely players.”

Shakespeare likens life to a stage in this verse. He has separated life into seven stages, each with unique characteristics. The poem’s central theme is the cycle of life. It describes how a person begins as a baby, defenceless and ignorant, and ends the same way, unaware of what is going on around them.