Explain the following with reference to the context: “All the world’s a stage And all men and women merely players.”

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Explain the following with reference to the context All the world s a stage And all men and women merely players The quoted line is told by Jaques in Act II Scene of As You Like It by William Shakespeare - In this iconic play Shakespeare gives us a wonderful idea about life He compares life to a stage These words explain how human life is like a play and we are all actors In the play Duke Senior and his friends live in the forest after being banished They enjoy the simple forest life and talk about human nature Jaques observes how people change during life He explains that just like actors everyone has a role to play Each person enters the world at birth and leaves at death Jaques imagines life as a big stage Jaques says life has seven roles or stages It starts with a crying

baby Then comes the playful child who goes to school unwillingly Next the lover sighs and writes songs The soldier follows brave and ready to fight but also proud Then comes the wise judge full of advice and experience In old age the person becomes weak and dependent just like a child again Finally life ends in silence Jaques uses this idea to teach the characters in the forest Rosalind disguised as a man learns about life s ups and downs Even the banished Duke thinks about how life changes and how we must adjust Shakespeare s lines show that life is temporary but meaningful Just like a play has happy and sad moments so does life The characters in As You Like It discover happiness by understanding this truth Life is a stage and we should play our parts well

As You Like It

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Explain the following with reference to the context: “All the world’s a stage And all men and women merely players.”

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William Shakespeare

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