William Shakespeare Group

Question:

sylviatuintjer
sylviatuintjer

"Life is like a stage, people come and go." I thought it was from Shakespeare. Does somebody know the whole verse?

Thank you

Excuse my English, it is not that well because I'm Dutch.
Thank you

I had a poem/lyric in my English class, and I thought it went like that. I would like to know the whole lyric 

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Posted by sylviatuintjer on Tuesday September 23, 2008 at 10:35 AM and tagged with as you like it, jaques, quotes, seven ages of man, william shakespeare.

Answers:


  1. playsthething Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    I think you're talking about "As You Like It" by Shakespeare.  In the play, there is a very famous speech ("Seven Ages of Man") by the character of Jaques that sounds somewhat like the lyrics you're describing.

    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...
    (II, vii)

    The monologue then goes on to describe those seven stages: Infant, Schoolboy, Lover, Soldier, Justice, Pantaloon, Second Childishnes.  Shakespeare provides terrific images for each of these stages.

    Sources:
    http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/Seven_Ages_Of...
    http://www.enotes.com/ayli/act-ii-scenes-6-7
    http://www.enotes.com/ayli/selected-quotes

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    Posted by playsthething on Tuesday September 23, 2008 at 10:58 AM

  2. lbailon
    lbailon Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    All the world is 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 in fant, Mewling and puking in the nurses arms..And then the whining school boy, with his satchel and shining morining 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,jelous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,seeking 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 slipper'd 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 trebl, 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.

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    Posted by lbailon on Thursday September 24, 2009 at 1:21 PM