An Analysis on William Shakespeares Poem All the World is Stage

I. The Poem of All the World is Stage

All the World is Stage is the poem taken from William Shakespeares play entitled As You like It. The character who says those beautiful words known as ac!ues" the melancholy man who wants to compare the world to a stage and life to a play" and catalogues the se#en stages of a man$s life" sometimes referred to as the se#en ages of man% infant" schoolboy" lo#er" soldier" &ustice" pantaloon" and second childhood. All the World is Stage is the most fre!uently'!uoted phrases" because it has a deep meaning of life" it is made in sonnet form with twenty eight lines. All the World is Stage is considered as the most fa#orite passage that is !uoted by people all o#er the world. William Shakespeare ne#er publishes his works" it makes the manuscript of his works is difficult to find" and e#en the date of the making process. It is belie#ed that As You like It. it was first performed between ()** and (+,,. And it was printed in (+-.. To make the reader more understand the poem of William Shakespeare entitled All the World is Stage which is taken from his famous play entitled As You like It" to the best my knowledge/ it needs to know slightly about the story of the play. 0ere below is written the summary of the story%

As You like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare$s greatest comedies" and the heroine" 1osalind" is praised as one of his most inspiring characters and has more lines than any of Shakespeare$s female characters. 1osalind" the daughter of a banished duke falls in lo#e with 2rlando the disinherited son of one of the duke$s friends. When she is banished from the court by her usurping uncle" 3uke 4rederick" 1osalind switches genders and as 5anymede tra#els with her loyal cousin 6elia and the &ester Touchstone to the 4orest of Arden" where her father and his friends li#e in e7ile. 2bser#ations on life and lo#e follow 8including lo#e" aging" the natural world" and death9 friends are made" and families are reunited. :y the play$s end 5anymede" once again 1osalind marries her 2rlando. Two other sets of lo#ers are also wed" one of them 6elia and 2rlando$s mean older brother 2li#er" As 2li#er becomes a gentler" kinder young man so the 3uke con#eniently changes his ways and turns to religion and so that the e7iled 3uke" father of

1osalind" can rule once again.

After knowing the story where the poem is taken" then we begin to recogni;e the poem itself. 0ere is All the World is Stage taken from William Shakespeares play entitled As You like It%

All the World is Stage

<All the world$s a stage" And all the men and women merely players/ They ha#e their e7its and their entrances/ And one man in his time plays many parts" 0is acts being se#en ages. At first the infant" =ewling and puking in the nurse$s arms/ And then the whining school'boy" with his satchel And shining morning face" creeping like snail >nwillingly to school. And then the lo#er" Sighing like furnace" with a woeful ballad =ade to his mistress$ eyebrow. Then a soldier" 4ull of strange oaths" and bearded like the pard" ealous in honor" sudden and !uick in !uarrel" Seeking the bubble reputation

?#en in the cannon$s mouth. And then the &ustice" In fair round belly with good capon lin$d" With eyes se#ere and beard of formal cut" 4ull of wise saws and modern instances/ And so he plays his part. The si7th age shifts Into the lean and slipper$d pantaloon" With spectacles on nose and pouch on side/ 0is youthful hose" well sa#$d" a world too wide 4or his shrunk shank/ and his big manly #oice" Turning again toward childish treble" pipes And whistles in his sound. @ast scene of all" That ends this strange e#entful history" Is second childishness and mere obli#ion/ Sans teeth" sans eyes" sans taste" sans e#erything.<

A ac!ues 8Act II" Scene BII" lines (.*'(++9

II. An Internal Analysis on the poem All the World is Stage

An internal analysis on the poem All the World is Stage is in#ol#ed poetic de#ices which arrange the word to such of meaningful phrases. The poetic de#ices found in the poem All the World is Stage is written below%

P2?TI6 3?BI6?S ACA@YD?3 T0? P01AS?S T0? ?EP@ACATI2C (. Analogy% the comparison of two things by e7plaining one to show how it is similar to the other. <All the world$s a stage" And all the men and women merely players/ The word FWorldG is compared with FStageG where FAll the men and womenG are compared with FPlayersG

-. 6aesura% the pausing or stopping within a line of poetry caused by needed punctuation. And then the whining school'boy" with his satchel And shining morning face" creeping like snail The punctuation of commas 8"9 are used to pause the phrase in order to strengthen the meaning and to ease the reader get the meaning of it.

.. Imagery% Imagery in#ol#es one or more of your fi#e senses 8hearing" taste" touch" smell" sight9.

With eyes se#ere and beard of formal cut" 8line (H9 With spectacles on nose and pouch on side/8line -(9 4or his shrunk shank/ and his big manly #oice 8line -.9 And whistles in his sound. @ast scene of all 8line -)9 Sans teeth" sans eyes" sans taste" sans e#erything.<8line -I9

An author uses those words or phrases to stimulate your memory of those senses. These memories can be positi#e or negati#e which will contribute to the mood of your poem J. 27ymoron% the use of contradictory terms 8together9 for effect. And all the men and women merely players/ They ha#e their e7its and their entrances/ The word F=enG contradicts to FWomenG and also the word F?7itG contradict to F?ntranceG. ). Simile% the comparison of two unlike things by saying one is like or as the other Sighing like furnace" with a woeful ballad It simile the passion of men in their romance age with the FfurnaceG 8Sighing like furnace9 +. 4ree #erse% a poem without either a rhyme or a rhythm scheme" although rhyme may be used" &ust without a pattern. All of the Poem The pattern of the poem is unstructured" there are no rhyme scheme as it is found in the other classic poem. H. Theme% The central idea" topic" or didactic !uality of a work.

All The World is Stage The central idea of the poem is about life and it comparison to the stage. The stage is the analogy of life with men and women as the players.

I. Sonnet% a fourteen line poem in iambic pentameter with a prescribed rhyme scheme/ its sub&ect was traditionally lo#e. Three #ariations are found fre!uently in ?nglish" although others are occasionally seen.

All of the Poem The poem is contained fourteen lines in iambic pentameter. It contains -I lines. *. Point of Biew% The authors point of #iew concentrates on the #antage point of the speaker" or FtellerG of the story or poem. This may be considered the poems F#oiceG A the per#asi#e presence behind the o#erall work. This is also sometimes referred to as the persona. K (st Person% the speaker is a character in the story or poem and tells it from hisLher perspecti#e 8uses FIG9. K .rd Person limited% the speaker is not part of the story" but tells about the other characters through the limited perceptions of one other person. K .rd Person omniscient% the speaker is not part of the story" but is able to FknowG and describe what all characters are thinking.

<All the world$s a stage" And all the men and women merely players/ They ha#e their e7its and their entrances/ And one man in his time plays many parts" 0is acts being se#en ages. In the All the World is Stage" the point of #iew used is .rd person omniscient. The poet runs his function as the narrator and determiner at the same time. 0e describes and e7plains his characters ob#iously. As it is seen in line ) through the last line" that tells about the ages of men and the process of it.

III. An ?7ternal Analysis on the poem All the World is Stage

?7ternal factors which build the literary works ha#e close relation to the age when it was made. The social milieu such as culture" custom" the e7perience of the writer" politic and economy situation play big role to the creation of literary works" and also poem.

In order to know the e7ternal factors which influence the poem" we should back to the certain age and the range of related age. We also need to learn the life of the author in order to know his creati#e writing process in making the poem" and another factor which influence him such as his reading" his study" his en#ironment" and others.

A160?TYPA@ ACA@YSIS

In analy;ing this poem" the writer use Archetypal Approach related to the 5reek mythology which is e7plaining about the se#en ages of man. Archetype means <original pattern or meaning<. The Archetypal Approach aims to disco#er and demonstrate the basic cultural pattern or common heritage of mankind in a work of art. The fire of archetypal criticism was 6arl 5usta# ung$s The Archetypes and the 6ollecti#e >nconscious. Archetypal 6riticism" which owes its origins to the work of 6arl ung" emerged in the (*.,s and focuses on those patterns in a literary work that commonly occur in other literary works. ung posited that humanity has a <collecti#e unconscious that manifests itself in dreams" myths" and literature through archetypes% persistent images" figures" and story patterns shared by people across di#erse cultures<. Archetypal critics search for archetypal patterns in literary works 8e.g." character types" story lines" settings" symbols9. According to ung" these patterns are embedded deep in the <collecti#e unconscious< and in#ol#e <racial memories< of situations" e#ents" relationships from time immemorial. This work posits that there is a deeper layer which is not a personal ac!uisition" but is inborn. 0e calls this layer as the <collecti#e unconscious< as the images and symbols ingrained here are uni#ersal or common to a particular race. It is because of this <racial memory< we find similar motifs of themes among different mythologies. In short" myth criticism or archetypal criticism refers to the <practice of

enunciating and criti!uing the relation between myth and literatureG. This is also known as totemic or ritualistic criticism. Archetypal critics make the reasonable assumption that human beings all o#er the world ha#e basic e7periences in common and ha#e de#eloped similar stories and symbols to e7press these e7periences. Their assumption that myths from distant countries might help to e7plain a work of literature might seem a little far'fetched.

:ASI6 P1?=IS?S 24 A160?TYPA@ T0?21Y%

(. The critic is at the center of interpreti#e acti#ity" and the critic functions as teacher" interpreter" priest" seer. 6riticism is a structure of thought and knowledge in its own right. -. The critic works inducti#ely by reading indi#idual works and letting critical principles shape them out of the literature/ that is" the critic e7amines the indi#idual work to ascertain the archetypes underlying the work. .. @iterary taste is not rele#ant to literary criticism. J. ?thical criticism is important/ that is" the critic must be aware of art as a form of communication from the past to the present. ). All literary works are considered part of tradition. +. @ike mathematics" literature is a language that can pro#ide the means for e7pressing truths. Berbal constructs 8i.e." the works of literature9 represent mythical outlines of uni#ersal truths.

51??M =YT02@25Y

5reek mythology comprises the collected legends of 5reek gods and goddesses and ancient heroes and heroines" originally created and spread within an oral'poetic tradition" In their #arious legends" stories and hymns the gods of ancient 5reece are nearly all described as human in appearance" unaging" nearly immune to all wounds and sickness" capable of becoming in#isible" able to tra#el #ast distances almost instantly" and able to speak through human beings with or without their knowledge. ?ach has his or her own specific appearance" genaeology" interests" personality" and area of e7pertise/ howe#er" these descriptions do ha#e local #ariants that do not always agree with the descriptions used in other parts of the 5reek'speaking world of the time. The poem contains mythological references in particular to ?den" to 0ercules and to 6hrist. It contains arresting imagery and figures of speech to de#elop the central metaphor% a person$s lifespan being a play in se#en acts. These acts" <se#en ages"< begin with <the infant or =ewling and puking in the nurse$s arms< and work through si7 further #i#id #erbal sketches" culminating in <second childishness and mere obli#ion" sans teeth" sans eyes" sans taste" sans e#erything.<

4urther e7planation will be e7plained in the analysis below.

AC ACA@YSIS 2C T0? ?ET?1CA@ ASP?6TS 1?@AT?3 T2 T0? S?B?C A5?S 24 =AC

Co P01AS?S ?EP@ACATI2C ( At first the infant" =ewling and puking in the nurse$s arms/ Infancy% In this stage he is a baby

- And then the whining school'boy" with his satchel And shining morning face" creeping like snail >nwillingly to school. 6hildhood% It is in this stage that he begins to go to school. 0e is reluctant to lea#e the protected en#ironment of his home as he is still not confident enough to e7ercise his own discretion.

. And then the lo#er" Sighing like furnace" with a woeful ballad =ade to his mistress$ eyebrow. Then a soldier" 4ull of strange oaths" and bearded like the pard" ealous in honor" sudden and !uick in !uarrel" Seeking the bubble reputation ?#en in the cannon$s mouth The lo#er% In this stage he is always remorseful due to some reason or other" especially the loss of lo#e. 0e tries to e7press feelings through song or some other cultural acti#ity J Then a soldier" 4ull of strange oaths" and bearded like the pard" ealous in honor" sudden and !uick in !uarrel"

Seeking the bubble reputation ?#en in the cannon$s mouth The soldier% It is in this age that he thinks less of himself and begins to think more of others. 0e is #ery easily aroused and is hot headed. 0e is always working towards making a reputation for himself and gaining recognition" howe#er short'li#ed it may be" e#en at the cost of his own life.

) And then the &ustice" In fair round belly with good capon lin$d" With eyes se#ere and beard of formal cut" 4ull of wise saws and modern instances/ And so he plays his part. The &ustice% In this stage he has ac!uired wisdom through the many e7periences he has had in life. 0e has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status. 0e becomes #ery attenti#e of his looks and begins to en&oy the finer things of life + The si7th age shifts Into the lean and slipper$d pantaloon" With spectacles on nose and pouch on side/ 0is youthful hose" well sa#$d" a world too wide 4or his shrunk shank/ and his big manly #oice" Turning again toward childish treble" pipes And whistles in his sound 2ld age% 0e begins to lose his charm A both physical and mental. 0e begins to become the brunt of others$ &okes. 0e loses his firmness and asserti#eness" and shrinks in stature and personality.

H @ast scene of all" That ends this strange e#entful history" Is second childishness and mere obli#ion/ Sans teeth" sans eyes" sans taste" sans e#erything =ental dementia and death% 0e loses his status and he becomes a non'entity. 0e becomes dependent on others like a child and is in need of constant support before

finally dying.