All the world's a stage

(The Seven Ages of Man)

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;

And then the whining school-boy, 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,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth.

And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,

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's pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful nose, 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 his strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

(From "As You Like It", Act II, Scene 7).

Commentary:

1. mankind, n — человечество

2. estimation, n — суждение, оценка

3. property, n — собственность

4. destiny, n — судьба

5. plague, n — чума

6. to spare, v — беречь, щадить

7. bosom, n — грудь

8. weed, n — сорняк

9. to take it for granted — принимать как должное

10. a keen perception — острое восприятие

11. acquisition, n — приобретение

12. to decline, v — отклонять

13. to push one's fortune — испытать судьбу, попытать счастья

14. on an average — в среднем

15. to mew, v — попискивать

16. to puke, v — срыгивать

17. a snail, n — улитка

18. a furnace, n — печь

19. cannon's mouth, n — дуло пушки

20. oblivion, n — забвение

Answer the questions:

1. Is it a difficult or simple verse to understand on first acquaintance? Do you usually have any difficulties to understand Shakespeare's poems?

2. What type of a poem is it? Is it a lyric, a ballad, a sonnet, an ode, an epic poem, an elegy, a satire, a nonsense poem, a limerick?

a) lyric — expressing the writer's emotions, usually briefly;

b) a ballad — slow sentimental poem or song narrating a popular story;

c) a sonnet — a poem of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme-scheme and usually ten syllables per line;

d) an ode — a lyric poem of exalted style and tone;

e) an epic poem — a long poem narrating the adventures or deeds of one or more heroic or legendary figures;

f) an elegy — a sorrowful poem or song, especially for the dead;

g) a satire — ridicule, irony, used to expose folly or vice;

h) a limerick — a humorous five-line verse.

3. Is it in rhyme or blank verse? Has it a regular pattern of rhythm or is it a combination of rhythms?

4. blank verse — unrhymed verse

5. What emotions does the poem chiefly appeal to? Is it light or humourous or satirical or serious?

6. What does the poet say in the poem? (Outline only what he actually says not what he implies or hints.) What deeper meaning is there in the poem?

7. What does the poem say about the ways of life in the times of Shakespeare?

8. What universal truth does the poem say?

9. How well has the poet chosen his words? Is the vocabulary simple or difficult? Has he used any words in individual or unusual manners? What thematic groups can these words be put in?

10. Is the grammatical structure simple or difficult? Does he use the language of his time? How has he used grammar to get his meaning more effectively?

11. What devices does the poet use to convey his particular vision of human life to the reader? Is there any symbolism or imagery in the poem? What is it? How effective is this? Is it obvious or concealed? What devices of the language does he use (epithets, simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, etc)? Do they move the reader's emotions?

12. How far do you think the poem has succeeded in conveying its message to the reader? Does the poem appeal to you personally, or not and for what reason?