All the World’s a Stage (As You Like It, Act II Scene VII)

William Shakespeare

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’ eye-brow. 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’d pantaloon;
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side;
His youthful hose well sav’d, 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.

About This Reading

William Shakespeare’s All the World’s a Stage reflects on the different stages of life, from childhood to old age. Written for As You Like It, it compares life to a play, with each person stepping onto the stage for their own time before making their exit.

This reading is often chosen for non-religious funerals or celebrations of life, particularly for someone who loved literature, theatre or Shakespeare’s writing. It can also suit a service that looks back on a full and varied life.

There is honesty in Shakespeare’s words. They acknowledge that every life has its seasons, making this a thoughtful reading for remembering a life that was lived in all its richness.

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