Arts
The phrase “All the world’s a stage” and the monologue that follows about the seven ages of man is well known. They are from Shakespeare’s pastoral romance, “As you like it”. When you hear it, you’ll say, “Wow, Shakespeare puts it so well!”. He was indeed clever. But not original. “All the world’s a stage” was a concept that predated Shakespeare by a comfortable 1,700 years. It was first popularised by the Roman poet Juvenal. Since then many people have made the reference. In fact, Shakespeare himself used this allegory in his earlier play “Merchant of Venice”. Similarly, the different ages of man aren’t novel. Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher and scientist, spoke about it. Closer home, the four ages of man are described in the Indian vedas. So, should we think less of Shakespeare because he wasn’t original? Not really. His genius lay in attracting and holding the attention of a live audience with popular and pithy themes. He used devices like rhyme and personification to engage the audience. And that is why his works are still in currency, or at least they should be.