All the World's a Stage

"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"
As You Like It II.vii. pg 32

This metaphor compares life to a play, and humans to characters inthe play. it helps get Jaques' point across that the world is sometimes fake, or laid out for us with a specific pattern. I think this is one of the most timeless parts of Shakespeare's play. We can all relate to the feeling of playing a part sometimes. We go to school, or work, or say something just because it is what everyone expects us to say, or what we are expected to do. We sometimes switch it up, or "play many parts". However, the feeling that life is sometimes all planned out for us with certain costume changes or acts is very relateable. This especially connects to As You Like It because of the front that Rosalind puts on for Orlando; she is acting as someone who she isn't actually for a part of the play, just like we sometimes act as people who we aren't. I loved the topic of this speech.