All the world's a stage!

“All The World’s a stage, and men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” Shakespeare wrote this in year 1600 for his play; “As you like it”. It is amazing how the things William Shakespeare wrote for over 400 years ago suits today. Many things have changed in 400 years, but although we have modernized and become more advanced it seems like people and the society are almost the same.

Shakespeare compares life with a theatre performance. The world is the stage and we all play our part in many acts. When we are babies our “job” or role is to play cute and be happy. As we grow older so does the responsibility increase and as we start to school we have the responsibility to do our homework and behave well. We also get duties at home and we start living almost a double life, playing two or even several parts at once. One at school, one at home and maybe another one with friends.

“After graduating school, life really begins,” some people might say. I would say that it is almost true. Life starts when we are born, however our infancy is just the introduction before the main acts when “life really begins!” Our role is getting bigger, we can vote for presidents, serve the army, start working, find a husband or wife, get a family and just live our lives as WE want to. The “real life” is almost like a stand up show: People can change it all along and which way it will end depends on which way the actor leads the plot. That is kind of different from the first acts of life. The childish acts are most like musicals, everybody does what they are expected to do. If the teacher ask you to do your homework, you do them, just like if a character in a musical is getting his or hers heart broken, the audience expect the character to burst out in a heartbroken song.

The real challenge begins when the play have come so far as to the adult act. Most people have a job, a bunch of friends, a hobby, a spouse and maybe kids. That is a lot of things to repress and there are very few people that manage to be themselves and play that ONE role ALL the time. You are maybe the boss at work, among friends you might be the funny guy, at the sports club you are probably shy, and at home you are the responsible one that everyone can count on.

Everything has a beginning and everything has to end. A boring day at school that unfortunately seems to last forever, or even a lovely moment with one you love, that you wished would last forever. Napoleon thought that his government would rule into eternity, it had its beginning and it had to face its end. Life is the great beginning and death the great finale. When I die I want to die in an honourable way, like Christ sacrificed himself for mankind or at least with a funny comment as Julius Cesar “Acta est fabula,” Game over. Like the curtain falls after the last act when the main character is dead, when life is over! “Acta est fabula!”

Written by May Linn

- Skrive dag, en gang i Mars 2009!
(ikke rettet versjon, bare den jeg leverte)