What Shakespeare play features the phrase “All the world’s a stage”?
The Shakespeare play that contains the celebrated phrase “All the world’s a stage” is “As You Like It.” This highly recognizable line is spoken by the character Jaques, a cynical yet philosophical lord, during a profound monologue in Act II, Scene VII of the pastoral comedy.
The famous speech, often referred to as “The Seven Ages of Man,” uses the metaphor of life as a play to describe the progression of human existence. Jaques elaborates on how each individual assumes various “parts” throughout their journey, detailing seven distinct stages: the infant, the whining schoolboy, the passionate lover, the ambitious soldier, the wise justice, the aging pantalone, and finally, extreme old age leading to “second childishness and mere oblivion.”
Source : Kompasiana : Shakespreare