WORLD STAGE: PLAYING MANY PARTS AT HOME

The world stage for Shakespeare was a different world than we live in today.

“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. . .”

Is the Shaker talking about multiple personality disorder?

No, but he does note the seven stages of man.

“Seven Ages of Man: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon and old age, facing imminent death.”

Nothing about a guy in a UPS hat role in front of a UPS truck? I fixed that.

INFANT

The little man, or little woman, needs caring people to thrive.

We wash baby, feed baby, wash baby some more. We clothe baby and nurture them as best we can. I look at the Seven Stages and don’t see ‘Parent’ on the list.

Without parents, there’s no infants, and that’s no drama.

SCHOOLBOY

The little tykes grow up, stand on their own, feed themselves, and go to school.

For how long?

Based on the list, they go to school to get some sex education.

LOVER

Who doesn’t remember their school days and the turn around between boys and girls in love.

One day Cindy Lou is committed to Big Bill and it’s a beautiful thing. Over the weekend something happens and Cindy Lou has a new boyfriend.

Billy has a new role to play, but he must choose carefully. Is he a jilted lover? A spurned suitor? Or just another guy dodging the bad relationship bullet?

SOLDIER

How, and why, would soldier follow lover in the Shakespearean list?

One possibility: Cindy Lou’s new guy decides he wants more adventure than he’s getting, so he joins the soldier business.

Her former guy still has a flame burning for her, so he signs up, too.

One thing leads to another and the new guy gets kicked to the curb for a better model, why Big Bill works through a life plan that feels shakier with each step, but he keeps going.

JUSTICE

Our man Bill finds love and consistency, how to show real feelings, and how to nurture. Or at least he’s open enough to understand the importance of love and nurturing.

Side note: If someone has never been loved and nurtured, they often see it as weakness.

They replace caring with hyper-masculinity, grow a hard shell, and work to convince others they are correct in their misguided actions.

It takes people like Big Bill, and others who have been through the emotional wringer, to help dipshits understand themselves better.

They explain mommies and daddies and how important they are to infants and schoolboys. They recommend movies like The 300 for it’s Spartan views.

OLD AGE

At age sixty-five I can look back and see when old age began for others. I’m not claiming old age, but by their actions, others claim it way too early.

Some enter old age after high school. A college senior can seem ancient.

From old pictures of old people, old age looked to start around thirty-five. Forty was ancient.

Were times that much harder? I remember hearing about company workers retiring after twenty years, collecting their gold watch, and buying a rocking chair.

From the looks of old factories, no one I know would last a year. I wouldn’t.

DEATH

The folks who started old age early were old for a long, long, time.

They may feel like death warmed over some days, but they’re not dead. Their overriding feeling while they wait it out is bitterness.

Maybe you know these people? They don’t want to go anywhere, do anything, or even try to pump up a little enthusiasm.

They’ve gone through six stages and now?

Now they tell others how it’s done, whether they did it or not.

The longer they live, the better their story gets. The sad part is the amount of regret. Looking back, they could have done better, could have taken chances, could have nurtured and loved something.

But no, the hardcases keep up their hardassed attitude, spreading their ill-advised opinions, spewing half-baked ideas.

Sometimes they are admired for ‘Telling It Like It Is’ or, ‘Saying What Everyone Is Thinking’ or, ‘They Don’t Back Down.’

After enough time passes, the tune changes to, ‘Wasn’t he full of shit?”

WORLD STAGE VIRUS TIMING

Today the world stage is dominated by coronavirus news, by covid-19 coverage, and many, many, deaths.

Shakespeare didn’t know Donald Trump, but had characters like him in his plays.

Who would Mr. Trump play? King Lear? Macbeth? Romeo?

On a large world stage, he can play any role he chooses, but which one best suits him?

The best part of playing roles that uplift, instead of beat down, is the people you meet. Whether you know it or not, you carry them with you, so be nice.

Give someone a smile.