And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. William Shakespeare – As You Like It Act 2 Scene 7
What is this?
The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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What is this?
The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.
Jesus described the process of spiritual rebirth as “being born again” in John 3:3, but Rockie has shifted the force of the phrase to describe material, rather than spiritual, wealth.
This rise in the rap game gives him feelings of new life.
What is this?
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Desperate to escape death, the grandmother finally questions her own Christian faith, fully completing the portrait being painted of her hypocrisy.
There is also a biblical echo of denial in the the fact that she spoke “not knowing what she was saying.” Jesus, while being denied and crucified in Luke 23:34, asks God for the murderous crowd’s forgiveness,
What is this?
The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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A statement where a seemingly impossible contradiction is presented. It makes you pause and try to work out what it means, thus it uses the principle of confusion to distract you and so gives opportunity for persuasion.
Examples
I always lie. (If the person is a liar, then this is true, which makes them not a liar)
Death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. (how can death die?)
Youth is wasted on the young. (but how can young people know the value of youth without not having it?)
Paradoxes are also found in modern lyrics, such as Lil Wayne’s line in “Welcome To My Hood”:
A famous literary example is the opening line of Charles Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities:
Had three outstanding warrants in his home state of Tennessee Sage Francis – Little Houdini
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Alluding to the popular video game, Sage Francis underlines the point that lawlessness ain’t make believe for Christopher.
A ‘career criminal,’ Chris Gay really is about that life, committing serious crimes in multiple states, not simply clutching a controller or tapping buttons behind a console.
What is this?
The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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An allusion to this monologue from The Bard’s As You Like It – here Peart takes a step back from his own difficulties with celebrity and emphasizes that everyone is a performer, thus minimizing the need for others to objectify him.
Part of this phrase is also a reference back to the title of Rush’s first live album:
Also a reference to Shakespeare