Final answer:
Shakespeare compares the journey of life to the roles an actor plays on stage in his monologue 'the 7 stages of man'. He uses this metaphor to illustrate the cyclical nature of life, from birth to death, paralleling it with an actor's different roles. The theater's role in reflecting life and human nature is central to understanding Shakespeare's work. The correct answer is a) Agree.
Step-by-step explanation:
Shakespeare indeed draws parallels between the journey of life and the roles played by actors on stage in 'the 7 stages of man'. This metaphorical representation is seen in one of his most famous monologues from the play As You Like It, where life is described through various stages, starting with infancy and moving through childhood, the lover, a soldier, the justice, old age, and eventually into the oblivion of senility, much like an actor playing different roles. This concept underscores the ephemeral and performed aspects of our existence, likening life's journey to a series of performances on the world's stage.
During Shakespeare's time, theater was an essential part of culture, and the Bard was able to convey complex ideas through the iambic pentameter and rich poetic language that were the hallmark of his work. Performances under the daylight, as mentioned, lacked the modern capabilities of isolating the stage from the audience, thus, requiring actors to convey the story through clear and potent articulation and behavior, much like the clarity of life's own stages.
The idea that life imitates art and vice versa is further explored in the references to Aristotle's views on the function of theater and how it reflects human nature, teaching us about ourselves through imitation. This mirrors the essence of Shakespeare's seven stages, each acting out a caricature of life as it was perceived in his plays.