All the world’s a stage, one of Shakespeare’s most well-known monologues, is taken from his play As You Like It. It’s spoken by the weary traveller Jacques, and in the play’s context is a melancholy speech about the passing of time and inevitability of death. I’ve adapted it into a slightly more optimistic story.

Wouldn’t it be cool if a celebrated actor, with gravitas and a deeply hypnotic voice recited this monologue? Someone like Morgan Freeman would be perfect. Wait, hold on … looks like he already did!

This passage has also inspired other artists – Painter Robert Smirke produced this series in 1798 and artist Richard Kindersley made this sculpture in 1979, both depicting the seven ages of life.

RELATED COMICS: Ithaka by C.P. Cavafy. On Kindness by Roger Ebert. Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Thanks to readers Ben and Mark for submitting this quote.