Summer Con Men (Jaques)

Jaques:

Jaques is one of the gentlemen loyal to Duke Senior. The Duke has been supplanted by his younger brother, and he and his men are living in exile in the Forest of Arden.
The Duke takes a positive view of his situation, observing the beauty of nature and enjoying the honest simplicity of the life of common folk. Jaques on the other hand has a very melancholic disposition. He is skeptical of human society, of hope, of happiness, and of love. At times he ammuses his fellow Lords, at other times, his relentless cynicism is off putting. In this scene,  the men are enjoying some repartee around the campfire. Jaquees has been entertaining the company by recounting his meeting Touchstone (a fool) in the forest. Orlando interrupts the festive mood, demanding food from those gathered to give to his dying servant. The Duke welcomes Orlando to their circle and observes that they are not the only people with problems. Jaques gives the following response about the vicissitudes of Life's drama. 


DUKE SENIOR
Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy:
This wide and universal theatre
Presents more woeful pageants than the scene
Wherein we play in.


Jaques:
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, 
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 woful 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 lin'd, 
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 sav'd, 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.