Life is a fool player

I came across this line for the first time when I read the poem Life’s Brief Candle by William Shakespeare. “Life is a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more…” Later, I found out that this poem is actually a line in the famous play Macbeth. Then, once more, I am exposed to this statement in King Lear. In the play King Lear, Lear claims that “When we are born, we cry that we are come back to this great stage of fools…”

I have learned that William Shakespeare believes in the world as a stage and we, as the citizen are actually the stage player. We are not permanent on this ‘stage’. We act as the player on stage; we come and go.

The term ‘fool player’ is also constantly used in William Shakespeare’s play. Shakespeare suggests that we, as the citizen on the earth are a fool. We do things that are harmful to us and cause destruction on earth. We do not play the role of ‘stage player’ well, and therefore, we are a fool player.

I am on Shakespeare’s side in this idealism. I do think that people are doing harmful things on earth, either to themselves, or even worst to others. Thus, “life is fool player” is now among my favourite idealism.