I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano,
A stage where every man must play a part.
Shakespeare does not say "may" play a part, or "can" play a part, but
he says _must_ play a part; and he has expressed the conviction of
every intelligent student of humanity then and thereafter, now and
hereafter. The stage cannot be held in contempt by mankind; because
all mankind is acting, and every human being is playing a part. The
better a man plays his part, the better he succeeds. The more a man
knows of the art of acting, the greater the man; for, from the king on
his throne to the beggar in the street, every man is acting. There is
no greater comedian or tragedian in the world than a great king. The
knowledge of the art of acting is indispensable to a knowledge of
mankind, and when you are able to pierce the disguise in which every
man arrays himself, or to read the character which every man assumes,
you achieve an intimate knowledge of your fellow men, and you are able
to cope with the man, either as he is, or as he pretends to be. It
was necessary for Shakespeare to be an actor in order to know men.
Without his knowledge of the stage, Shakespeare could never have been
the reader of men that he was. And yet we are asked, "Is the stage
worth while?"