IS ALL THE WORLD A STAGE

IS ALL THE WORLD A STAGE?

The social observer Erving Goffman argues that we use a wide variety of mechanisms for the “presentation of self in everyday life.” By researching people in a  number of ordinary jobs, he shows that establishing who you are, and where you fit in with other people, is like being a stage actor who is always “managing” your identity, is always “on-stage.”  This is a “dramaturgical approach” to understanding human behavior.  Here is a brief summary of his first of many books, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.  It is considered one of the most important sociological works of the last century

Gwendolyn Brooks’s “seven at the Golden Shovel” pool hall might be seen as performing “coolness.”  They are engaged in what Goffman calls “impression management”–trying to insure that others perceive them “the right way,” meaning, as they wish to be seen. In other words–their “performance” can be seen as acting the part of the Cool Guys.

I bet everyone has had some experience with unsuccessful impression management!  For example–you’re absentmindedly scratching yourself, or talking to yourself, and look up to discover you’re being watched.  Whoops.  Not the impression you intend to convey.

What is your reaction to the idea that we can see ourselves basically as “actors” playing a “role,” a modern version of Shakespeare’s claim that “all the world’s a stage”?

Give at least two specific examples from your own life, or from popular culture, that would support this idea that people are like actors “on stage” in everyday life.  

Plays—whether on stage or filmed — typically involve lights, sets, props, costumes, often music. Which of these are designed or manipulated in your “roles” in your life?  Be specific in your descriptions.

Can you think of circumstances when this is not true—when we are “really” not actors?  Be specific!

Overall, what is your assessment of Shakespeare’s suggestion that we are all “merely players” with parts and scenes–that we work to communicate our identities in set ways? Do you agree or disagree?  Be sure to explain your reasons!

Explore this question with a main post of at least 250 words, and comment on the contribution of at least one other student in this discussion.