Theatrum Mundi

"Theater of the world" redirects here. For other uses, see Theatre of the world (disambiguation).

The theater of the world (or theatrum mundi, coined in the 12th century by John of Salisbury) is an "absolute metaphor" relating the real life and a theater. In a circular way. it can be either used to describe the world as a theater stage (cf. "all the world's a stage" by Shakespeare), or to describe the stage as a representation of the world. This flexibility of the phrase has contributed to its longevity, allowing it to be used by groups with very different religious or political views, even to express anti-theatrical positions. The metaphor can frame life as either tragic or comic, and as either rigidly structured or entirely chaotic.

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