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Abstract: The theatrical metaphor (that is, the metaphor with the original conceptual sphere “All the world’s a stage”), originated in Antiquity, is realized in literature from different eras and is widely spread in both dramatic and epic works. The historical novel often interprets historical events as a political game, the interaction of social roles, the clash of wills and characters – a dramatic action. The metaphor “All the world’s a stage” is part of the artistic picture of the world of Hilary Mantel’s historical novels “Wolf Hall” (2009) and “Bring Up the Bodies” (2012). In these texts, it serves as a tool to help consider the events of the social and political life of England in the 16th century as “theatrical” performances that are difficult to interact with the true mechanisms of history: partly concealing, partly revealing and revealing true motives. Theatrical metaphor is implemented on several levels of works. The structure of the historical novels of Mantel is similar to the ancient dramas, they contain elements of plays, such as posters and remarks. In the composition, the metaphor is realized through the parallelism of scenes: “high” (palace, court, temple) and “low” (house, street, taverns). The novels are similar to the ancient Greek dramas about the rise and death of the tragic hero. Historical events are interpreted by the author as theatrical performances, in which each character has its own role. It is concluded that the presence of theatrical metaphor at all levels of the organization of the novels is connected with the author’s view of the life of the whole state as a theatrical social and political game, and of each historical character as an actor within this game unfolding on the world stage.