What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?

Both a simile and a metaphor are stylistic devices used in literature to describe something or someone.However, a simile likens one thing to another using "like" or "as". So, "free as a bird" and "eyes like diamonds" are similes. In Wordsworth's poem, "Composed Westminster Bridge", an example of a simile would be "This City now doth, like a garment, wear/ The beauty of the morning".On the other hand, a metaphor is not so obviously a comparison, but replaces or complements the subject to give a better impression of it. You can spot a metaphor because it cannot be taken literally. For example, Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" is one long metaphor, likening human life to theatre and performance: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."