The seven ages By- William Shakespeare

About the author

illiam hakespeare

OWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".

The Seven Ages

1.All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players,They have their exits and entrances,And one man in his time plays many parts,

5) His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchelAnd shining morning face, creeping like snailUnwillingly to school. And then the lover,

10)Sighing like furnace, with a woeful balladMade to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,Jealous in honor, sudden, and quick in quarrel,Seeking the bubble reputation

15)Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justiceIn fair round belly, with good capon lined,With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,Full of wise saws, and modern instances,And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

20) Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,His youthful hose well saved, a world too wide,For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,Turning again towards childish treble, pipes

25) And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,That ends this strange eventful history,Is second childishness and mere oblivion,Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

ord meanings Mewling- crying Puking- vomiting Satchel- a small bag Woeful- very sad Pard- leopard Cannon- a big gun that fired cannon balls made of iron

Capon- very big and fat Oaths- solemn promises

Justice- judge Saws- sayings Slippered- wearing slippers Pantaloon- a funny old man, on whom other people play tricks

Pouch- a soft fold of loose skin that hangs down, as a result of old age

Hose- tight fitting leg coverings

Shank- legs from knee to ankle

Treble- a high voice Oblivion- forgetting everything and being forgotten by everybody

Sans- a French word meaning without

Explanation of the agesThe man in the poem goes through

these stages:1. Infancy: In this stage he is dependent on others and needs to be constantly attended to.2.Childhood: It is in this stage that he begins to go to school. He is reluctant to leave the protected environment of his home as he is still not confident enough to exercise his own discretion.

3.The Lover: In this stage, comparable to modern day adolescence, he is always remorseful due to some reason or other, especially the loss of love. He tries to express feelings through song or some other cultural activity.4.The Soldier: It is in this age, comparable to modern day young adult, that he thinks less of himself and begins to think more of others. He is very easily aroused and is hot headed. He is always working towards making a reputation for himself and gaining recognition, however short-lived it may be, even at the cost of his own life.

5.The Justice: In this stage, comparable to modern day adult, he has acquired wisdom through the many experiences he has had in life. He has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status. He becomes very attentive of his looks and begins to enjoy the finer things of life.6.Old age: He begins to lose his charm - both physical and mental. He begins to become the brunt of others' jokes. He loses his firmness and assertiveness and shrinks in stature and personality.

7.Mental dementia and death: He loses his status and he becomes a non-entity. He becomes dependent on others like a child and is in need of constant support before finally dying.

Summary The poem commences with life being compared to a huge stage where all of us are only actors. Each person has an entry into the world at birth and exits it at death.According to Shakespeare, every man plays several parts during his life time. On the stage of life every man has seven acts. The first act of man is infancy. At this time all that the baby does is cry and puke on his nurse's lap.

After he goes through his infant life, he emerges as a school child who slings his bag over his shoulder and creeps most unwillingly to school.At the next stage in life, the young man is a lover who is busy composing ballads for his beloved and sighing deeply for her attention. He graduates into a bearded soldier who promises solemnly to guard his country. He is filled with national pride, is quick to be insulted and is always ready to spring up in defense. 

At this point of time he is more concerned with status and reputation. From the agile soldier, he goes on to become a judge whose waistline grows as he becomes fatter and fatter. He wears a short, formal beard and his eyes become intense. He is full of wisdom, speaking to everyone in a just and wise manner.

After he has played this part, he goes into the sixth age. He becomes thin, wears spectacles, the skin around him hangs loosely. He is made fun of as being a funny old man. His youth has been left behind. His clothes hang loosely around him and his once manly voice turns into a high pitched, childish one.

With this, man enters the last act where he experiences his second childhood as he becomes dependent on people once more. He is overcome by senility and forgetfulness as he loses his faculties of sight, hearing, smell and taste, slowly and ultimately dies.

Exercises Q1: Choose the correct answer.(a)All the world is a stage is an extended metaphor for-(i)The life shown in well known plays(ii) Seeing the well known plays(iii) Life of well known plays(iv) Life of man that comes to an endAns- (iv) Life of man that comes to an end

(b) All ‘have their exits and their entrances' Exits and entrances refer to __________.(i)Birth and death(ii) Beginning and end of play(iii) Coming and going of actors(iv) The end of the Shakespearean era

Ans- (i)Birth and death

(c) The seven roles that a man plays correspond to his___________.(i) chronological age in life(ii) desires(iii) mental age in life(iv) idea of a perfect life

Ans-(i) chronological age in life

Q2: Read the poem again and note down the metaphors and similes. Copy and complete the following chart.

Item Metaphor Simile

World All the world’s a stage

Men, womenSchool- boy

Lover

Soldier

Reputation

Voice

Item Metaphor Simile

World All the world’s a stage

Men, women

Men & women merely players

School- boy Creeping like snail

Lover Sighing like a furnace

Soldier Bearded pard

Reputation Bubble reputation

Voice Big manly voice

Thank you

Made by- nushka