1. 1
2
3

2. THE SEVEN
AGES

3. THE
WRITER
OF THE
POEM
“THE
SEVEN
AGES”

5. Introduct
ion:
The
Seven
ages

6. On this
stage, each man
plays the drama of
his life. His drama
consists of seven
acts. These acts
correspond to the
seven ages in a
man’s life.
.
It is in the form
of a speech by a
character named
Jacques. In it,
Jacques compares
the world to a
stage.
.
Introduct
ion:
The
Seven
ages
This poem is an
extract from
Shakespeare’s play,
‘As You Like It’.

8. 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,
His acts being seven ages.

9. • The Seven Ages of Man describes the
seven phases in a man‟s life-from
childhood to old age.
• The world is but a global stage and all
men and women presented here are
mere puppets in the hands of destiny.
• Just like the infrastructures of a
stage, the world has its own entrances
and exits
• . Every man in his full lifetime has many
parts to play. His total number of acts
in his lifetime is the seven ages.

10. At first the infant,
Mewling (crying) and
puking (vomiting) in
the nurse's arms.

11. • The first and foremost act of every human
being is the stage of infancy
• where he makes his presence felt by crying
at the top of his voice and many a times
vomiting any food or drink that is repulsive,
at the nursing arms of his mother.
• This period normally last till four years of
age.

12. ( I )…
a) How is all the world a stage ?
It is called a stage because it is here that the drama of
the life takes place
b) The words ‘exits’ and ‘entrances are compares to what
stages of life ?
Exits refer to the end of a person’s role in the drama of
life and entrance signifies the beginning of such a role.
In short exits and entrances refer to death and birth.
c) Explain: ‘one man in his time plays many parts’
Every man or woman acts the various roles in the
drama of life according to his age, circumstances and
relationships.
d) What happens to a man after the seventh age?
The drama of his life is finished. He exits from the stage.

13. Then, the whining
(complaining) schoolboy
with his satchel (school
bag)
And shining morning
face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.

14.  The
second stage is the „whining‟
schoolboy where he learns to utter a
plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound,
as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.


His shiny morning face and his satchel; a
small bag, sometimes with a shoulder
strap
he creeps like a snail and not willing to
go to school.

15. ( II )……
a) What characteristics
b)
c)
d)
of the infant life are mentioned
here?
The new born baby is very feeble & helpless. It can not
look after itself. It keeps crying and throwing up the milk
it has drunk.
Why does the schoolboy creep like a snail?
The school boy does not want to go to school. He thinks
by creeping like a snail, he will never reach the school.
His slow pace reflects upon his reluctance to go to
school.
Explain: 'shining morning face’.
The school boy has a bright and a fresh looking, well
washed face in the morning. He has just been dressed
for the school & he is looking fresh.
What is the next stage that comes after this one?
The stage of a lover.

16. And then the lover,
Made to his mistress'
eyebrow.

17. • The third stage is his early youth, the peak of love
and high romance.
• He sighs like a burning furnace and sings the sad
ballads of romance; full of woe; affected
with, characterized by, or indicating woe: woeful
melodies; to impress his lover‟s heart.
• The impression of her reply can be seen in her
eyebrows.

18. ( III )…..
a) Which stage is that of the lover as describes by the
b)
c)
d)
poet?
The lovers is the third stage of one’s life.
What is a furnace? Why has lover been compared to
‘a sighing’ furnace’?
A furnace is a fire place with a blower to speed up
combustion. The lover pines away & carves for his
love. So he heaves deep sigh like the wind bag of a
furnace.
Explain: ‘ Made to his mistress’ eyebrow’.
The expression refers to the song composed by the
lover, in praise of his beloved’s eyebrow. To love learn
lover, even as insignificant a thing as the eyebrow of
his beloved is a worthy subject for writing a song in her
praise.
Why do you think the lover’s ballad in a woeful one?
Distance or suppression from his beloved makes the
love learn lover sad. So, his ballad is woeful.

19. Then a soldier, Full of
strange oaths
(promise), and
bearded like the
pard (leopard) ,
Jealous in honor,
sudden, and quick in
quarrel,
Seeking the bubble
reputation
Even in the cannon's
mouth

20. • The fourth stage is that of a soldier where
life if full of obligations, commitments,
compliances, oaths and vows.
• His beard is like a leopard or panther.
•
He endlessly fights for his honor
•
A full presence of mind which is sudden and
quick in quarrel
• A heart to maintain a dignified reputation.

21. ( IV )….
a) Why is the soldier compared to pard?
b)
c)
d)
The soldier is as ferocious as leopard. He has beard like
that of the animal.
Describe the characteristics of a soldier.
The soldier is foul mouthed and short tempered. He
picks up quarrel at the slightest of provocations and is
willing to die for the sake of his honour.
Why has the reputation been described as ‘bubble’?
What is ironical about a soldier drying for it ?
Reputation has been described as bubble because it is
transitory by nature. The irony is that the soldier does
not survive to enjoy the reputation he has defended.
Bring out literacy device in line 2 and line 4
Simile in line 2 & metaphor in line 4.

22. And then the justice
In 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.

23. The fifth stage is the adult-hood where a man
tries to live a fair and justified life.
His belly becomes bigger than normal.
He is conscious about his diet and consumes a
good intake.
His eyes are severe with seriousness and his
beard is leveled to a formal cut.
He is to take a lot of correct decisions to keep up
with the ever changing times.
So this stage is the most powerful stage in life.

24. ( V )……
a) Who is being described in the above lines?
In the above lines, the 5th stage of life, that is that of a
judge, is being described.
b) What does he do to show his wisdom? Why?
He quotes maximum and gives many modern
instances to show his wisdom as a judge is suppose to
be wise.
c) What status does he enjoy at this stage?
He enjoys a very respectable & prestigious status of a
public servant.
d) What does he looks like?
He wears a stern expression and beard of a formal cut.
He is serious in nature and his belly becomes round.
e) How is his beard different form that of soldier?
The soldier has a leopard like beard, which gives him a
very clumsy appearance. But when he grows up to be
a judge, he is particular of his look and he supports
beard of a formal cut.

25. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd
pantaloon (trousers),
With spectacles on
nose, and pouch on
side, His youthful hose
well sav'd, a world too
wide,
For his shrunk shank, and
his big manly voice,

26. 



In this stage of life he is a thin and weak old man and
his strength begins to weaken and spends more time
within the roof of his house.
He hangs his spectacles on his nose for reading and all
his youthful hose; a flexible tube for conveying a
liquid, as water, to a desired point; saved for the world
too wide.
His shank begins to shrink with time; the part of the
lower limb in humans between the knee and the ankle;
leg.
Even his voice begins to descend to a lower tone. In his
free time, he smokes his pipe and whistles his matured
melodies.

27. ( VI )…
a) Which stage of the life is the poet describing above?
In the above lines, the poet describes the sixth stage
which the age of old age.
b) Give the meaning of ‘shrunk shank’. Why does does the
poet use this word for describing the man?
The calf muscles of the leg have withered and shrunk
due to old age and the legs have become thin & weak.
These words emphasise the weakness and
helplessness that sets in during old age.
c) How would you compare this stage with the forth
stage?
The powerful soldier with a bombing voice loses all his
strength by the time he matures a slippered pantaloon
when he becomes a weak & lean fellow with a feeble
voice.
d) Why does his sound being childish treble ?
Due to old age, the vocal chord also weakens
considerably and the manly voice turns into childish
treble.

28. Turning again
towards childish
treble (high-pitched
voice), pipes.
And whistles in his
sound. Last scene
of all,
That ends this
strange eventful
history,
Is second
childishness and
mere oblivion
(forgetfulness),
Sans (without)teeth,
sans eyes, sans taste,
sans everything.

29. • The last stage is the old-age where he enters his second
childhood.
• It is also the beginning of the end of his eventful history. It is
also the stage of oblivion; the state of being completely
forgotten or unknown
• Official disregard or overlooking of offenses
•
He is without everything; without teeth, eyes and taste.

30. a)
b)
c)
d)
( VII )……
What is ‘second childishness’? Why is has it been called so?
The last stage of extreme old age has been called second
childishness. It has been called so because man loses
control over his senses and becomes as dependent upon
others as he was, when he was a child. Moreover, just as a
child oblivious of everything around him, an old man also
dwells in ‘Mere oblivion” and his memory starts falling.
What happens to a man at this stage?
Having slowly lost all his reflexes and senses, man
ultimately becomes helpless and depends like a child.
Give the meaning of ‘mere oblivion’ and ‘sans’.
Mere oblivion means total forgetfulness and sans means
without.
Why does the poet call life ‘strange eventful history’ ?
The poet calls life ‘Strange eventful history’ because man’s
life comprises of many events, incidents & changes