William Shakespeare wrote the poem "The Seven Ages of Man" which compares the stages of a human life to the stages of a play. The poem describes the seven ages as: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and second childishness in old age. Shakespeare uses this poem to convey that people are actors who play different roles throughout their lives from birth to death, when they exit the stage.

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9. Sunday, December 5, 2014Est. 1869 Price 6d
THE SEVEN AGES
 Chirag Gouri made a
ppt on The Seven Ages.
A student of Kendriya Vidyalaya IFFCO
Gandhidham was successful in making a
illegal ppt of a poem ‘‘The Seven Ages’’
which was written by William
Shakespeare . Queen Victoria declared
a heavy prize ( 999,999,999,999000d ) on
Chirag`s head. Whomever find it kindly
Member of the Asscoiated
Press . Aenean commodo ligula eget
dolor. Aenean. Aenean commodo ligula
eget dolor. Aenhswse. Cejhciebce
fcdcdcd.
ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

10. • William Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest
writer in the world of English language. He was an
English poet, a dramatist and an actor. Shakespeare
was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon
and is often regarded as the ‘Bard of Avon.’ He is
considered as the national poet in England. His
works consists of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, some
long narrative poems and other verses. There is
considerable controversy regarding his physical
attributes, sexuality, religious beliefs etc. Some of
his famous dramatic tragedies include Hamlet,
Macbeth, Othello and King Lear. Shakespeare died
on 23rd of April, 1616 at the age of 52, survived by
his wife and two daughters

11. • “The Seven Ages of Man” is an excerpt from
Shakespeare’s play As You Like It. The poem
begins with a phrase, ‘All the world’s a stage’ which
is very famous all over the world.
In this poem, Shakespeare compares life to a stage
and has divided life into seven stages each having
its own varied qualities and features.

12. they hAve their exits And theirthey hAve their exits And their
entrAnces,entrAnces,
And one mAn in his time plAys mAnyAnd one mAn in his time plAys mAny
pArts,pArts,
his Acts being seven Ages. At first thehis Acts being seven Ages. At first the
infAnt,infAnt,
mewling And puking in the nurse'smewling And puking in the nurse's
Arms.Arms.
then, the whining school-boy with histhen, the whining school-boy with his
sAtchelsAtchel
And shining morning fAce, creeping likeAnd shining morning fAce, creeping like
snAilsnAil
unwillingly to school. And then the lover,unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
sighing like furnAce, with A woeful bAllAdsighing like furnAce, with A woeful bAllAd
mAde to his mistress' eyebrow. then, A soldier,mAde to his mistress' eyebrow. then, A soldier,
full of strAnge oAths, And beArded like thefull of strAnge oAths, And beArded like the
pArd,pArd,

13. Even in the cannon's mouth . And then, the justice,Even in the cannon's mouth . And then, the justice,
In fair round belly, with a good capon lined,In fair round belly, with a good capon lined,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shiftsAnd so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wideHis youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipesTurning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

14. SUMMARY OF THE POEM

15. • Shakespeare considers the world a stage and men
and women actors on the stage of life. They play
seven roles according to their age. The first stage, as
described by the poet, is the infant who is being
carried by a nurse. The infant cries and vomits all
the time. Later, that infant grows into a schoolboy,
not willing to attend school which is the fourth stage
of a man’s life. The third stage is that of a lover who
is lost in his thoughts of love. The lover writes
poetry to his lady’s beauty. In the fourth stage, as he
grows older, he joins the army and becomes a
soldier. He is physically fit and is aggressive, short-
tempered and ambitious in nature.

16. • The fifth stage shows that with maturity and
wisdom, the family man becomes a judge. He is a
fair, healthy man full of wisdom. His look is
authoritative and he advises people. The sixth stage
is about the man who has grown old and is seen in a
pantaloon and spectacles. His authoritative voice
has grown weak and his voice trembles as he talks.
The last stage is about the senile man who loses his
teeth, his vision and his hearing. After this, the man
part in the play ends and he exits from the stages of
his life forever.

17. • ANALYSIS:
Shakespeare wants to render a message through his
poem, “The Seven Ages of Man” that men and
women are ‘merely players’ in the drama of life.
They are termed as ‘merely players’ because no one
lives forever but plays his or her part and departs. At
birth, they enter a stage and during death, they leave
it. Man passes through seven phases of life in
accordance with their age.

18. • Structure:
The poem is composed in free verse. The style is
narrative. The poem describes seven different stages
of life in brief but has a powerful impact throughout.
• Metaphor:
Metaphor is that figure of speech where comparison
of two different things are implied but not clearly
stated. Examples of metaphor in the poem are as
follows,-
*All the world’s a stage
*And all men and women are merely players
*seeking the bubble reputation (reputation has been
termed as short-lived like a bubble)

19. • Simile: A simile is a figure of speech in which two
dissimilar objects are compared and the comparison
is made clear by the use of terms like ‘like’, ‘such
as’ and so on. Examples of simile in the poem are,
*Sighing like furnace
*creeping like a snail
• Alliteration: Alliteration is the close repetition of the
consonant sounds at the beginning of words to
facilitate narration. Example of alliteration in the
poem is,
*shrunk shank
*plays his part

20. But not the
end

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