The Seven Ages of Man

Do you ever think about where have you come from and where are you going in life? In Shakespeare's day - as in every age - artists, writers, and ordinary people asked this question. They divided life into seven phases. Before you read Shakespeare's words on the subject, think about the phases you might divide life into. How many are there? Write a short, humorous description of each phase, then exchange descriptions with your neighbour and compare them.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel,
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
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
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
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,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
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.

(As You Like It Act l/ Scene 7 11. 139-166)

to mewl = cry weakly;
to puke = to lose food and drink through the mouth after eating (vulgar in modem English);
to whine = to complain;
satchel = school bag;
furnace = large, very hot oven;
woeful = sad;
oath here: swearword;
pard (old use) = leopard, panther;
jealous here very enthusiastic;
to seek (old use) = to look for;
bubble = here s.th. shortlived;
justice here judge;
capon = male chicken fattened for food;
to line = here to fill;
severe = very serious;
saw = here a short, well-known saying;
instance = example;
lean = thin;
pantaloon = funny old man, character in a comedy;
pouch = small soft leather bag;
hose = tight-fitting leg coverings worn by men in Shakespeare's day;
to shrink = to grow smaller;
shank (old use) = leg from knee to ankle;
treble = here high-pitched sound;
mere = only;
oblivion = here loss of memory;
sans = (old use, French) without

1. The seven ages of man according to Shakespeare: list them and describe each one briefly.

3. Compare Shakespeare's text with the illustration. Are their messages identical, or are there differences?

4. Now compare your description of the phases of life with Shakespeare's and discuss the differences.

"All the world's a stage". Is life really like a theatre performance? List similarities and differences between life and the theatre, then discuss these or write a short essay on the topic.