THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN
THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Reference:
The above poetic lines have been adopted from the classical poem “The Seven Ages of Man”, which is actually an extract from Shakespeare’s delightful comedy “As You Like It”.
This master piece of poetry is a moral commentary on life written in an exceptionally exclusive style which is the attribute of Shakespeare.
Context:
The poem contains an amusing and classical description on human nature and behaviour which reflects Shakespeare’s deep awareness of human psychology. The poet makes a comparison between world & stage. He says that world is like a stage, life is like acting & men and women are like actors. He classifies man’s life into seven different ages.
Lines
And all the men and women merely players ———– His act being seven ages. At first the infant.
Explanation
In the opinion of the poet man’s life on earth is like a big drama, in which men and women play their parts before their death. Man has to play many parts before their death Man has to play many parts and his life has been divided into seven parts.
This world is just like a stage of a theatre. All persons being players are given different roles. Every individual plays a definite role during his life, which normally consists of seven parts or acts.
In order to make his meaning clear, he makes a comparison of life with the stage. The first stage of a man is being an infant i.e. when he enters in this world and makes his exist in this stage of world as a baby.
Lines
Mewling and puking in the nurse’arms ——— Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Explanation
Shakespeare says that each human being performs seven parts in this small drama on the stage of the world. He makes his entry as a baby who is fully dependent upon others. This stage ends when the infant grows into a school child.
Shakespeare describes him as a boy having a face fresh like morning, with his bag hanging on his side, walking appropriately to school. In the
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Reference:
The above poetic lines have been adopted from the classical poem “The Seven Ages of Man”, which is actually an extract from Shakespeare’s delightful comedy “As You Like It”.
This master piece of poetry is a moral commentary on life written in an exceptionally exclusive style which is the attribute of Shakespeare.
Context:
The poem contains an amusing and classical description on human nature and behaviour which reflects Shakespeare’s deep awareness of human psychology. The poet makes a comparison between world & stage. He says that world is like a stage, life is like acting & men and women are like actors. He classifies man’s life into seven different ages.
Lines
And all the men and women merely players ———– His act being seven ages. At first the infant.
Explanation
In the opinion of the poet man’s life on earth is like a big drama, in which men and women play their parts before their death. Man has to play many parts before their death Man has to play many parts and his life has been divided into seven parts.
This world is just like a stage of a theatre. All persons being players are given different roles. Every individual plays a definite role during his life, which normally consists of seven parts or acts.
In order to make his meaning clear, he makes a comparison of life with the stage. The first stage of a man is being an infant i.e. when he enters in this world and makes his exist in this stage of world as a baby.
Lines
Mewling and puking in the nurse’arms ——— Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Explanation
Shakespeare says that each human being performs seven parts in this small drama on the stage of the world. He makes his entry as a baby who is fully dependent upon others. This stage ends when the infant grows into a school child.
Shakespeare describes him as a boy having a face fresh like morning, with his bag hanging on his side, walking appropriately to school. In the