Page 27 - DENG203_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_IV

Elective English—IV

Notes 2.5 Poem

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 honor, 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 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
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 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.
2.5.1 Explanation

The classical poem The Seven Ages of Man, is actually an extract from Shakespeare’s delightful
comedy “As You Like It”. This masterwork of Shakespeare is a moral commentary on life
written in a very exclusive manner. The poem The Seven Ages of Man covers a classical description
on human behaviour and nature. This in turn reflects Shakespeare’s profound knowledge of
human psychology. In this poem, William Shakespeare makes a comparison between the world
and a stage. According to him the world is similar to a stage or theatre, life is like acting and both
men and women are similar to actors. According to him a man’s life is divided into seven
different phases.
The Seven Ages of Man describes the seven phases in the life of a human being – from childhood
to old age and finally death. In this poem, Shakespeare states that the world is nothing but a
global stage and all men and women existing in this world are nothing but mere puppets in the

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