College of Emerging Technologies

English Normal – XII

THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN

William Shakespeare
Born: 23rd April 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
Died: 23rd April, 1616 on his 56th birthday and was buried at the Poet’s Corner in
Westminster Abbey.
Period: Elizabethan and Jacobean era.
He is known as the England’s National Poet.
He was not only a popular Actor but also a superb Playwright and Poet.
His father’s name was John Shakespeare who was a leading tradesman of Stratford.
His mother’s name was Mary Arden.
His wife’s name was Anne Hathaway.
He got three children named Susanna, Hamnet and Judith.
Hamnet and Judith were twins, but, Hamnet died soon in his early age and the two, Susanna
and Judith, Survived.
He wrote 37 Plays, 154 Sonnets and 02 long Narratives.
Many of Shakespeare’s plays were written for and performed at the Glob.
Glob is a theater that was built in 1598-99.
It was burnt down in 1613 and was rebuilt in 1614.
The new Glob theater was opened in 1997 about 200 meters far from the original site.

SUMMARY
The poem “The Seven Ages of Man” is from Shakespeare’s most popular comedy, “As you
like it” that occurs in Act II, Scene VII. In this poem the poet compares the world with a stage
and says that all the men and women are performers of this stage who come to this stage with
their birth and exit with their certain death and every man plays different roles during his life
time.
Shakespeare divides these played roles into seven ages.
At the first stage man is an infant who weeps and vomits in his nurse’s arms.
At the second stage he plays his role as a sad school boy who does not want to go to his school
and creeps unwillingly to his school.
At the third stage he plays his role as a lover who sighs for his beloved and composes sad
poetry on her beauty.
At the fourth stage he plays his role as a soldier who is very much careless about his outlook
but is jealous and quarrels even is not afraid of death to get the temporary reputation or
honour for his country and for himself.
At the fifth stage he plays his role as a justice, he is very mature now and is very much careful
for his outlook, when he has to make other people understand, he quotes some wise sayings
and modern examples.
At the sixth stage he plays his role as a comic or weak due to his declining age where he wears
loose dress and slippers on his thin body, spectacles on his nose, hangs a pouch on his
shoulder. Now he produces pipes and whistles in his sound, all these things make his
character comic.
At the seventh stage which is the last scene of his life time shows his second childishness
where he is over aged and becomes forgetful and without teeth, taste and due to the weakness
of his eyes has no charm in his life, and this stage ends the history of his eventful life.

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 College of Emerging Technologies
English Normal – XII

WORDS MEANINGS
Ages ----- periods ----- adhwaar
Merely ----- only ----- mehaz
Players ----- actors ----- funkaar
Exits ----- departure - death ----- maout
Enterances ----- arrival - birth ----- aamad – pedhaish
Infant ----- new born baby ----- dhood peeta bacha
Mewling ----- crying ----- roona – chillana
Puking ----- vomiting ----- ultiyain karna
Nurse’s arms ----- caretaker’s hands ----- parwarish karnay walay k hath
Whining ----- sad ----- udaas
Satchel ----- school bag ----- bastaa
Creeping ----- move slowly ----- ahista ahista chalna
Snail ----- a slow person ----- sust insaan
Unwillingly ----- without any will ----- marzi k bagair
Sighing like furnace ----- burn in himself ----- yadoon main tarhapna
Woeful ballad ----- sad poetry or songs ----- ghamzada shairy ya naghmay
Mistress ----- beloved – lover ----- mahbooba
Eyebrow ----- beauty ----- khubsoorti
Oaths ----- promises ----- wadahay – qasmain
Pard ----- leopard ----- cheeta
Sudden ----- rash – violent ----- gussay wala
Quarrel ----- fight ----- larhayee – jagrha
Seeking ----- searching – getting ----- hasil karna
Bubble reputation ----- temporary fame ----- waqti shohrat
In the Cannon’s mouth ----- before death – in danger ----- khtray main
Fair round belly ----- big abdomen ----- barha huwa pait – taond
Good capon ----- cockerel feed - delicious food ----- murg musallam
Eyes severe ----- serious or harsh eyes ----- roab dhar aankhain
Formal cut ----- proper cut ----- dharhi ka khat
Saws ----- sayings – proverbs ----- kahawatain
Modern instances ----- new examplaes ----- jadeed misalain
Part ----- character ----- kirdaar
Shifts ----- changes ----- tabdeel hona
Lean ----- weak ----- kamzoor
Slippered pantaloon ----- light dress ----- halka phulka libaas
Spectacles ----- eyeglasses ----- nazar ka chashma
Side ----- shoulder ----- kandha
Youthful hose ----- modern dress ----- jadeed or jawani k kaprhay
Shrunk shank ----- weak body or physic ----- kamzor jism
Manly voice ----- loud or storg voice ----- karhak or rohab dhar awaaz
Turning ----- changing ----- tabdeel hona
Childish treble, pipes, whistles ----- sharp sound or voice ----- taiz awaaz
Strange ----- odd – unusual ----- ajeeb
Eventful ----- full of activities ----- karnamoon se barpoor
History ----- life ----- zindagi
Childishness ----- childhood ----- bachpana
Mere ----- only ----- sirf – mehaz
Oblivion ----- forgetful ----- boolakarh
Sans ----- without ----- bagair

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 College of Emerging Technologies
English Normal – XII

Q1. Who wrote the poem The Seven ages of Man? Write few lines about him.
Answer # 1
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
About the Poet: The poem Seven Ages of Man was composed by William Shakespeare, English
playwright and poet. Hundreds of editions of his plays have been published, including translations
in all major languages. He is the most widely quoted author in history, and his plays have probably
been performed more times than those of any other dramatist.

Q2. What is the world to Shakespeare?

Answer # 2
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
World to Shakespeare: Shakespeare says, the entire world is a stage and all the men and women
are its players who appear on it with their birth and exit with their death, and one man plays
different roles in his life time which he divides into seven ages.

Q3. What are the seven ages mentioned by Shakespeare?

Answer # 3
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
The Seven Ages: Shakespeare divides a man’s life into seven ages as follows: At the first stage as
Infant, at the second stage as a sad school boy, lover, at the third stage as soldier, at the fourth stage
as justice, at the fifth stage as a weak or old man and at the seventh stage as an over aged called
second childishness.

Q4. What is the idea of William Shakespeare about man and life?
Answer # 4
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
Idea about Man and Life: Being a dramatist, Shakespeare considers this world a stage and tells
that human beings are no more than performers or actors who always continue to play their parts on
the stage of the world. The comparison between the world and stage, people and players, life and
drama can only come from the mind of an extraordinary dramatist who devoted an ample part of his
life for theatre and plays.

Q5. Write few lines about the poem "The Seven Ages of Man".
Answer # 5
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
Lines about the Poem: This superb poetic speech "The Seven Ages of Man" is taken from Act II,
Scene VII of Shakespeare's well and widely known play 'As You like It’. The speech was delivered
by a character named Lord Jacques, He was obliged to lead an exiled life in the Forest of Arden
with a group of noblemen.
In this poem, the poet has beautifully described the human life and behaviour during different
periods of his life and divided the human life into seven ages, right from his birth to his final
departure, his death.

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 College of Emerging Technologies
English Normal – XII

Q6. What is the behaviour and state of a man in the first stage of his life?
Answer # 6
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
The First Stage: In the first stage, each person's role starts being an infant. This stage portrays a
quite innocent, helpless and dependent life. During this role he is quite weak and helpless who
terribly depends on his nurse. All his necessities and care are looked after by his nurse without
whom he can never grow well.

Q7. What is the behaviour and state of a man in the second stage of his life?
Answer # 7
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
The Second Stage: In the second stage, the second role of a man is of a sad schoolboy. In this age
he is set with his bag for school with shining morning face but he cries and shows his unwillingness
for school as he is uninterested in his studies besides he feels it entirely against his freedom.

Q8. What is the behaviour and state of a man in the third stage of his life?
Answer # 8
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
The Third Stage: In the third stage, man performs as a young emotional lover. In this age he has
profound domination of desires, which is why, he gets passionate and without caring the results
involves even lost in love. He sings songs in the praise of his sweetheart. He is happy and ambitious
about his love and heaves sigh when he is departed from his lover.

Q9. What is the behaviour and state of a man in the fourth stage of his life?
Answer # 9
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
The Fourth Stage: In the fourth stage, man is like a soldier. At this stage he is over-ambitious. He
is not only jealous in honour but he is also ready to fight for even trivial reasons. He is always
working towards making a reputation for himself, however short-lived it may be, even at the cost of
his own life.

Q10. What is the behaviour and state of a man in the fifth stage of his life?
Answer # 10
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
The Fifth Stage: In the fifth stage, man becomes mature with wisdom and intellect. He is
experienced enough to judge between right and wrong and can handle all types of hurdles wisely.
He is full of sayings that contain wisdom and is aware of modern developments. He is careful about
his physical outlook and also fond of over eating, with his round belly looks like a fat man.

Q11. What is the behaviour of a man in the sixth stage of his life?
Answer # 11
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
The Sixth Stage: In the sixth stage, an old clownish character appears. Now man is physically thin
and weak. His dresses, used in youth, become loose, he gets glasses on his nose and a pouch on his
shoulder and his big manly voice turns weak, childish that makes his character comic.

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 College of Emerging Technologies
English Normal – XII

Q12. What is the behaviour and state of a man in the seventh stage of his life?
Answer # 12
Poem: The Seven Ages of Man
Poet: William Shakespeare
The Seventh Stage: Finally, man reaches the seventh and the last stage where his life comes to an
end here becomes childish again and loses his wit and becomes forgetful. He is deprived of all
energies, dreams and charms of life and feels himself restless in the world without energies,
charms, ambitions and dreams.

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