THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN
“The Seven Ages of Man” is a monologue
included by the English poet-playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) in his
play As You Like It.
The speaker of the monologue is a cynical
lord called Jaques.
Man in this monologue is an actor. The
world is a stage where man plays seven roles of life from entrance (birth) to
final exit (old age) preceding death).
The
seven stages are : (i). Infancy as a helpless baby crying in the nurse’s arms.
(ii). Schoolboy, having a shining face, but dragging himself to school
reluctantly. (iii). The lover sighing like a furnace with a woeful ballad addressed
to his ladylove. (iv).The soldier representing boldness, quick temper, and the
desire to seek reputation of bravery even at the risk of his life. (v). This is
the stage of justice, displaying
maturity equipped with a formal beard and wise maxims . (vi). The Pantaloon.
This stage is also symbolic of old age depicting overall frailty. Man has now become weak and his voice is
unclear. (ii). The seventh stage depicts second childishness. This is the last stage.
Shakespeare describes it as:
“Last
scene of all,
That
ends this strange eventful history,
Is
second childishness, and mere oblivion,
Sans
teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing.
It
is noteworthy that no stage of life in the whole monologue is justifiably void
of a sneering comment.
What
follows is the full text of the 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;
And then the whining school-boy, 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.
G.R.Kanwal
29 June 2026 *****
