The Seven Ages of Man by William Shakespeare
The Seven Ages Of Man
by William Shakespeare
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and 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 towards 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.
🐾🐾🐾🐾
Answer the following questions in about 10-20 words each:
1.
Who is compared with a leopard?
Answer:
A soldier is compared with a leopard because he is agile, energetic and fast as
a rapid.
2.
What is the role of a nurse?
Answer:
A nurse takes care of an infant. She looks after the child.
3.
Who sighs like a furnace?
Answer:
A lover sighs like a furnace. The lover is full of emotions for his beloved.
4. At
what stage does a man wear spectacle at his nose?
Answer:
In the sixth stage, a man wears spectacles on his stage. He is a pantaloon.
Answer the following questions in about 20-30 words each:
1.
What is the importance of the repetition of the word ‘sans’?
Answer:
‘Sans’ means without. Repetition of the word ‘sans’ is significant because it
brings home the idea of the second childishness (without teeth, without eyes,
without taste etc.).
2. Do
you find any melancholy reference in the poem?
Answer:
The description of the last stage of a man’s life is melancholy. We will pity
for the helpless man.
3.
Pick out similes from the poem.
Answer: Examples of similes:- creeping like a snail; sighing like a furnace; bearded like the pard etc.
Answer the following questions in about 60-80 words each:
1.
Describe the salient features of all the seven stages of a man’s life.
Answer:
In the first stage a man is helpless child in the arms of a nurse. In the next
stage he is seen as a school boy unwilling moving to his school. In the third
stage he is lover; he impatiently sighs for his beloved. In the fourth stage,
he is a soldier. He becomes violent and is ready to quarrel for honour. The
fifth stage is the age of judge. He has a round belly and grows fat on capons
received as bribe. In the sixth stage, he becomes a thin comic figure due to
his appearance. The seventh stage is the second childishness:- without teeth;
without eyes; without taste etc.
2.
Pick out the use of metaphors from the text.
Answer:
Definition of Metaphor:
Metaphor
is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison
between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common
characteristics. In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or
different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics.
Use
of metaphors in the text:-
(a)
All the world’s a stage.
(b)
All the men and women merely players.
(c)
Shining morning face.
(d)
The bubble reputation.
3.
How does the poem represent a mature view of life?
Answer:
“The Seven Ages of Man” is an excerpt from Shakespeare’s play As You Like It.
The poem begins with a phrase, ‘All the world’s a stage’ which is very famous
all over the world.
In this poem, Shakespeare compares life to a stage and
has divided life into seven stages each having its own varied qualities and
features. Shakespeare wants to render a message through his poem, “The Seven
Ages of Man” that men and women are ‘merely players’ in the drama of life. They
are termed as ‘merely players’ because no one lives forever but plays his or
her part and departs. At birth, they enter a stage and during death, they leave
it. Man passes through seven phases of life in accordance with their age.
4. Explain
how all the world is a stage in the context of the poem.
And/or
5. Discuss Shakespeare as a
minute observer of human nature.
Answer: Shakespeare considers the world a stage and
men and women actors on the stage of life. They play seven roles according to
their age. The first stage, as described by the poet, is the infant who is
being carried by a nurse. The infant cries and vomits all the time. Later, that
infant grows into a schoolboy, not willing to attend school which is the fourth
stage of a man’s life. The third stage is that of a lover who is lost in his
thoughts of love. The lover writes poetry to his lady’s beauty. In the fourth
stage, as he grows older, he joins the army and becomes a soldier. He is
physically fit and is aggressive, short-tempered and ambitious in nature. The
fifth stage shows that with maturity and wisdom, the family man becomes a
judge. He is a fair, healthy man full of wisdom. His look is authoritative and
he advises people. The sixth stage is about the man who has grown old and is
seen in a pantaloon and spectacles. His authoritative voice has grown weak and
his voice trembles as he talks. The last stage is about the senile man who
loses his teeth, his vision and his hearing. After this, the man part in the
play ends and he exits from the stages of his life forever.
Stanza:
(a) Last scene of all
That
ends this strange eventful history
Is
second childishness and mere oblivion
Sans
teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
(i)
Why is this stage called ‘the last scene’?
Answer:
This is the last stage of a man’s life so the poet calls ‘the last scene’.
(ii)
What is the meaning of the word ‘sans’?
Answer:
‘Sans’ means ‘without’.
Thankyou sir
ReplyDeleteVery easy to understand 👍