Stages
The Seven Ages.
By
William Shakespeare
About The Poet
William Shakespeare was born in
Stratford-upon-Avon, on April 23,
1564 and died in 1616. He is
considered by many to be the
greatest dramatist of all time. He
wrote a book 154 sonnets, two long
narrative poems and about three
dozen plays. Shakespeare used
poetic and dramatic means to create
unified aesthetic effects. In verse he
perfected the dramatic blank verse.
This extract is taken from
Shakespeare’s Play ‘As You Like It’
World’s a stage
• 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.
The Infant –First Stage
• At first the infant, mewling and puking in
the nurse’s arms.
School Boy-Second Stage
• Then the whining school boy, with his
satchel.
• And shining morning face, creeping like
snail unwillingly to school.
The Lover-Youth-Third Stage
• And then the lover,sighing like furnace,
• With a woeful ballad
• Made to his mistress’s eyebrow.
Soldier-Fourth Stage
• 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.
Middle Age-The Justice-Fifth Stage
• And then the justice,
• In fair round belly with
•
•
•
good capon lined,
With eyes severe and
beard of formal cut ,
Full of wise saws
(sayings) and modern
instances.
And so he plays his
part.
Sixth Stage-Old age
• The sixth age shifts into the lean
•
•
•
•
and slippered pantaloon.
With spectacles on nose and pouch
on side
His youth hose,well saved a world
too wide
Forhis shrunk shank;and his big
manly voice,
Turning again towards childish
treble,pipes and whistles in his
sound
Seventh Stage-Second Childishness
• Last scene of all
• That ends this strange eventful history,
• Is second childishness, and mere oblivion,
• Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans
everything
WORD MEANING
1.mewling: crying
2.puking: being sick, vomiting
3.satchel: a small bag, for carrying school book
4.woeful: very sad
5.oaths: solemn promises
6.pard: leopard (a symbol of fierceness in Shakespeare’s time)
7.cannon: a big gun that fired cannon-balls made of iron
8.justice: judge
9.capon: a male chicken, very big and fat
10.saws: saying
11.slippered: wearing slippers(indoor shoes)
12.pantaloon: a funny old man, on whom other
people play tricks
13.pouch: a soft fold of loose skin that hangs
down, as a result of illness or old age
14.hose: tight-fitting leg coverings
15.shank: legs from the knees to the ankle
16.treble: a high voice
17.oblivion: forgetting everything, and being
forgotten by everybody
18.sans: (pronounced like sone) a French word
meaning without
LITERARY DEVICES USED BY
THE POET;
• METAPHORS—IMPLIED COMPARISONS
•
• ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE.
• THE WHINING SCHOOL BOY.
• IN SECOND CHILDISHNESS
SIMILE;
• 1.CREEPING LIKE A SNAIL
• SIGHING LIKE A FURNACE.
• BEARDED LIKE A PARD.
Some of his important works
are :
• MACBETH
• ROMEO AND JULIET
• AS YOU LIKE IT
• THE SEVEN AGES is an extract from
• AS YOU LIKE IT.
MESSAGE;
Dear friends, Life is a journey,Life
is a gift, make the best use of it.
Remember we have only one Life
to live, Love yourself-Respect the
stages of life as you grow live your
life to the fullest.
“What you are is God’s gift to you
What you become is your gift to
God.”
COMPREHENSION:
1What is life compared to in the poem
SEVEN AGES ?
• 2.List the stages of life given in the poem
•
according to your
Choice .
• 3 .Give examples of literary devices used by
the poet .
• HOME WORK----•
• Make a similar power point presentation
comparing life to the four seasons in a year.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT S :
• I Thank the,Principal for giving me this opportunity for
presenting the power point.
I also wish to thank my colleagues for their
co-operation
Thank You