Seven Ages of Man
by William Shakespeare
interpreted by Ryan Troeschel
the world's a stage,
all the men and women merely players:
have their exits and their entrances;
one man in his time plays many parts,
acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
and puking in the nurse's arms.
then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel,
shining morning face, creeping like a snail
to school. And then the lover,
like furnace, with a woeful ballad
to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
the bubble reputation
in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
fair round belly with good capon lined,
eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
of wise saws and modern instances;
so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
the lean and slippered pantaloon,
spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
youthful hose well saved, a world too wide
his shrunk shank; and his manly voice,
again toward childish treble, pipes
whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
ends this strange eventful history,
second childishness, and mere oblivion,
teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Poet: William Shakespeare was born on April
26, 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon. At an extremely young age, Shakespeare
showed interest in literature and eventually became an actor, dramatist,
and an English poet. Shakespeare created many comedic plays such as "The
Merry Wives of Windsor", "Much Ado About Nothing", and
"As You Like It". Shakespeare also wrote many tragedies such
as "Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear", and
"Macbeth". Shakespeare's sentences were usually fragmented or
contained inversions. His comedies usually show the character solving
problems in humorous ways, while his tragedies show the character dueling
with his fate. To Americans all around the world , Shakespeare is considered
the greatest poet and actor ever.
Vocabulary: mewling - whimpering, crying
like a baby.
- a leopard or panther.
- a roasted chicken.
- a thin, foolish old man.
- without, lacking.
Type of poem: This poem is a narrative.
Speaker: The speaker is a man who is familiar
with drama and is expressing his many philisophical ideas on life.
Audience: This poem is directed towards the general audience.
Tone: The tone of this poem is fairly calm
Meaning: This poem has a great meaning. It uses drama to symbolize
and portray life. It talks about the progression of life through time.
As time goes by, man changes greatly. From Shakespeare's eyes, life has
been divided into seven separate stages. He talks briefly about each of
these seven stages throughout all of this short, but powerful poem.
Structure of poem: The structure of this
poem is that of free verse.
Examples of poetic techniques used in the poem:
his shrunk shank;"
spectacles on nose and pouch on side"
the world's a stage,"
all the men and women merely players"
Connection between the poem and the poet's life and/or
times: Shakespeare show his great interest for literature in
this poem. He talks about a young boy and the seven stages he goes through
to become a man. He explains each stage briefly and then moves on to the
next. Shakespeare's life was similar to that of the young man's in the
poem. He was born and then went through stages to become what he was.
Most memorable quote from the poem: "All the world's stage,
And all the men and women merely players:"
© Smelli Notes 2001