The document summarizes William Shakespeare's poem "The Seven Ages of Man" from his play "As You Like It". The poem describes the seven stages of a man's life: 1) infancy, 2) school age, 3) lover, 4) soldier, 5) justice, 6) elderly gentleman, and 7) old age. Each stage is characterized by the experiences, behaviors and physical attributes associated with that period in a man's life journey from birth to death.

2. Ballad
A ballad is a song or songlike poem that tells
a story.
•The word ballad
originally derived from
an Old French word
meaning “dancing song.”
British Library, London
Illumination from a
French manuscript of
Romance of the Rose
(detail) (15thCentury).

3. Seven Ages Of Men
By : William
Shakespeare

4. William Shakespeare
• William Shakespeare (baptized 26
April 1564; died 23 April 1616)was an
English poet and playwright, widely
regarded as the greatest writer in the
English language and the world's pre-eminent
dramatist. He is often called
England's national poet and the "Bard
of Avon". His surviving works,
including some collaborations, consist
of about 38 plays,154 sonnets, two
long narrative poems, and several
other poems. His plays have been
translated into every major living
language and are performed more
often than those of any other
playwright.

5. Introduction To The Poem
• This poem is an extract from
Shakespeare’s play, ‘As You Like
It’. It is in the form of a speech by a
character named Jacques. In it,
Jacques compares the world to a
stage. On this stage, each man
plays the drama of his life. His
drama consists of seven acts.
These acts correspond to the seven
ages in a man’s life. They are : 1.
the infant, 2. the school boy, 3. the
lover, 4. the soldier, 5. the justice,
6. the elderly gentleman, and lastly
7. the old man at the door of death.
The poem analyses the
characteristics of each age.

6. Poem
• 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,

7. • Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a
soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the
pard,
Jealous in honor, 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 lined,
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

8. • Into the lean and slippers' pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on
side, His youthful hose well save's, 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.

9. The
World Is A
Stage
• The Seven Ages of Man’ is
taken from William
Shakespeare’s famous play,
‘As You Like It’ describes the
seven phases in a man’s life-from
childhood to old age. The
world is but a global stage and
all men and women presented
here are mere puppets in the
hands of destiny. Just like the
infrastructures of a stage, the
world has its own entrances
and exits. Every man in his
full lifetime has many parts to
play. His total number of acts
in his lifetime is the seven
ages.

10. First Stage Of A Man’s Life
• The first and foremost
act of every human
being is the stage of
infancy, where he
makes his presence
felt by crying at the top
of his voice and many
a times vomiting any
food or drink that is
repulsive, at the
nursing arms of his
mother. This period
normally last till four
years of age.

11. Second Stage Of A Man’s
Life
• The second stage is the
‘whining’ schoolboy where
he learns to utter a
plaintive, high-pitched,
protracted sound, as in
pain, fear, supplication, or
complaint. His shiny
morning face and his
satchel; a small bag,
sometimes with a
shoulder strap; he creeps
like a snail and not willing
to go to school.

12. Third Stage Of A Man’s
Life
• The third stage is his early
youth, the peak of love .
He sighs like a burning
furnace and sings the sad
ballads of love ; full of
woe; affected with,
characterized by, or
indicating woe: woeful
melodies; to impress his
lover’s heart. The
impression of her reply
can be seen in her
eyebrows.

13. Forth Stage Of A Man’s Life
• The fourth stage is that
of a soldier where life if
full of obligations,
commitments,
compliances, oaths and
vows. His beard is like a
leopard or panther. He
endlessly fights for his
honor, a full presence of
mind which is sudden
and quick in quarrel and
a heart to maintain a
dignified reputation.

14. Fifth Stage Of A Man’s Life
• The fifth stage is the adult-hood
where a man tries to live a fair
and justified life. His belly
becomes bigger than normal.
He is conscious about his diet
and consumes a good intake.
His eyes are severe with
seriousness and his beard is
leveled to a formal cut. He is to
take a lot of correct decisions
to keep up with the ever
changing times. So this stage is
the most powerful stage in life.

15. Sixth Stage Of A Man’s
Life
• In this stage of life he is a thin and
weak old man and his strength
begins to weaken and spends more
time within the roof of his house.
He hangs his spectacles on his nose
for reading and all his youthful
hose; a flexible tube for conveying a
liquid, as water, to a desired point;
saved for the world too wide. His
shank begins to shrink with time;
the part of the lower limb in
humans between the knee and the
ankle; leg. Even his voice begins to
descend to a lower tone. In his free
time, he smokes his pipe and
whistles his matured melodies.

16. Seventh Stage Of A Man’s Life
• The last stage is the old-age
where he enters his second
childhood. It is also the
beginning of the end of his
eventful history. It is also the
stage of oblivion; the state of
being completely forgotten or
unknown; the state of
forgetting or of being
oblivious; official disregard
or overlooking of offenses; He
is without everything; without
teeth, eyes and taste.