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The Seven Ages of Man
The Seven Ages of Man
THE AGES:
Next, the educated youth is in the height of teenage Then the soldier, as he goes into middle-age, is seen as
when adolescence sets in. The erstwhile child now a judge passing on judgement and protecting the
weaves the dreams of love. He witnesses new changes people with law and order. This again is a
in his mind and body and feels differently than he’s generalization; the professions chosen by Shakespeare
done before. His heart is set on love and he pines for his in the dialogue are not necessarily how people lived
mistress. He writes and sings sad ballads for his their life, nor is it any indicator that the same order is
mistress, exalting her beauty and form. For the lover followed in the professions.
the world is all roses and cherry blossom; he sees
beauty in every aspect of life. This is the period in a
person’s life when he witnesses beauty and the feeling The justice is shown as round-bellied, well-to-do man;
of amorous love and infatuation. eating chicken which the speaker humorously says is
lined in his belly in the form of fat. His eyes are severe
and his beard is of a formal cut, which suggests his stern
We should also try not to forget here that the male lead nature. He is full of wisdom and modern examples
of the play Orlando is in the third age of his life. We can where they are relevant; he carries about his part
see it from the fact that he is deeply in love with imparting knowledge and carrying out the duty of
Rosalind who is the protagonist of the play, but is justice.
unsuccessful in expressing his love for her.
“All men and women are merely players.” Stage 5, Middle aged:/ Mid-life
Shakespeare says that all men and women are actors on He regards himself as wise and experienced and doesn’t
the stage of the world in the play of life. mind sharing his views and ideas with anyone and likes
making speeches. He’s made a name for himself and is
“They have their exits and entrances.”
prosperous and respected. As a result of his success
The speaker is talking about life and death and how he’s become vain. He enjoys the finer things of life, like
they are inevitable. What we should pay attention to good food.
here is the plural form of the words ‘exits’ and
‘entrances.’ The speaker isn’t talking only about life and
death. He is talking about human relationships as well.
People come and go in our lives, relations are made,
broken and re-established. Stage 6, Old man/ Senescence
“And one man in his time plays many parts. His acts He is old and nothing like his former self – physically or
being seven ages.” mentally. He looks and behaves like an old man, dresses
like one and he has a thin piping voice now. His
It means the different roles we play in life as a influence slips away.
child, a parent, a sibling, a spouse, etc. The latter part of
the line says that a person plays these several parts
stretched over seven acts which are seven different
Stage 7, Dotage and death:
ages. This is again a Play analogy. We see a clever
association between plays and life in this introductory He loses his mind in senility. His hair and teeth fall out
part of the dialogue. and his sight goes. Then he loses everything as he sinks
into the oblivion of death.
Man has no control over his life. His preordained
life has been written down and he has no control
over it. He must pass through each of the stages
before he leaves the stage of life. And before
death, he musts play his part/ serve as written in
the script.