Mewling and puking in the nurse s arms. Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

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Jennifer Roberta Fields
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1 SEVEN THE AGES OF MAN BYWILLIAMSHAKESPEARE Directions: Read through this famous poem twice. On your first time through the text, make sure you understand the points the writer is trying to make. On the second pass through the text, mark phrases that you like, parts that you disagree with, and anything that leaves you confused. After everyone is done quietly reading and marking his/her own paper, we ll come back together as a class to discuss the poem and its meaning. Be prepared to offer at least two comments to our group annotation of the poem. 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. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse s arms. And then the whining school-boy, 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, 1 Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation 2 Even in the cannon s mouth. And then the justice, 3 In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, 4 Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts 5 Into the lean and slipper d pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side, His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, 6 Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. 1. leopard 2. judge 3. fattened chicken 4. old sayings 5. silly old man 6. without

2 KEY

3 7 Questions About The Seven Ages of Man 1. Look back over the poem and write down the seven roles that Shakespeare says each of us will play in life. All you need to write for this question is a list of the seven ages/acts of a man s life. 2. What simile does Shakespeare use to describe the schoolboy? Does this comparison still fit children today? Does it fit you? 3. When describing the soldier, Shakespeare describes reputation as a bubble. What s his message to the reader here? 4. According to the poem, what s the most noticable way that elderly people begin to resemble small children? Write the line from the poem that supports your answer. 5. Some people would argue that there are not just seven ages that we pass through in our lives, but that we also play several roles within each day, altering ourselves depending on our company. What roles do you find yourself playing? When are you truly your full self? 6. Shakespeare most likely wrote these lines in Do his seven ages still apply to people today? If so, what does this show us about humanity? If not, what new or different stages do you think would better reflect the life path of people today? 7. This poem, taken from the play As You Like It, is an example of an extended metaphor. Shakespeare takes the idea of life being a stage and people being actors on that stage (the metaphor) and extends the comparison throughout the poem. In the Seven Wheels of Mankind illustration (below), the artist makes a similar visual metaphor about age and our modes of travel. Make up your own metaphor about the cycle of life. Your metaphor can be a straight-forward paragraph explanation, a poem, or even a drawing. Use your imagination as you create your comparison. 7 Questions About The Seven Ages of Man 1. Look back over the poem and write down the seven roles that Shakespeare says each of us will play in life. All you need to write for this question is a list of the seven ages/acts of a man s life. 2. What simile does Shakespeare use to describe the schoolboy? Does this comparison still fit children today? Does it fit you? 3. When describing the soldier, Shakespeare describes reputation as a bubble. What s his message to the reader here? 4. According to the poem, what s the most noticable way that elderly people begin to resemble small children? Write the line from the poem that supports your answer. 5. Some people would argue that there are not just seven ages that we pass through in our lives, but that we also play several roles within each day, altering ourselves depending on our company. What roles do you find yourself playing? When are you truly your full self? 6. Shakespeare most likely wrote these lines in Do his seven ages still apply to people today? If so, what does this show us about humanity? If not, what new or different stages do you think would better reflect the life path of people today? 7. This poem, taken from the play As You Like It, is an example of an extended metaphor. Shakespeare takes the idea of life being a stage and people being actors on that stage (the metaphor) and extends the comparison throughout the poem. In the Seven Wheels of Mankind illustration (below), the artist makes a similar visual metaphor about age and our modes of travel. Make up your own metaphor about the cycle of life. Your metaphor can be a straight-forward paragraph explanation, a poem, or even a drawing. Use your imagination as you create your comparison.

4 The Seven Ages of Man ANSWER KEY 1. Look back over the poem and write down the seven roles that Shakespeare says each of us will play in life. All you need to write for this question is a list of the seven ages/acts of a man s life. 1. Infant 2. Schoolboy 3. Lover 4. Soldier 5. Judge 6. An old fool 7. A second childhood/death 2. What simile does Shakespeare use to describe the schoolboy? Does this comparison still fit children today? Does it fit you? Shakespeare says the boy creeps like snail unwillingly to school. Students answers will vary on the second and third questions, but most students will admit that they are not always thrilled to return to school. I like to point out to my students that Shakespeare wrote this poem more than 400 years ago, but not much has changed when it comes to students opinions about school or about the different phases we pass through in our lives. 3. When describing the soldier, Shakespeare describes reputation as a bubble. What s his message to the reader here? By using the word bubble, Shakespeare implies that our reputations are thin, delicate, and really nothing but air. We care so much about our reputations (or, making a name for ourselves in the world), yet Shakespeare tries to warn the reader that this is a foolish priority. Reputations are as insubstantial as bubbles, quickly popping and disappearing. He implies that soldiers in search of glory on the battlefield die for foolish reasons. 4. According to the poem, what s the most noticable way that elderly people begin to resemble small children? Write the line from the poem that supports your answer. It is an elderly person s voice that first seems to take on child-like qualities. The line that shows this is:...and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound. 5. Some people would argue that there are not just seven ages that we pass through in our lives, but that we also play several roles within each day, altering ourselves depending on our company. What roles do you find yourself playing? When are you truly your full self? Students answers will vary, but most write about playing the role of daughter/son, student, and friend. Most students say they alter themselves/play roles for different situations. Answers will also vary for the final question, though most teens say they are fully themselves when they are with true friends or when they are alone. This question makes for a good class discussion and I also share that I play different roles (teacher/wife/ mother/friend) but that none of those roles are the full picture of who I am. 6. Shakespeare most likely wrote these lines in Do his seven ages still apply to people today? If so, what does this show us about humanity? If not, what new or different stages do you think would better reflect the life path of people today? Answers will vary. This question always makes for a compelling class discussion and students enjoy creating their own more-modern stages of life. 7. This poem, taken from the play As You Like It, is an example of an extended metaphor. Shakespeare takes the idea of life being a stage and people being actors on that stage (the metaphor) and extends the comparison throughout the poem. In the Seven Wheels of Mankind illustration (below), the artist makes a similar visual metaphor about age and our modes of travel. Make up your own metaphor about the cycle of life. Your metaphor can be a straight-forward paragraph explanation, a poem, or even a drawing. Use your imagination as you create your comparison. Students creations will vary widely. For those who struggle, I often suggest they use a garden or a 12-month calendar as their element for comparison to the stages of life. You ll definitely want to have students share their extended metaphors in small groups of three or four and then have a few volunteers share the strongest examples with the full class.

5 Bonus Video Links After the close reading of the poem, you may want to share a video version of Shakespeare s words. This one is my favorite that I ve found, with the BBC s Larry Lamb narrating the lines: If you prefer a more epic, glossy performance, the BBC also used the poem performed by Benedict Cumberbatch to promote its catalog of programs:

UNDERGRADUATE II YEAR

UNDERGRADUATE II YEAR SUBJECT: English Poetry TOPIC: ALL THE WORLD S A STAGE Duration: 22:25 min William Shakespeare ALL THE WORLD S A STAGE Introduction to William Shakespeare William Shakespeare is considered