“The seven ages of man” William Shakespeare

In your opinion, how much control do people have over their lives?

“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.” Discussion Questions: In what situations are people like actors playing a part? E.g. jobs or family life What “exits” and “entrances” do people make in life? We exit at death and enter at birth. We also enter and exit various stages of life.

Group activity Read the section of the poem your group has been given. Discuss the section with your group to determine which “age” is being discussed. Record a new title for that “age.” Discuss the characteristics of that “age.” You should discuss physical traits as well as personality traits. Record the characteristics.

Guided Reading questions Who is the speaker? What play does this poem come from? In what ways are people like actors playing a part? What “entrances” and “exits” do people make in life? The speaker’s view is that men and women are “merely players” (2). Is he a pessimist or a realist? Explain. Reread lines 5-9. Notice how Jacques describes the infant and the schoolboy. What do these descriptions reveal about his attitude toward childhood? 1. Who is the speaker? Jacques What play does this poem come from? As You Like It 3. In what ways are people like actors playing a part? Students may mention jobs or family life. What “entrances” and “exits” do people make in life? Possible answer: We exit at death and enter at birth; we also enter and exit various stages in life The speaker’s view is that men and women are “merely players” (line2). Is he a pessimist or a realist? Explain. Some students may argue that Jacques is overly pessimistic because life involves more than just acting out a predetermined role. Others may argue that Jacques has a realistic view of our place in the world. Reread lines 5-9. Notice how Jacques describes the infant and the schoolboy. What do these descriptions reveal about his attitude toward childhood? Jacques’s description of the infant as “Mewling and puking” (lines 5-6) and the schoolboy as “whining” and “creeping like snail unwillingly to school” (lines 7 and 8-9) show his negative attitude toward childhood.

Guided Reading questions List 3 possible themes of this poem. Extended Metaphor The speaker compares the world to a stage. What does this comparison imply about the speaker’s view of life? Do you agree that the speaker has a gloomy outlook on life? Support your answer with details from his dramatic monologue. What else can you infer about Jacques from his speech? Making Judgments Which of Jacques’s seven ages of man do you think is the worst? Make a list of 5-10 words that best describe the outlook of the speaker. List possible themes of this poem. life, the stages of life, fate is predetermined Extended Metaphor The speaker compares the world to a stage. What does this comparison imply about the speaker’s view of life? The comparison implies that the speaker believes that people just play prescribed roles, with each role dictated by a given stage of life.  Do you agree that the speaker has a gloomy outlook on life? Support your answer with details from his dramatic monologue. What else can you infer about Jacques from his speech? His gloomy outlook is suggested by the ridicule he heaps upon man at each of his seven ages, from the puking infant to the debilitated old man; readers can infer that Jacques respects few people, if any.  Making Judgments Which of Jacques’s seven ages of man do you think is the worst? opinion  Make a list of words that best describe the outlook of the speaker. gloomy, melancholy

1. infancy "At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms." Group #1: At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;   Group #2: And then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. Group #3: And then the lover,   Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Group #4: 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. Group #5: 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. Group #6: The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered 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. Group #7: Last scene of all,       That ends this strange eventful history,       Is second childishness and mere oblivion,       Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

2. School boy "Then the whining schoolboy with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school."   Group #2: And then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school.

3. lover "And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow."   Group #3: And then the lover,   Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow.

4. soldier "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."   Group #4: 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.

5. justice "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."   Group #5: 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.

6. pantaloon "The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered 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."   Group #6: The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered 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.

7. Old man "Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."   Group #7: Last scene of all,       That ends this strange eventful history,       Is second childishness and mere oblivion,       Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Dramatic monologue dramatic monologue – a poem in which the speaker addresses a silent or absent listener, as if engaged in a private conversation; the speaker often reveals his or her own feelings, attitudes, motivations, and character traits in a moment of high intensity or deep emotion

Mr. Negative Jacques has nothing good to say about people at any stages of life. Look back at each stage and list positive ideas about what goes on during these stages. You should have three items for each stage. Stage 1: Infancy 1. Extension activity

Cooperative Learning activity: Renaming the stages List the seven “ages” of life according to the speaker. Some are a little out-dated, so adjust and rename those “ages” that do not occur as much anymore. You are not to omit any stages; however, you are to create new names for certain stages. For each “age” that you alter, explain why you are changing it and the importance of the new title.

Extension Activities Is Jacques a pessimist or optimistic? Write a well developed response with evidence to support your claim. Remember that your first sentence is the main idea and should describe what you are attempting to prove. What is the extended metaphor in this poem? What does this comparison imply about the speaker’s view of life?