Lecture Notes: Shakespeare's 'The Seven Ages' from 'As You Like It'

Introduction

• William Shakespeare, lived ~400 years ago, globally recognized.
• Known for his sonnets and plays.
• As You Like It is a popular comedy.
  • Believed to be set in France.
  • Explores themes like rivalry, love, human life, intrigue, urban vs. rural life.

'The Seven Ages' Monologue

• Delivered by character Jacques in Act 2, Scene 7.
• One of Shakespeare's most quoted speeches.
• Key Quote: "All the world’s a stage..."

Breakdown of 'The Seven Ages'

• First Stage: Infancy

  • Infant who cries and vomits, dependent on others.

• Second Stage: Childhood

  • Schoolboy, reluctant to attend school, facing life’s discipline.

• Third Stage: Adolescence/Early Youth

  • Lover, writes poems to beloved.

• Fourth Stage: Youth/Early Adulthood

  • Soldier, seeks fame, quick to quarrel, physically strong.

• Fifth Stage: Middle Age

  • Pot-bellied man, mature, socially influential, acts as a judge.

• Sixth Stage: Old Age

  • Lean, poor eyesight, weakening physical abilities.

• Seventh Stage: Extreme Old Age

  • Second childhood, dependent again, forgetful, loss of senses.

Themes and Symbolism

• Life as a cycle: Birth to death, passing through stages.
• Physical and psychological changes over time.
• Metaphor of life as a theatrical play.
  • "World as a stage," people as actors, life’s roles limited to seven phases.
  • Entrances and exits symbolize birth and death.

Literary Devices

• Similes: "creeping like snail," "sighing like furnace."
• Alliteration examples: "place and part," "well world wide," "shrunk shank."
• Repetition: Emphasizes the decline in old age with "Sans teeth, Sans eyes, Sans taste, Sans everything."

Conclusion

• Metaphors highlight mortality and the inevitability of death.
• The poem reflects on life’s transient nature and the roles people play before eventually facing oblivion.

[End of Notes]