Substance of the poem:
William Shakespeare compares the world to a stage and the men and women mere actors. As in a play they also have their exits and entrances is the stage of the world. He has divided man’s life into seven ages or stages.
The first stage is of an infant who cries, plays and vomits in the nurse’s arms. The second is of a school boy who unwillingly and slowly goes to the school with his bag. The third stage is of a youth who is a lover who composes poems to please his beloved.
In the fourth stage he plays the role of a soldier who is fearless has long beard and quickly quarrels with anyone. The fifth stage is of a justice who has a round belly and is properly shaved. He does not make hasty decisions and justifies his works.
In the sixth stage — he is a lean and weak man wearing loose pantaloons with a spectacle on his nose. His bass voice sinks into the piping and whistling tone of a child.
The last or the seventh stage is that of second childhood where he loses his memory, his teeth, eyesight, his taste, sense and everything.
Title of the Poem:
The very title of the poem, ‘The Seven Ages of Man’ signifies that the poem is about the different stages of human life. The poet compares human life to a play enacted on the stage of the world. So in reference to this, he describes the different roles that the human being has to play in his life. As an actor has to perform in different roles on the stage in a play, so a man has to enact different parts in his life-time. The poem highlights these very aspects of man’s life. The poem depicts the seven traditional spheres of life — the infant, the school-going boy, the young lover, the soldier, the dignified judge, the late middle-aged man and the old man. The poet also brings out the characteristics of all these stages. So in the light of these points, the title of the poem is quite appropriate.
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