William Shakespeare was one of the great English poets and dramatists of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century. The speech called "The Seven Ages of Man", often wrongly called a poem or a song, is from his play 'As You Like It' which in the play is said by the melancholy philosopher Jacques in response to a remark by Duke Senior to the effect that there are those in this great stage of life who are worse off than we are. Whether life progresses in a straight line or in a circle is a question still remaining unanswered satisfactorily by philosophers. A point in a straight line will never be repeated, and the feelings and passions attached to that particular moment can never be enjoyed anymore. But a circle is the only figure where every point flies straight forward along its tangent and at the same ends where it starts. If life progresses in a circle, the feelings and passions attached to a particular age certainly can be gone through and experienced again in life after a time as illustrated in this song, the old age being an exact replica of the infancy. But it has to be agreed that Jacques' description of the various stages of man's life is rather cynical. And so he intends it to be. He intends to refute Duke Senior's optimistic comment.
Man's history on earth seems to be pitiful and comic. He has seven distinct stages in his life in this world which appears as characters one after the other in a play. Infant, school boy, lover, soldier, magistrate, old man and the dying man-all these parts are played by us one after another on the stage that is this world, unless untimely called back to the place where we came from.
Jaques makes this speech to Duke Senior, who has just remarked that some people are worse off than they are and who has made the comparison of the world and a stage.
the seven ages of man by william shakespear about justice and solider
As you Like It
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"Shrunk shank" is the best.
It is pretty hard to describe them better than Shakespeare already did.
In the words "The seven ages of man" there are seven syllables.
The seven ages of man.
The Seven Ages of Man - 1914 is rated/received certificates of: UK:U
Justice
the seven ages of man by william shakespear about justice and solider
As you Like It
Ggg
there is no specific meter
Ggg
The cast of Seven Ages of Man - 1975 includes: Lesley Blair as herself Charmian Dore as herself Hedley Kaye as himself
"Mewling and puking" comes to mind.
It's not a poem, it's a speech. And can't you imagine what the man looks like during the seven stages of his life?