As You Like It

Drama | William Shakespeare

What Are the Seven Stages in a Man’s Life in "As You Like It"?

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What are the seven stages in a man s life in As You Like It As You Like It by William Shakespeare - does not particularly outline the seven stages in a man's life In Act II Scene VII of the play Jacques does it In his famous speech he reflects on the various stages of human life These stages are not distinct to men they surround all humanity Here are the seven stages Infancy This is the first stage of human life Jaques describes the helplessness of an infant He shows the reliance of an infant on others for care and nourishment Here is a quotation to understand the point At first the infant Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms Childhood Childhood behaviour is presented here According to Jacques's speech we see the unwillingness of a schoolboy to take on his studies and responsibilities And then the whining

schoolboy with his satchel And shining morning face creeping like snail Unwillingly to school Youth This stage describes the emotional and lovestruck youth At this time they experience the intensity of romantic emotions Here is a quotation regarding this stage Sighing like furnace with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress' eyebrow Adulthood Jaques portrays the adult as a soldier They usually display pride courage and a readiness for conflict Let us study an extract from the text about this stage Then a soldier Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard Jealous in honor sudden and quick in quarrel Middle Age This period of human life shows a middle-aged person He is prosperous wise and perhaps arrogant His characteristics are evident in the following lines 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 Old Age Jaques represents old age as a weakness They wear slippers and glasses and carry a bag for their needs The following quotation should be explained to realize this stage The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon With spectacles on nose and pouch on side Senility or Second Childhood The final stage displays extreme old age In this era a man begins to lose his sensitive power He becomes weak and loses his physical and mental faculties This stage is described in the following lines Last scene of all That ends this strange eventful history Is second childishness and mere oblivion Sans teeth sans eyes sans taste sans everything nbsp In conclusion these stages show a man's journey from birth to death These Illustrate the different phases and changes a person experiences over time

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