Class 9 Poem The Seven Ages Summary, Explanation Notes

 

 

CBSE Class 9 English Poem The Seven Ages Summary, Explanation and Question Answers from Literature Reader (Communicative) Book

The Seven Ages Class 9 – CBSE Class 9 English Literature Reader (Communicative) Book Poem The Seven Ages Summary and detailed explanation of the Poem along with the meanings of difficult words. All the exercises and Questions and Answers given at the back of the lesson have been covered.

 

Class 9 English Literature Reader Poem – The Seven Ages
By William Shakespeare

• The Seven Ages Introduction
• The Seven Ages Summary
• Video Explanation of The Seven Ages
• The Seven Ages Poem Explanation
• The Seven Ages Question Answers

The Seven Ages Introduction

In this poem the poet discusses a man’s life and the various parts of it which according to him are ‘Seven Ages’. He compares life to a play. Just like in a play all the actors appear on the stage and perform their specified roles, similarly, he says that man also comes into this world upon his birth, performs his roles which are seven different roles and after that leaves the world upon his death.

Top

The Seven Ages Summary

The scenes in a play are compared to seven ages in a man’s life. A man performs seven different roles on the worldly stage. His birth marks his entry on the stage. The first stage is that of a newborn infant who is crying and vomiting in his mother’s arms. The second stage is that of a school-going boy who is bright but sad as he is forced to go to school. The third stage is that of a young boy, a teenager who is infatuated towards a girl. He sings sad romantic songs in her praise. The fourth age is that of a soldier who is angry and brave. He is ready to die but wants to immortalise himself. The fifth stage is of a wise man who is a judge. He is full of wisdom and advice. The next, sixth stage is that of an old man who is mocked at by youngsters. His pants have loosened for him and his voice is gradually becoming childish. The last, seventh stage is an infirm, extremely old man. He is like a baby, this is his second forgetfulness, and loses his teeth and vision. Finally a man exits the
worldly stage upon his death.

Top

Video Explanation of The Seven Ages

 

Top

Poem Explanation

Poem:
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,
His acts being seven ages.

Explanation:
The poet tells us that the world is a stage or a platform where people act or display their talents to the audience. All humans are nothing but players or actors who play a specific role. Like in a movie or a show, a character is first introduced and finally, the character dies. Similarly, in real life as well, we humans enter the world through birth and exit the world through death. This line can also be interpreted in the sense that we keep on entering and leaving one world or one’s life. The poet also states that a human can also play multiple roles on the stage. In a movie or a show, an actor can play a character which has more than one personality with different names and characteristics. In real life, a married woman with children plays the roles of mother and wife. The poet says that the acts or the roles vary with time. He has categorised the roles in seven ages, meaning that as we go from one age to another, humans tend to face a shift in their roles.

Poem:
At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in
the nurse’s arms.

Word meanings:
mewling: crying
puking: being sick, vomiting
nurse: caretaker

Explanation:
The first stage is described to be that of an infant, whose role is to cry in order to give the signal that he or she is hungry or is sleepy. It vomits and is sick during this stage, meaning that the first age is when the human being is physically weak and helpless. It needs the support of a caretaker.

Poem:
Then the whining schoolboy,
with his satchel
And shining morning face,
creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.

Word meaning:
satchel: a small bag, for carrying school books

Explanation:
The second age is when a human carries out the role of a student who whines and complains about school. The student carries a small bag containing the school books. The face is glowing with sleepiness and fatigue as the student has to wake up early to reach school. The student moves as slow as a snail while dragging his feet as he goes to school against his wishes. The student wishes to stay at home and relax and play instead of studying.

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

Word meanings:
furnace: a very hot place
woeful: very sad
ballad: a slow sentimental or romantic song

Explanation:
The third part of the life cycle is youth, when humans fall in love. Their faces are bright red with excitement and it looks as if smoke would come out if they would sigh. They sing a sad romantic song to express their love to the one they desire and how sad they would be if their love would not get accepted.

Poem:
Then a soldier.
Full of strange oaths,
and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour,
sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation.
Even in the cannon’s mouth.

Word meanings:
oaths: solemn promises
pard: leopard (a symbol of fierceness in Shakespeare’s time)
reputation: fame, image
cannon: a big gun that fired cannon-balls made of iron

Explanation:
The fourth age is of youthful soldiers, when humans are full of strange promises and ideals. They are as fierce, dedicated and courageous as a leopard. They have traits such as jealousy, impulsiveness and hot-headedness. At this phase of their lives, they all are in a rat race, where they fight against each other in order to emerge victorious and come on top. They seek fame even in the most dangerous situations, such as looking into a cannon’s mouth when it is being fired.

Poem:
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.

Word meanings:
justice: judge
capon: a male chicken, very big and fat
saws: sayings

Explanation:
The fifth age is when humans become a judge. They have a huge round belly and so they look like a well-fed and huge chicken. The eyes look serious and they have a fancy beard. They are full of wise sayings accompanied by various examples which they have gathered from the experiences of life. Therefore, they believe they know everything that goes on in this world and try to lead the younger men and women by using the wise sayings and citing various instances.

Poem:
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.

Word meanings:
slippered : wearing slippers (indoor shoes)
pantaloon: a vicious old man wearing a loose fitting garment for hips and legs
pouch: a soft fold of loose skin that hangs down, as a result of illness or old age
hose: tight-fitting leg coverings
shank: legs from the knee to the ankle; frame
treble: a high voice

Explanation:
The sixth age is when humans become relaxed and enter old age. They wear comfortable clothes like slippers and loose bottoms. They have spectacles right on the bridge of their nose, meaning that even though they are wearing glasses they are not using it to see anything. They have a soft fold of loose skin which is hanging down from the face due to old age. He does not wear his tight leggings anymore as the tights are too loose for him, meaning that he has shrunk or has lost a lot of weight due to old age. His deep, manly voice too has changed to a high-pitched voice due to old age. He now sounds as if he speaks in trebles or has a pipe or a whistle in his voice-box.

Poem:
Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Word meanings:
oblivion: forgetting everything, and being forgotten by everybody
sans: (pronounced like sone) a French word meaning without

Explanation:
The last age is when a human’s life is coming to an end. In other words, it is the age which is commonly known as old age. It is the age full of humans being childish and helpless like in the very first ages. It is the stage when we forget about everything around us, meaning our brain is becoming too weak to process and recollect information. We also get forgotten, as the rest of the world moves on and carries out their respective roles, they do not take the effort to care for the humans who are in the last or old age. This reflects the nature of children and grandchildren who neglect their parents or grandparents in order to do the rest of their roles perfectly. People at this age tend to live without their teeth, eyes, taste buds and loved ones, meaning that they not only lose their physical features but also everyone in their family.

Poetic Devices
1. Free verse – the poem does not follow any rhyme.
2. Alliteration – “shrunk shank”
3. Repetition- “They have their exits and their entrances” and “Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”
4. Metaphor – “All the world’s a stage”, “And all the men and women merely players: ” and “Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”
5. Simile – “creeping like snail”
6. Hyperbole – “Even in the cannon’s mouth”

Top

The Seven Ages Question Answers

Exercises

Q1. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by selecting the correct choice
(a) All the world’s a stage is an extended metaphor for ________.
(i) the life shown in well known plays.
(ii) seeing the well known plays.
(iii) life of well known actors.
(iv) life of man that comes to an end.
Ans. (iv) life of man that comes to an end.

(b) All ‘have their exits and their entrances’. Exits and entrances refer to ________.
(i) birth and death
(ii) beginning and end of play
(iii) coming and going of actors
(iv) death and birth
Ans. (i) birth and death

(c) The seven roles that a man plays correspond to his
(i) chronological age in life
(ii) desires
(iii) mental development through life
(iv) idea of a perfect life
Ans. (iii) mental development through life

Q2. Having read this extract, identify the stages of a person’s life as Shakespeare has done. Write down these stages in your notebook, and sum up the characteristics of each stage in two or three words. e.g.

Ans.

Q3. Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct option.

(a) 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,
His acts being seven ages.

1. And one man in his time plays many parts……
Replace the underlined word with the correct option which has the same meaning as used in the given lines.
A. scenes
B. roles
C. jobs.
D. tasks.
Ans. B. roles

2. The word ‘merely’ reveals that the poet regards/views human life as ________.
A. impressive
B. inconsequential
C. magnificent
D. uninspiring
Ans. D. uninspiring

3. Pick the option that does not match with the poetic device used in the phrase ‘All the world’s a stage’.
A. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
B. The lightning was fireworks in the sky.
C. Heavy is the heart that wears the crown.
D. The movie was a roller coaster ride of emotions.
Ans. A. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

(b) 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.

1. The tone of the poet in line
‘His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank’
is largely
A. nostalgic
B. humorous
C. pessimistic
D. regretful
Ans. A. nostalgic

2. Select the option that displays the changes that very old age witnesses.
i. Round belly
ii. Full of wisdom
iii. Loss of vigour
iv. Lean & bony
v Hoarse voice

A. i, iii, iv
B. ii, iii, v
C. ii, iii, iv
D. iii, iv, v
Ans. D. iii, iv, v

Q4. You already know the two literary devices generally used by writers and poets for comparison, i.e. metaphor and simile.
e.g. a) He was a lion in the battle. (metaphor)
b) He fought like a lion. (simile)

In (a) the writer talks of the soldier in terms of a lion. The comparison is implied. In (b) the writer compares the soldier to a lion with the use of the word like, (as may also be used for such comparisons).
Read the poem again and note down the metaphors and similes. Complete the following chart.

Ans.

Q5. In this poem, life is being compared to a play. Just as in a play, a man acts many parts, so also in life, a man plays many roles. Can you think of some other comparison for life? (For example, life could be compared with the seasons in nature, the days of the week, the lessons in a school day.) Select one of these comparisons (or choose one of your own), and write about the similarities that life has with it. (80-100 words)
Ans. In the poem, “The Seven Ages” by William Shakespeare, we see that life is being compared to a play. In a play, a man acts many parts, which is similar to life, when a man carries out many roles. This is conceptually similar to the different seasons in nature. Spring is the season of birth and beginnings. In this season, we see that flowers bloom, trees grow out new branches, and butterflies fly and surround the pretty flowers. Everything is colourful and cheerful. It is also the season when we experience spells of rain. Therefore, spring represents infancy and childhood, the beginning of a new life. The rain represents the whining and vulnerability of infants and children. The flowers and butterflies represent cheerfulness, curiosity, imagination, and innocence. The next season is summer. This is the season when the weather is extremely hot. People look for ways to avoid the sun and the heat. Therefore, summer represents the period of adolescence. Due to hormonal fluctuations, and the changes in our body, we experience mood swings. Hence, we tend to lash out, even at those we really love. At this stage, we are also exploring our passion. The next season is Autumn. This season offers rain and strong winds. Leaves mature and fall from the trees. The flowers stop blooming. This is the stage of adulthood. At this stage, we can see the truth behind life and see that life is not a bed of roses. It represents the hardships and difficulties of adulthood as we try to form relationships and establish a financially stable life. We are also preparing for old age, so that we can live comfortably when we become old. It represents maturity. The next season is Winter. It is the season of cold and stillness, when everything is buried under snow. Several animals go into hibernation. Hence, winter represents the stage of old age. We do not move much, and desire a comfortable, relaxed life with a soft bed and a hot cup of tea. We are calm and wise, with our hair turning snow white.

Top