Poetry Analysis

Poetry

The poem, "The Seven Stages of Man," by William Shakespeare, is a poem about the seven stages of life and how life in its entirety, is like a play. The first four lines essentially set the stage for the poem. Shakespeare wrote, "all the men and women are merely players(2)." He is really saying that were are only actors on the stage of the world. We enter we are born and exit when we die. In the following two lines Shakespeare describes the first stage if life, infancy. The Shakespeare describes babies as only "mewling and puking (4)". His description shows his distaste in being in that stage. The next stage of the "whining schoolboy (7)." The boy is reluctant to go to school which may represent the unwillingness to grow up and mature. The next stage is the "lover(8)". In this stage of man is describe as very romantic and emotional. He writes, "Sighing like furnace(10)," that metaphor is most likely referring to the heavy breathing of a lover who is overwhelmed with emotion. The mentioning of a furnace also may refer to love being like a flame, never the same and it has an insatiable appetite. A solider is the next stage. "A solider" may not mean military personnel. It means any kind of self supporting job. On line 14 and 15 Shakespeare uses two metaphors to describe being a soldiers as, "Seeking the bubble reputation. Even in the cannon's mouth(14,15)." The bubble reputation is describing how fast your rise in what ever job you may have and how fast it can "pop" on you. The second metaphor is how committed man is in this stage. Being a "justice(15)" is the next part of life. In this stage Shakespeare describes physical changes. "With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances (17,18)." The physical changes are how eyes are more stern and the beard symbolizes the professionalism of this stage of life. Also, man has more to offer, like wisdom and advise for the younger people, in this part of life. The stage of second childhood is next. It is very similar to childhood. Man can't see very well, man's voice becomes more high pitched, and man becomes less mobile. This quote from line 22 and 23 mean that man can't move as well in this stage because man's legs have shrunk. " A world too wide, for his shrunk shank (22,23)." The seventh and final stage is death. Shakespeare writes, "Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything (28)." Sans in french means without. Shakespeare is saying that in the end you can't eat or speak, see and everything is let go. "The Seven Stages of Man," by William Shakespeare explains our roles in life's grand performance.