Review of the poem "The seven Ages of Man"

Review  of  "The Seven Ages of Man"

The Seven Ages of man written by William Shakespeare discusses about a person’s life, in its various stage from birth to death. During the life span of a person he/she has to undergo different experiences. The poet peeps into this wonderful nature of life. As a forward to this complexity of life, the poet brings an ideal definition.

               “All the world’s a stage,

                And all the men and women merely players”

He metaphorically takes the world as a stage. On this stage all men and women play as actors and actresses and the play different roles. They enter the stage and exist. With his effective metaphor, Shakespeare presents the reality of life as it is defined in many religions.

The poet brings out different characters to explain the stages of man. They are infant, school boy, lover, soldier, justice and old man. By using these characters, poet excellently derive the idea expected.

The poet also builds up of visual imagery of these characters. The reader can draw up the mental pictures of,      

          An infant who is mewling and puking

         A school boy who is whining and unwilling going to school

         A lover who is always sighing and singing woeful ballads

         A soldier seeking bubble reputation

        A justice who has a very well-informed look

        An old man wearing spectacles

The Seven Ages of Man

The Seven Ages of Man 

All the world’s a stage

And all the men and women merely players

They have their exists and their entrances

And one man in his time plays many parts

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant

Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms

And then the whining schoolboy with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school, And then the lover

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress eyebrow 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. 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. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper’s 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. Last scene of all

That ends this strange eventful history

Is second childishness and mere oblivion

Sans teeth, Sans eyes, Sans taste, Sans everything

William Shakespeare

WHEN MY LOVE SWEARS THAT SHE IS MADE OF TRUTH -William Shakespeare (Part 5)

Sonnet 138 

WHEN MY LOVE SWEARS THAT SHE IS MADE OF TRUTH

When my love swears that she is made of truth

I do believe her, though I know she lied,

That she might think me some untutored youth,

Unlearned in the world’s false subtleties.

Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,

Although she knows my days are past the best,

Simply I credit her false speaking tongue:

On both sides thus is simple truth suppress.

But wherefore says she not she is unjust?

O! Love’s best habit is in seeming trust,

And age in love loves not to have years told:

Therefore, I lie with her, and she with me,

And in our faults by lies we flattered be.

William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

This poem is belong to the Elizabethan poetry of English Literature. This poem comes under the category of sonnet, dedicated to the dark lady. Shakespeare knew that his mistress was not totally true with him. But he pretended to believe her. So that she may not think that he is raw, inexperienced lover. On her part too she pretended to believe that he was still young where as she knew that he had passed his age of youth.

The flow of idea is like a blacksmith slowly raising his hammer and putting it down at once. In 12 lines problem and 2 lines giving the solution.

Themes discussed through the poem are,

·         Mid life crisis

·         Mutual deception

·         Imperfection of human relationship

·         Balancing of weaknesses

·         Diversity on human relationships

·         Conflict between just and unjust

Techniques used in the poem are ,

·         Sonnet form

·         First person narration

“I do believe….”

·         Usage of imagery

·         Rhetoric interrogation

·         Rhyming scheme

“abab cdcd efef gg”

My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun - William Shakespeare (Part 4)

Sonnet 130

My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun

My mistress, Eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lip’s red;

If snow be white, why then her breast are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grown on her head.

I have seen roses damask ’d , red and white ,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak yet I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound

I grant I never saw a goddess go.

My mistress when she walks treads on the ground

And yet, by heaven I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare. 

(William Shakespeare 1564-1616)

This comes in the category of the sonnets which dedicated to the dark lady .This belong to the Elizabethan poetry of English Literature .Dark lady was one of the Queen Elizabeth’s maid. Shakespeare was in love with her. Something complicating was his friend and benefactor was also in love with her. This matter was forced him to both love and hate at the same time. This triangular relationship helped Shakespeare gain wonderful insight into human nature . This poem tells about the Shakespeare’s rear love  for his mistress. It also indicate how the poet loved her inspite  of her human frailties though on her part demeaned his love with that of her other lovers.

The flow of idea is like a blacksmith slowly raising his hammer and putting it down at once. In 12 lines , making the crisis and in  last 2 lines, giving the solution.

Themes discussed through the poem are ,

·         Spiritual and realistic love

·         Perfect human relationship

·         Attacking the courtly love tradition which was common at  that time.

·         Spiritual love over the physical nature of love .

·         Bringing out realistic approach to love and human relationships etc.

Techniques used in the poem are ,

·         Rhyming scheme

“abab cdcd efef”

·         Versification

·         Conventional language

·         Tone

“Sarcasm and Irony”

·         First person narration

·         Rhyming couplet at last

·         Sonnet form

·         Usage of imagery

The Works of Shakespeare PLAYS - William Shakespeare (Part 3)

William Shakespeare

PLAYS

Before 1594    - Henry VI three parts  (printed year 1623)

                        -Richard III ( printed year 1597)

                        -Titus Andronicus (printed year 1594)

                        -Love’s Labour’s Lost (printed year 1598)

                        -The Two Gentlemen Of Verona

                        -The comedy of Errors

                        -The Taming of The Shrew

1594-1597       -Romeo And Juliet (pirated 1597)( printed year 1599)

                        -A Midsummer Night’s Dream (printed year 1600)

                        -Richard II (printed year 1597)

                        -King John

                        -The Merchant Of Venice (printed year 1600)

1597-1600       -Henry  IV part I (printed year 1598)

                        -Henry IV part II (printed year 1600)

                        -Henry V

                        -Much Ado About Nothing (printed year 1600)

                        -Merry Wives of Windsor(pirated 1602)

                        -As You Like It

                        -Julius Caesar

                        -Troylus  And Cressida  (Printed year 1609)

1601-1608      -Hamlet (printed year  1604)

                       -Twelfth Night

                       -Measure For Measure

                       -All’s well That Ends well

                       -Othello (printed year 1622)

                       -Lear(printed 1608)

                       -Macbeth

                       -Timon Of Athen

                       -Antony And Cleopatra

                       -Coriolanus

After 1608      -Pericles (printed year 1609)

                       -Cymbeline

                       -The Winter’s Tale

                       -The Tempest

                       -Henry VII

POEMS

Venus And Adonis-(printed year 1593)

The Rape Of The Lock (printed year1594)

Sonnets (printed year 1609)

A Lover’s Complaint (printed year 1609)

The phoenix And The Turtle (printed year 1601)

William Shakespeare (Part 2)

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare was introduced as the greatest of* English Dramatists by the Summer of 1598. At that times booksellers were printing his famous plays and even pirated and stolen. Shakespeare was more prominence in a long catalog of Meres. Afterwards he completed the cycle of plays dealing with the whole story of the Wars of the Roses with Henry V, As You like It, and Julius Caesar, the First of the maturer tragedies. After that, in the next three years he wrote Troylus and Cressida, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet and Twelfth Night.

Some of Shakespeare’s comedies are All’s well that Ends well, and Measure for Measure, followed by Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear. Then he wrote about Roman themes.

Since 1601 he wrote less, and there were many dramatist rivals who were introducing new styles of drama. After 1607, he was regarded as one of the most important citizens. He still wrote some plays and tried tragi-comedy. Pericles, Cymbeline, the winter’s Tale, and The Tempest were wrote by him and was acted in 1611. For the last four years he lived a life of retirement. Shakespeare died in April, 23 ,1616 at stratford upon Avon.   He was buried in the chancel of the church, before the high altar.

When he died fourteen of his plays were published in Quarto booklets separately. From all his dramas and poems, he showed the readers about his long lasting creativity. He used many literary techniques in his works.  It is said that he had many audience for his dramas and many readers at that time and still do exist. Shakespeare was such an immortal writer in the world. His great works will be remain for more than hundred years. As human beings we should pray to have such great artists to the future world.

William Shakespeare (Part 1)

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in 23 April 1564 at Stratford upon Avon. He was the third child and the eldest son of the family. The names of his mother and father are Mary Arden and John Shakespeare. His father was a prosperous glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon. His mother was the daughter of Robert Arden of Wilmcote.  William Shakespeare was educated at the town’s grammar school.

Shakespeare first became a school teacher and then set off for London.  He married Ann Hathaway in December 1582. They had three children. Their first child was Susanna and then they had twins, Hamnet and Judith.

 In March, 1592, Harry the sixth, probably the first part of Henry VI became a very successful play.  Shakespeare published his poem Venus and Adonis in April, 1593. That was the poem dedicated to the young Earl of South-ampton. It was a great and lasting success and had to reprinted nine times in the next few years. His second poem, The Rape of Lucrece was also dedicated to South-ampton and was published in May, 1594. By 1595, he was a member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, as well as being a playwright and actor.When playing companies were reorganized , Shakespeare became a sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s company.At that  time he was already written the three parts of Henry VI , Richard III, Titus Andronicus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Love’s Labour’s Lost , The comedy of Errors , and The Taming of the Shrew . Afterwards he wrote Romeo and Juliet, Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, Richard II ,  and The Merchant of Venice. The two parts of Henry IV and most of his comic characters were written in 1597-8.