Summary Of The Poem Seven Stages Of Man By William Shakespear. Do You Know?

All the world's a stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue from William Shakespeare's As You Like It, spoken by the melancholy Jaques. The speech compares the world to a stage and life to a play, and catalogues the seven stages of a man's life, sometimes referred to as the seven ages of man: Infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and second childhood, "sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything". It is one of Shakespeare's most frequently-quoted passages.
The man in the poem goes through these stages:
• Infancy: In this stage he is a baby
• Childhood: It is in this stage that he begins to go to school. He is reluctant to leave the protected environment of his home as he is still not confident enough to exercise his own discretion.
• The lover: In this stage he is always remorseful due to some reason or other, especially the loss of love. He tries to express feelings through song or some other cultural activity.
• The soldier: It is in this age that he thinks less of himself and begins to think more of others. He is very easily aroused and is hot headed. He is always working towards making a reputation for himself and gaining recognition, however short-lived it may be, even at the cost of his own life.
• The justice: In this stage he has acquired wisdom through the many experiences he has had in life. He has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status. He becomes very attentive of his looks and begins to enjoy the finer things of life.
• Old age: He begins to lose his charm — both physical and mental. He begins to become the brunt of others' jokes. He loses his firmness and assertiveness, and shrinks in stature and personality.
• Mental dementia and death: He loses his status and he becomes a non-entity. He becomes dependent on others like a child and is in need of constant support before finally dying.

This poem is a master piece of Shakespeare's keen observation and fine poetry. He is regarded the world's greatest dramatist and poet. In this poem Shakespeare has masterfully described various stages of human life. He compares the world with a big stage and all human beings with actors playing their allotted roles.

Man first appears on this stage as an infant crying and vomiting in the nurse's arms. Then he is seen as a school boy with a shining morning face walking slowly and unwillingly to school. Soon he grows into a young man burning with the passion of love and singing in praise of his beloved. Fourth stage is that of an ambitious soldier who is ready to undertake any adventure in order to gain honour and fame.

In the next stage he plays his part as a wise and serene justice. Sixth stage finds him as an old man with spectacles on the nose and a big in his hand. His size shrinks and his manly voice turns into thin childish voice. His last stage is very miserable as he loses almost all his scenes and joys of life.

The poem draws a sad and pessimistic picture of human life. The underlying meaning is that of temporariness and changing phases of life that pass rather too quickly. The language is simple and imagery is fascinating.

The man in the poem goes through these stages:
Infancy: In this stage he is a baby
Childhood: It is in this stage that he begins to go to school. He is reluctant to leave the protected environment of his home as he is still not confident enough to exercise his own discretion.
The lover: In this stage he is always remorseful due to some reason or other, especially the loss of love. He tries to express feelings through song or some other cultural activity.
The soldier: It is in this age that he thinks less of himself and begins to think more of others. He is very easily aroused and is hot headed. He is always working towards making a reputation for himself and gaining recognition, however short-lived it may be, even at the cost of his own life.
The justice: In this stage he has acquired wisdom through the many experiences he has had in life. He has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status. He becomes very attentive of his looks and begins to enjoy the finer things of life.
Old age: He begins to lose his charm — both physical and mental. He begins to become the brunt of others' jokes. He loses his firmness and assertiveness, and shrinks in stature and personality.
Mental dementia and death: He loses his status and he becomes a non-entity. He becomes dependent on others like a child and is in need of constant support before finally dying.

This is an extract from his play 'As You Like It' where a character (Jacques) describes the seven ages of man as being: The infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, (ie prominent person), pantaloon (old man) and finally second childhood when you lose/forget everything.
Luckily another Blurter asked your question last year, and someone did a whole summary of the speech in detail: You can find it here q529640.html

The poem, the seven ages of man is saying that the whole world is basically a play. Everyone in the world has a role and a place. When someone is born then that’s the start of their play.  Then moving on in age its becomes more intense and more problems occur. Seeking education and love along the way. Getting older and weaker death approaches.  Thinking about how one came from diapers… to diapers, then finally dies.