MODULE 3: Unit 4

Name:__Awal, Seira L._______________________________ Date: __________

Year/ Course/Section:_3BSIR-A________________ Score: _________
Professor/Instructor: _____________________________________________________

Exercise 1. Fill in the blanks using the words given in the box to complete the
summary of the poem.

Shakespeare considers the whole world a stage where men and women are only
(1) _____. They (2) _____ the stage when they are born and exit when they die.
Every man, during his life time, plays seven roles based on age. In the first act, as an
infant, he is wholly (3) _____ on the mother or a nurse. Later, emerging as a school
child, he slings his bag over his shoulder and creeps most (4) _____ to school. His
next act is that of a lover, busy (5) _____ ballads for his beloved and yearns for her
(6) _____. In the fourth stage, he is aggressive and ambitious and seeks (7) _____ in
all that he does. He (8) _____ solemnly to guard his country and becomes a soldier.
As he grows older, with (9) _____ and wisdom, he becomes a fair judge. During this
stage, he is firm and (10) _____. In the sixth act, he is seen with loose pantaloons and
spectacles. His manly voice changes into a childish ____. The last scene of all is his
second childhood. Slowly, he loses his _____ of sight, hearing, smell and taste and
exits from the roles of his life.

attention treble reluctantly

actors maturity reputation
serious faculties composing
enter promises dependent

Write your answers here.

1. Actors
2. Enter
3. Dependent
4. Reluctant
5. Composing
6. Attention
7. Reputation
8. Promises
9. Maturity
10. Serious
11. Treble
12. Faculties

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 Exercise 2. From your understanding of the poem, answer the following
questions briefly in a sentence or two.

1. What is the world compared to?

The Seven Ages of Man, a poem, describes how the world is like a stage with people as
the actors. Shakespeare likens the stage to the world, and most of the scenes there are
inspired by real-world occurrences.

2. “And they have their exits and their entrances” - What do the words ‘exits’
and ‘entrances’ mean?

Exits and entrances are used in the poem to represent a person's life and death. When a
person enters the stage, it symbolizes their birth on earth, and when they leave the stage, it
symbolizes their death

3. Bring out the features of the fourth stage of a man as described by the poet.

In the poem, the soldier is represented by the fourth stage of a man. The man looks so
powerful and has a beard. The man takes an oath to defend his nation at this point and
aspires to honor. He develops aggressiveness, ambition, and a desire to enhance his public
image.

4. When does a man become a judge? How?

When the man in the poem ages and possesses maturity and wisdom, he eventually
becomes a judge. At this point, he presents himself as firm and formal, and his judgment is
fair and full of contemporary examples and wise saws.

5. Why is the last stage called second childhood?

The man will return to the times when he only had plain consciousness in the final stage,
which is referred to as the second childhood. When he was younger, he would hardly be

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able to talk, see, taste, or perform any of these activities. The man is like a child who is
dependent on someone during this stage.

Exercise 3. Read and understand the following questions then choose the letter of
your answer. Write your answer in the space before the number.
A 1. All the world's a stage is an extended metaphor for :
a. the life shown in well-known plays
b. life of well-known actors
c. seeing the well-known plays
d. life of man that comes to an end.

A 2. All 'have their exits and their entrances'. Exits and entrances refer to :
a. birth and death
b. beginning and end of play
c. coming and going of actors
d. the end of the Shakespearean era
A 3. The seven roles that a man plays corresponds to his :
a. chronological age in life c. desires
b. mental age in life d. idea of a perfect life

A 4. The word which means crying in the poem :

a. weeping c. mewling
b. puking d. woeful
C 5. The Whining school boy is compared to :
a. a bearded pard c. a creeping snail
b. a sighing furnace d. a fighting lion
C 6. Who is singing a woeful ballad
a. soldier c. lover
b. judge d. pantaloons
B 7. The characteristic feature of soldier is :
a. dependent c. forgetfulness
b. bearded d. moody
A 8. Which of the following is a simile?
a. bearded like the pard c. all the world's stage
b. both of them d. none of the above
A 9. Which of the following is considered as a metaphor :
a. the bubble reputation c. creeping like snail
b. both of them d. none of the above
B 10. The word in the passage which means 'without' :

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 a. oblivion c. treble
b. sans d. shank

Exercise 4. Based on your understanding of the poem, answer the question in

about 100 – 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required, to
present and justify your point of view.

Shakespeare has skillfully brought out the parallels between the life of man and
actors on stage. Elaborate this statement with reference to the poem.

Shakespeare's poem The Seven Ages of Man contrasts the world and life with the stage
and performers of a play. The actor portrays various aspects of a man in the poem in
chronological order. Infants in the first stage are dependent on their mothers or nurses.A
whiny child walking slowly to school is the next stage, followed by a lover who is busy writing
a song for his significant other and longs for her attention. The fourth stage involves a soldier
swearing to defend his nation and being ambitious to achieve honor. Then, the man
develops into a wise and mature judge. A weak man's manly voice is transformed into a
childish treble in the sixth stage, and the second childishness and mere oblivion in the final
stage. Shakespeare has, in fact, used his creative thinking to masterfully illustrate the
connections between actors on stage and people in everyday life.