How does Shakespeare describe the seven stages in the life of man?



Shakespeare says that the world is a stage and men are actors who play seven different roles in life. The first role is when the baby is born and enters the stage of life as an infant. In the next stage, he becomes a schoolboy reluctant to go to school. The third stage occurs when he turns into a romantic lover. In the fourth stage of life, man is a soldier willing to sacrifice even his life to maintain his honour. He matures into the role of a judge in the next stage. The sixth stage depicts him as an old fool. The final stage is the end of life, during which the man starts behaving like a child again.