Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of Man.

" Students are then asked to compare and

contrast the different ages of man identified in the monologue and those that they
developed as a class prior to reading the text.
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 9
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Internet Connection, LCD Projector
Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s)
Resource supports reading in content area:Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: Seven Ages of Man, William Shakespeare, cradle to grave
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan, Worksheet, Assessment, Text Resource, Formative Assessment
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative

ATTACHMENTS
Charting The Seven Ages of Man3.docx
Interpretations of Shakespeares Selected Works (1).docx
The Seven Ages of Man by William Shakespeare3.docx
The Seven Ages of Man Vocabulary3.docx
The Seven Different Ages of Man.docx
Works by William Shakespeare12.docx
Teachers guide to Shakespeares Seven Ages of Man.docx

LESSON CONTENT
 Lesson Plan Template:

General Lesson Plan

 Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this
lesson?

o Students will analyze a piece of world literature.

o Students will be able to determine the connotative meaning of words and phrases in "The Seven
Ages of Man."
o Students will analyze the impact of word choice on meaning and tone.
o Students will write an informative text comparing and contrasting the ages of man described in
the selected text and modern times.
 Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?

o Students should have some background knowledge as to whom William Shakespeare is.
o Students should be able to analyze text for word choice, effect, and connotative meanings.
o Students should be able to write a multiparagraphed text.
o Students should be able to work cooperatively with others and participate in class discussions.
 Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?

o What are the seven ages of man according to William Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of Man?"
o How does the reader know Shakespeare is referring to a specific "age of man" in the text? Cite
evidence from the text to support your answer.
o How can the reader translate Shakespeare's language used in "The Seven Ages of Man" in order
to give it new meaning in today's language for today's world?
o What images comes to mind when you read about the different "ages of man" in both Jacques'
monologue and in today's society?
 Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
 1. The teacher will open a discussion on Shakespeare by asking students what they already know
about him and if they can name any of his more famous works.
2. Using a document reader/projector, the teacher should project a page showing Samples of some
of Shakespeare's works and read these aloud in order to provide students with an opportunity to
become familiar with Shakespearean language. Ask students what they think Shakespeare is
trying to say with the excerpts read aloud. The teacher may choose to translate the excerpts into
modern language along with students' input. A handout with possible interpretations is included.
3. Next, share with students that they will be examining a monologue from As You Like It (Act II,
Scene VII) known as "The Seven Ages of Man." Explain to students that this particular monologue
is spoken by Jacques and this piece has its own merit separate from the play.
4. Before reading the passage or giving students a copy of the monologue, ask students to
brainstorm on their own and then in pairs, the different stages people go through from birth to
death.
5. Solicit students' responses on a white board or chart paper. Lead a discussion and come to a class
consensus.
6. Pass out to students a copy of the vocabulary handout in order to assist students with their level
of understanding with this text. The teacher may choose to review the vocabulary prior to reading
the text, during the reading, or when students read the monologue for a second time.
7. Give the students a copy of the monologue, "The Seven Ages of Man" and read the passage
slowly and carefully.
8. Next, in order to further students' level of understanding of the monologue, play the following
YouTube links. The first YouTube video is music playing in the background while the text of the
monologue is displayed. The second YouTube video is a performance by Morgan Freeman
reading "The Seven Ages of Man."
9. Have students read the monologue silently to themselves, instructing them to annotate the text
as they read, identifying the different ages of man and circling or underlining text that supports
their identification of the different ages of man.
10. Display the Charting the Seven Ages of Man for all students to see and solicit from students their
interpretations of what they think the various stages of man are after reading the monologue.
Lead a class discussion as to how these ages of man are both similar and different to the various
ages of man the class identified earlier.

Part 1

o Next, discuss with students how to cite evidence from the text that supports the various ages of
man in the monologue. For example, demonstrate to students that the words "mewling" and
"puking" indicate to the reader that the first stage of man is being an infant. The "school boy" is
described as having a "shining face" and "whining" and "unwilling to go to school."

Part 2

o Finally, solicit from students their modern day interpretation of the first two stages of man. "The
Seven Ages of Man" teacher's guide can be used to assist with this activity and discuss as a class.
 Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher
guidance?

Part 1

o Direct students (in pairs) to identify evidence from the text to support the remainder of the
different ages of man described in the monologue. Textual support for "The Seven Ages of Man"
is included. Review with the class as a whole.

Part 2

o After reviewing textual evidence for the seven ages of man, have students pair up and paraphrase
an interpretation of the remaining five ages of man. "The Seven Ages of Man" teacher's guide can
be used to assist with this activity.
 o Review and discuss with the class to come to a consensus on the modern day interpretation of
each stage.
 Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce
the concepts and skills developed in the lesson?

After students have paraphrased the seven ages of man, have students write an expository text in which
they can compare and contrast the various ages of man that they originally generated as a class and those
described in "The Seven Ages of Man." Students should include in their expository text which stage they
believe to be the most difficult to experience from their point of view and explain why.

 Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in
the lesson?

For closure, the class will discuss the similarities and differences between the different stages of man, both
in the monologue and in the class consensus determined at the beginning of the lesson. Be sure to
include in the discussion that even though we are all individuals and different, there are common stages
of life each individual will experience.

 Summative Assessment

After students have paraphrased "The Seven Ages of Man," have students write an expository text in
which they can compare and contrast the various ages of man that they originally generated as a class
and those described in "The Seven Ages of Man." Students should include in their expository text which
stage they believe to be the most difficult from their point of view and explain why.

 Formative Assessment

Throughout the Teaching Phase and the Guided Practice, the teacher will formatively assess students'
understanding of the lesson by posing the following questions:

o Who can tell me about William Shakespeare? What do you know about him?
o What do you think are the various stages of life? In other words, what are some of the possible
"ages of man" individuals progress through?
o According to Jacques, what are the "ages of man?"
o What images comes to mind when you read about the different "ages of man" in both Jacques'
monologue and in today's society?
o How are the videos both similar and different than "The Seven Ages of Man?"
o How does the reader know what the "age of man" Jacques is referring to in his monologue? Can
you cite evidence from the text to support your answer?
o How can the language used in Shakespeare's work be translated into today's language?
 Feedback to Students

The teacher will provide feedback to students throughout the lesson. Possible feedback can include the
following:

o Yes, these are most definitely an "age of man" that individuals experience.
o I see that you were able to cite specific evidence from the text to support your interpretation of
Jacques' description of that particular "age of man."
o That's an interesting image of an "age of man" you have described. Can you tell me more about
that?
 o I see that you were able to make direct correlations between the two videos and the monologue.
o I see you have supported your assertion that the ___________ "age of man" is the most difficult with
excellent real life examples.

ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Accommodations:

o Accommodations and differentiation of instruction can be accomplished through the

collaborative nature of the lesson.
o Students can illustrate the various stages of man to demonstrate their understanding of the
monologue.
o The summative assessment can be modified to be a shorter piece of text.


Extensions:

o Possible extensions could be to look at informational articles that illustrate and describe the
various stages of man.
o Students could be encouraged to do research on the various stages of man and learn about
developmental theorists such as Erik Erickson, who identified the different stages an individual
progresses through his/her life.

Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Internet Connection, LCD Projector

SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION

Contributed by: Mickey Mickler
Name of Author/Source: Mickey Mickler
District/Organization of Contributor(s): St. Johns
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial

LESSON PLAN: “Seven Ages of Man”

Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.

Begin by asking students to freewrite for a few minutes on what it means to be a

“student/schoolboy/schoolgirl.” Share and discuss. Look for commonalities. Highlight occasions that will
overlap with Shakespeare’s description (above). Share Shakespeare’s description and discuss.

Play a recording of the speech “All the World’s a Stage.” Here is a nice recitation by Morgan Freeman.
Here is another recitation by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Introduce the concepts of simile (an explicit comparison, often (but not necessarily) employing “like” or
“as”) and metaphor (a comparison made by referring to one thing as another). (Forrest Gump’s “life is
like a box of chocolates” may be a good introduction to this).
Have students now go and rewrite their thoughts on what it means to be a student, using a simile or
metaphor. (If a student gets stuck, he or she can fill in the comparison: “A student is like ___________.”
Share again.

Discuss how a conceit (extended metaphor) works.

Break students up into seven groups and give them each one of the ages (see below). (Terms may need
to be glossed on the sheets.) Reread the first lines to help orient students.

Have students embody their given age of man to create a tableau vivant. (30 seconds to organize and
freeze.)

Have each group freeze, discuss their decisions, challenges, areas of confusion, and highlight moments
of success and creativity.

Show images of “The Seven Ages of Man.” Compare pictorial depictions and Shakespeare’s literary and
theatric representations.

Have students return to their student-inspired similes and metaphors. Have them build up, expand
upon, or complicate their previous similies until they create an extended metaphor.

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages.

Group 1:

At first, the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.

Group 2:

Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school.

Group 3:

And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress’ eyebrow.

Group 4:

Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon’s mouth.

Group 5:

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.

Group 6:

The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slippered 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.

Group 7:

Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.