“I speak positively about others.

CLASS: IX
SECTION: ALL SECTIONS
SUBJECT: ENGLISH COMMUNICATION
SESSION: 2023-24
WORKSHEET-20
THE SEVEN AGES
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

I.Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

i)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.
a. In what way is the world like a stage?
b. What does the poet mean by ‘exits’ and ‘entrances’?
1. in and out 3. birth and death
2. up and down 4. light and dark
c. Select the option which DOES NOT correspond to the meaning of part as
mentioned in the extract.
1. We are delighted that the Victoria Art Gallery can play a part in this.
2. It was a very severe accident and he lost part of his foot.
3. Alf Sjoberg offered her a large part in the play he was directing.
4. He felt a sense of relief that his part in this business was now over.

ii)And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow.
a. How does the lover spend his time?
b. The lover is at which stage?

iii)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 honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation.
Even in the cannon's mouth.
a. The phrase ‘Seeking the bubble reputation/Even in the cannon's mouth’
suggests that the soldier is
1. willing to risk his life for fame and glory.
2. motivated by a sense of duty and patriotism.
3. seeking to avenge a personal wrong.
4. running behind validation from people.

b. Identify the following literary devices and their application in the extract.
LITERARY DEVICE APPLICATION
1. Metaphor
2. bearded like the pard
3. Imagery
4. even in the cannon’s mouth

c. Which of the following is NOT a stage of life that Shakespeare describes in the poem?
1. infant 3. lover
2. schoolboy 4. grandparent
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 “I speak positively about others.”

II. Answer the following questions in 20-30 words.

i)What does man do in the first stage of life?
ii)How does the schoolboy walk up to his school?
iii)What does the lover do for his mistress?

III. Answer the following question in 100-150 words.

i)Imagine that you are writing a letter to your future self, reflecting on the seven ages of human life as
described by William Shakespeare in his poem "Seven Ages."

VALUE POINTS
 Profound sense of nostalgia and introspection.
 Contemplating the ever-changing tapestry of life
 Description of the different stages of life and personal experience that came along with them.
 Reminded of the impermanence of life and the preciousness of each moment.
 Life is a journey to be relished.

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