Class 9 English Chapter 10 Question Answers - The Seven Ages

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow :

1. All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players:
They have exits and entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
(a) What does the poet mean by the terms ‘exits and entrances?
Ans: By entrances, the poet means the moment of birth, and by exits he means death. Together, they refer to a person's coming into and leaving life.

(b) What parallelism has the poet drawn between the stage and the world?
Ans: The poet compares life to a stage where people play roles. Just as actors enter, perform their parts and then exit on a stage, so men and women pass through different roles and stages during life.

(c) Which figure of speech has been used in the second line?
Ans: The lines use an extended metaphor, comparing the whole world to a stage and human life to a theatrical performance.

Q2. Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation, Even in the cannon’s mouth :
(a) Who is the person being described in the above lines?
Ans: The person described is a soldier, a man in the prime of life who seeks honour and glory.

(b) What traits characterise this stage?
Ans: A man at this stage is fierce, easily provoked and jealous of his honour. He is quick to quarrel and eager to win reputation, even at great risk.

(c) Explain: ‘the bubble reputation’.
Ans: ‘Bubble reputation’ means a fragile, short-lived fame. It suggests that the soldier chases a hollow glory that can burst easily, yet he is willing to risk everything for it.

Q3. At first, the infant Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail.
(a) How is the life of a person like an infant?
Ans: In the infant stage a person is helpless and completely dependent on others; he cries and may vomit in his nurse's arms when he needs care.

(b) How does a schoolboy appear?
Ans: The schoolboy appears reluctant and sulky; he carries his satchel unwillingly and moves slowly to school.

(c) The schoolboy is depicted as ‘shining’ and ‘whining’? Why?
Ans: His face is described as ‘shining’ because it is fresh and clean in the morning, while ‘whining’ shows his complaints and unwillingness to attend school.

Short Answer Questions

Q1. What is the theme of the poem ‘The Seven Ages’?
Ans: The central theme is the transitory nature of human life. Shakespeare, through the cynical character Jacques in As You Like It, shows that life passes through seven stages. Each stage is like a role in a play, with birth as an entrance and death as an exit, so nothing in life is permanent.

Q2. Why does the poet say that the schoolboy creeps like a snail to school?
Ans: The schoolboy is unwilling and disinterested in going to school; he moves slowly and reluctantly while carrying his satchel, so the poet compares his slow pace to that of a snail.

Q3. Describe the fourth and fifth stages of man.
OR
What characteristics does the poet associate with fourth and fifth stages of man.
Ans: The fourth stage is that of a soldier. He is brave, full of energy and quick to take offence; he seeks honour and is ready to fight for reputation. The fifth stage shows a man who is mature and somewhat portly. He has a serious look, a formal beard, and he often gives advice or acts as a judge in society.

Q4. 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.

(a) Why does the poet call the world a ‘stage’?
(b) What does the poet mean by ‘exits’ and ‘entrances’?
(c) How can one-man play many parts?
Ans: (a) The poet calls the world a stage because life is like a performance where people play different roles at different times. 
(b) Entrances refer to birth and exits refer to death. 
(c) A single person plays many parts by going through different stages of life—childhood, youth, adulthood and old age—each requiring different behaviour and responsibilities.

5. At first the infant
 Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms
 Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
 And shining morning face, creeping like snail.
 (a) How is the life of a person like an infant?
 (b) How does a schoolboy appear?
 (c) The schoolboy is depicted as ‘shining’ and ‘whining’ Why?
Ans: (a) The life of a person as an infant is helpless and dependent. The infant cries and vomits (“mewling and puking”) in the nurse’s arms and relies completely on others for care and survival.
(b) A schoolboy appears unwilling and lazy to go to school. He walks slowly, “creeping like snail,” carrying his satchel, showing reluctance and lack of enthusiasm.
(c) The schoolboy is depicted as ‘shining’ because his face looks fresh and clean in the morning, and as ‘whining’ because he complains and shows unwillingness to go to school.

Q6. Explain ‘All the world’s a stage’ with reference to the poem.
Ans: The line compares life to a play. People move through fixed roles and stages just as actors do on a stage. Each person has a time to enter life and a time to leave it. The poem suggests that many events and roles in life are decided by circumstance rather than by the individual.

Q7. What is the theme of the poem ‘The Seven Ages’.
Or
What do you think has the poet referred to as ‘an eventful history’ in the poem, The Seven Ages and why?
Ans: The poet refers to an eventful history as the record of a man's life through its seven stages. Each stage brings changes, actions and experiences; together they form the course of a life which is always changing and never permanent.

Q8. Write two characteristics of infant state mentioned in the poem ‘The Seven Ages’. 
 Or
 How does Shakespeare describe a man in the first stage of life?
Ans: The two characteristics of an infant stage are crying and vomiting out his milk. Whenever he needs anything he cries, whether he is hungry, sick, or wet. The only language he knows is of crying which attracts the attention of those who care for him. The only reaction he gives regarding his behaviour is by vomiting out his milk. These two traits characterise an infant.

Q9. Why has been the last stage of a man’s life referred to as second childishness’? 
Ans: The final stage is called second childishness because, like an infant, an old person becomes dependent on others again. He loses teeth, taste and many faculties, becomes weak and helpless, and needs care similar to that given to a child.

Q10. What are the problems faced by a person in ‘Soldier’ stage? 
Or
How does man as a soldier behave? (The Seven Ages)
Ans: In the soldier stage a man faces the pressure to win honour and reputation. He is jealous of his status, quick to quarrel and ready to risk his life. His eagerness for glory makes him proud, defensive and sometimes reckless, even willing to face grave danger for a fleeting reputation.