seven ages of man

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players, They have their exits and entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being Seven Ages.

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 unwillingly to school. And then the Lover, Sighing like a furnace, with a woeful ballad made to mistress' eyebrow. Then a Soldier, Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard, jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon's mouth. 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. 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 towards the childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound.

Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is Second Childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

William Shakespeare: As You Like It: Act II, Scene VII

Bourne, H (1838) The Seven Ages Of Man (After William Mulready) Engraving for book folio.

Klimt, Gustav (1905) The Three Ages of Woman. Oil on canvas. Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome

SHAKESPEARE'S SEVEN AGES OF MAN

CONFUCIUS' SIX STAGES OF LIFE

At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I found my balance through the rites. At forty, I was free from doubts about myself. At fifty, I understood what heaven intended me to do. At sixty, I was attuned to what I heard. At seventy, I followed with my heart what my heart desired without overstepping the line.

Confucius: Analects, 2:4

Source: Jonathan Spence, Confucian Ways. BBC Reith Lecture, London. May 14, 2008.

THE FOUR HINDU ASHRAMS

Unknown: (c. 1770) Confucius. Gouache on paper. Granger Collection. New York.

Rajput wedding. Photo source: Jaisingh Rathore

According to Vedic tradition, there are four Ashrams (places of spiritual shelter), each lasting 21 years. The first is Brahmacharya, the stage of youth and disciplined study. The second is Grihastha, the life of the householder. The householder stage begins with the rite of marriage. It encompasses career, raising a family and full immersion in civil society.

The third stage is Vanaprastha, incremental retirement and contemplation. The final stage, rarely undertaken now, is Sannyasa, a radical renunciation of family, work, community and all material trappings of life. The elder may choose to roam as a Sadhu or holy man.