1. Infancy:
"Then a whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school."
In this stage, Shakespeare depicts a child as reluctant to go to school, carrying a satchel and with a bright, innocent face.
2. Schoolboy:
"And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow."
The second age presents a lovesick teenager who expresses his passion through love poems and sighs deeply, comparing his love to a burning furnace.
3. Soldier:
"Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden, and quick in quarrel."
Here, Shakespeare portrays a young man as a soldier, using colorful language and boasting of his honor. He is quick-tempered and ready to engage in fights.
4. Justice:
"And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances."
The fourth stage depicts a middle-aged man as a judge, who has gained weight from rich food, has a serious demeanor, and speaks in a wise and learned manner.
5. Pantalone:
"And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow."
In the fifth age, the man is elderly, resembling a character from the Italian comedy, Pantalone. He is portrayed as weak and frail, reliant on others for support.
6. Lean and Slipper'd Pantaloon:
"Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."
The final stage illustrates extreme old age, where the man has lost his physical and mental faculties. He becomes childlike again and eventually fades into oblivion.
Through these seven ages, Shakespeare provides a comprehensive view of the human lifespan, capturing various aspects of human development, emotions, and experiences from childhood to old age.