possible toward his destination. During the
Elizabethan period, schoolboys would have
had to memorize lengthy Latin speeches for
school. It is easy to understand why a school-
boy might not hurry off to school in the morn-
ing, knowing a day of memorization work
awaited him. The schoolboy attends school
begrudgingly, and the comparison to a snail
gives a cue about how he dallies along the way.Lover: Lines 8–10
The lover sighs so much that he is compared to a
furnace, which repeatedly expels hot air. The
lover is like an adolescent boy; he is at an age
when being lovesick rules his emotions. He is the
infatuated would-be poet who writes bad love
poems about his beloved’s eyebrows. Shake-
speare makes fun here of the Petrarchan poets
who wrote sonnets dedicated to a cold indifferent
lover. A familiar method, called theBlazon of
Beauty, was to begin by praising the lover’s
beauty, starting with her hair and moving down
her facial features and ending with the whiteness
of her bosom. This lover writes poetry to his
beloved’s eyebrows but is unable to complete
the full portrait, since he possesses no real talent.
(Shakespeare creates his own parody of the Pet-
rarchan blazon inMidsummer’s Night Dream,act
5, scene 1, lines 316–28 and in Sonnet 130.)Soldier: Lines 10–14
The fourth stage of a man’s life is that of a soldier.
If he is not apprenticed to a trade, does not choose
to enter the church, or is not due to inherit wealth,
a young man might choose to be a soldier. The
soldier swears, using oaths that reflect his experi-
ences, the foreign places he has seen, and the
languages he has learned. His long bristling mus-
tache is compared to leopard whiskers. Animals
use whiskers for touch and to learn about their
environment and to sense movement near their
heads. In comparing the soldier’s whiskers to
those of a leopard, the speaker suggests that the
soldier’s mustache serves a purpose beyond dec-
oration: It helps him hunt his enemy and helps
him detect danger. The soldier is also quick to
defend his honor. In fact, he is so quick to quarrel
over his honor that he puts his life at risk, ‘‘even in
the cannon’s mouth.’’ The soldier seeks the short-
lived ‘‘bubble reputation.’’ Even if it means plac-
ing himself before a cannon, the soldier will
defend his honor.Justice: Lines 14–18
The soldier who survives combat will have
earned enough money to train for a profession
when he leaves the military. The next age is thatMEDIA
ADAPTATIONS As You Like Itwas filmed in 1936 and
starred Sir Lawrence Olivier (Orlando) and
Elizabeth Bergner (Rosalind). The director
was Paul Czinner.
As You Like Itwas filmed for television in- The production starred Patrick Allen
(Orlando) and Vanessa Redgrave (Rosa-
lind) and was directed by Michael Elliott
and Ronald Eyre.
As You Like It: An Introductionwas filmed
in 1969 and starred Brian Spink (Orlando)
and Jennie Goossens (Rosalind). This film
gives an overview of the play, which is pre-
sented in an abbreviated form.
As You Like Itwas filmed for Canadian
television in 1983 and starred Andrew Gil-
lies (Orlando) and Roberta Maxwell (Rosa-
lind). The director was John Hirsch.
As You Like Itwas filmed in 1992 and
starred Bernard Tieman (Orlando) and
Emma Croft (Rosalind). Directed by Chris-
tine Edzard, this British production is in
modern dress.
As You Like Itwas filmed in 2006 and
starred David Oyelowo (Orlando) and
Bryce Dallas Howard (Rosalind). Set in feu-
dal Japan, this production was directed by
Kenneth Branagh.
William Mulready paintedThe Seven Stages
of Manin 1838. The painting is displayed in
the Victoria and Albert Museum in London,
England. It shows a street scene and a group
of people, who in sum represent the seven
stages. A steel-plate engraving of this paint-
ing was used to illustrate the Charles Knight
two-volume editionThe Works of Shake-
speare, published in the 1870s. Both images
can be located online.
Seven Ages of Man