The Seven Ages of Shakespeare

All the world’s a stage — As You Like It, Act II Scene VII

The Seven Ages of Shakespeare

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.

AS YOU LIKE IT  ·  ACT II SCENE VII

Age 1 — The infant, mewling and puking in the nurse's arms
Age 2 — The whining school-boy, with his satchel and shining morning face
Age 3 — The lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress' eyebrow
Age 4 — Bearded like the pard, jealous in honour, seeking the bubble reputation
Age 5 — With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, full of wise saws and modern instances
William Shakespeare — forensic reconstruction from the Droeshout engraving
William Shakespeare  ·  c. 1600
Age 7 — Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything
These images were created using AI reconstruction techniques applied to the corrected skull metrics of the Droeshout engraving, harmonised with the Stratford monument. The methodology is described in full on the Droeshout analysis page. The verse is from As You Like It, Act II Scene VII.