stages of the world

In the monologue, Jaques lists seven stages. The first is an infant and the second a school boy. The third is a lover; we can assume this is when he is a teenager, hormones raging. The fourth stage is a soldier. This stage takes place as he reaches adulthood but still feels like he is invincible. The fifth stage, he is called a "justice," which is referring to the wisdom that comes with age that allows the grown man to give his opinion and advice to others. The sixth stage is upwards of middle age, where the body begins to decay, eyesight failing, frame shrinking. And lastly, the seventh stage, Jaques refers to as "second childishness," where the elderly man becomes like a child again, unable to take care of himself.