Mmeaning of seven ages of man Answer: The speech compares the world to a stage and life to a play and catalogues the s e v e n s t a g e s of a m a n s life, sometimes referred to as the s e v e n a g e s o f m a n : infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, Pantalone, and old a g e , facing imminent death. It is one of Shakespeares most frequently quoted passages.