Look up ‘Benedict Cumberbatch BBC Drama Trailer’ on YouTube to hear the actor reciting this soliloquy, accompanied by images from various BBC dramas.
1. According to this soliloquy: a. The baby
i. smiles and coos b. The schoolboy
i. hates school and whinges about it iii. never goes to school
ii. sets off happily to school every day
c. The young lover i. is a great poet ii. writes stupid poems iii. thinks poems are stupid
d. The soldier i. is humble and modest
e. The middle-aged judge i. is a fat, corrupt know-all
f. The elderly man i. wears smart shoes g. The very old man
i. has lost his teeth and much of his senses ii. has everything he ever wanted
iii. is full of energy
2. Do you agree with Jaques’ pessimistic, miserable views on the seven stages of life? Discuss this as a class.
P. 99 M
Perform a dramatic reading of this soliloquy. Appoint a narrator to speak lines 1–5. Form seven small groups of three for each ‘age’. One person reads the lines while the other two mime the actions.
Go to your Writing Skills Book to write about a soliloquy in your studied play.
K Drama [2] – Shakespeare 395 ii. is a thin shadow of his former strong self iii. has a strong, manly voice ii. is clean-shaven ii. eats very little iii. has a rough beard and shabby clothes iii. is willing to lose his life for glory ii. bawls and vomits iii. sleeps peacefully
