William Shakespeare was an English dramatist and poet, considered to be the greatest of all writers. Shakespeare was not only a writer and poet, but also an actor who devoted his life to the theatre.

This poem is one of the best known passages from Shakespeare’s work. This speech is delivered by Amiens in act III, scene VIII of the play As You Like It. Amiens is one of the group of noblemen leading a life of exile with Dukes in the forest of Arden.

In this poem, Shakespeare describes various stages of human life. He compares this world to a stage where men and women as actors and actresses perform the drama of human life. The birth and death of human beings is similar to the entrance and exit of characters of stage. This point of view reflects his deep affiliation with theatre.

Shakespeare says that each human being performs seven parts in this small drama on the stage of the world. He makes his entry as a baby who is fully dependent upon others. This stage ends when the infant grows into a school child. Shakespeare describes him as a boy having a face fresh like morning, with his bag hanging on his side, walking appropriately to school. In the beginning he does not like going to school but gradually his thinking changes. When time passes onwards the schoolboy transformed into a youngster. He is not an adult yet and due to lack of maturity, he indulges in infatuations.

The young man through years of experience emerges as a brave soldier. His desires and ambitions give a more aggressive look. He has become hasty and fights over minor issues. He wants to become famous at all costs. The age of bravery soon passes away by giving way to a mature and sensible phase when he plays the role of a judge. He has cold, unemotional eyes and wears a beard of formal cut. He gives lectures to people and delivers wise sayings.

The stage also comes to an end and the sixth age arrives. The wise judge is an old man now. His legs are thin and body has shrunk and his strong voice changes into a squeaking voice. The seventh and the last stage of a man’s life is the time of exit. He is once again dependent upon others as he was in infancy. Shakespeare has called this age second childhood.

Shakespeare has perfectly described this truth in Seven Ages of Man that man is an actor, life is a drama and this world is a stage. Each person plays the roles assigned to him and tires to justify it.

John Milton is regarded as one of the most famous poets of English Literature. His masterpiece Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes earned him fame and honour. His individual style has a touch of sublimity and majesty which is quite appropriate to his noble and powerful ideas.

Samson Agonistes is an adaptation of the Greek drama form in blank verse, which recounts the tragedy of Samson in his blindness beset by enemies. This hero performed the decisive role in crushing the philistines who were the deadly enemies of his race. Samson, too got killed in that disaster but his heroic act saved his tribesman from the deadly enemy. By virtue of his glorious deed, his named earned eternity. It is rightly said:

Once the Philistines arranged a grand feast in a temple. The huge gathering included gentry from all parts of the country. A prisoner, Samson, was brought to display his immense strength and stamina through different stunts. Though he was blind, but performed very well and the leaders enjoyed it. After performing for some time, he feel exhausted and wished to be taken between the pillars for rest. He placed his arms on the pillars and stood with his head inclined as if he was lost in some profound thoughts or was busy in prayer. The foundation of great temple rested onto these two pillars. Ultimately he addressed the gathering and informed them that his final performance would be according to his own will and it would leave them amazed and fascinated.

After the speech, Samson started to exert all his force and energy onto these massy pillars. The way he was jerking the pillars, it seemed as if the forces of nature had also come to his assistance and were enclosed in his body. Eventually, he was able to remove the pillars from their place and the whole roof collapsed with a loud rumble and explosion. All the people assemble there were buried alive under the pillars. Samson was unable to save himself from the claws of death and was also buried with them, but remained alive among the hearts of his people. In this way, he set an example of great sacrifice by giving up his life but eliminating his rivals.

Williams Words Worth is a poet who has developed his own immensely valuable theories concerning poetry. This is the reason why he possesses a unique and artificial style. His work shows his life long love for natural beauty, which gives hi the title Poet of Nature.

This poem relates to an incident, which deeply inspired the poet when he was walking alone through the barren hills of Scotland. He was fascinated by the sweet voice of a girl, who was singing a song in her native language.

The poet was on one of his long walks along the barren hills of Scotland when he saw a young girl. She was all alone in the field, harvesting the crops and singing a song in a pensive tone. The poet was profoundly fascinated by the bewitching melody and her voice left an everlasting and indelible impression on the mind of the poet. This impression motivated the poet to write a poem in appreciation of the melodious voice of the girl.

The poet says that the voice of the girl scattered all over the deep valley. He says that the musical notes of the young singer are symmetrical to the thrilling songs of the Nightingale and the Cuckoo. They were far sweeter than the humming of birds and impressed the heart deeply. The sweet melody appeals to the tired travelers of the Arabian Desert, who need relaxation after a long and monotonous journey. The voice leaves a deeper impact than the song sung by the Cuckoo birds. It gives more than just breaking the serenity and tranquility of the lonely seas.

The poet says that although he failed to understand the exact wordings of the song, as the girl was singing in her native language, he could feel the sorrow and grief in her voice. It was a song of lamentation describing some suffering of every day life.

In the end, the poet realizes that although he would never again get the opportunity to listen to that melodious voice, it would remain fresh in his mind forever. The beautiful gift of nature the girl had, became a source of ceaseless joy for the poet.

Lord Alfred Tennyson occupies a very important and prominent position in the domain of English Literature. He is the representative poet of Victorian era. He is a prolific poet and has composed a number of poems. Tennyson’s poetry is rich in imagery as that of keats but it lacks the romantic fine of Words Worth and Coleridge.

Ulysses is a long, magnificent, symbolical and moral boosting poem. The poem is written in the dramatic monologues of the powerful blank verse and tells the story of the most prudent and bravest of the Greek heroes, Ulysses of Homer’s Odyssey. He is the symbol of adventurous spirit, indomitable courage, inexhaustible zeal; unflinching faith; unshakable determination and unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Ulysses wants to set out on a journey of discovery because he believes that it is not too late to find a New World.

Ulysses was a Greek hero and the King of Ithaca. He had spent most of his life in voyages and was always filled with the spirit of ventures and courage. His life was based on the principle of struggle and courage.

In this speech, Ulysses pays high tribute to his mariners who laboured and worked with him. He reminded them of the past endeavors and motivated them to get prepared for another voyage. Ulysses believed that struggle should continue as long as they lived. They had to prove their eagerness, enthusiasm and the ability to fight even with deities Ulysses invited his sailors to set off for another voyage in the hope of discovering new land in the far west. He was conscious of the dangers and hazards involved in such an exploitation but he was prepared to meet all the challenges.

Ulysses admitted that with the passage of time, the major part of their lives and much of their energies have been used up and they had grown weaker. But their determination was as strong as ever and they do not find them selves lacking in strength and vitality. They find themselves still a force to reckon with. They are always bent upon making ceaseless efforts to discover new lands, and under no circumstances, giving up their struggle until ultimate success is achieved.

Thomas Campion was a poet who led English poetry and music to supreme heights. He used the normal forms of simultaneous verses with spectacular skill and modesty. The most admirable pieces of his poetry are those sonnets, which he set to his own music.

The Man of Life Upright is a sermonic piece of writing that sheds lights on the prominent visages of the character of a person who leads a life of honour, nobility and righteousness. He possesses a pure heart clear from sinful thoughts and wicked ideas. He never deviates from the path of honesty and never falls prey to the false pride. He is self-sufficient and does not fall into the trap of deceptive hopes. He is courageous and confident enough to encounter all the miseries.

In order to lead an honest and virtuous life a person should have some noble qualities. He should have a pure heart, which should be free from all kind of wicked ideas. He should never deviate from the path of honesty and should lead a simple life. He should never have false expectations from others. He should be brave enough to face all the challenges of life.

A person with all these qualities does not need any kind of protection against the ups and downs of life. He can encounter all the disasters of life with courage and confidence. He follows the principles of life presented by the holy books.

An honest and honourable man has no friends except his pure and noble thoughts, which guide him on the right path. His well-spent life is his greatest wealth. He considers this world as an inn where he has come to stay for a short time while completing the holy journey of life.

Alexander Pope occupies a very prominent position in the domain of English Literature. He was a representative poet of the 8^th century also known as the Augustian age, the age of satire and heroic couplets.

An Essay on Man is a philosophical, didactic, thought-provoking and soul-stirring poem. It was addressed by Pope to Bolingbroke. At the beginning of the poem he says:

Pope in this poem is not the satirist but a moralist who has chosen his object to vindicate the ways of God to man. He thus gives his philosophical reflection on the fate and fortune of man, the nature and importance of hope and the cause of the restlessness of human soul in this world.

Heaven hides the book of fate from all the creatures. Human beings as well as animals cannot peep into the future. If man had knowledge about the future, he would not have suffered willingly in this world.

A lamb licks the hands of his killer because of the ignorance about the future. Blindness to the future is the blessing of God Almighty, kindly given to all creatures, so that each may fill the circle marked by Heaven. God is the creator of man and the Universe. He is great and gracious. He is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient. All are equal in the eyes of God. If man aspires to rise, he must be humble and God-fearing. He must worship God and serve humanity. God loves those who love their fellowmen.

Death is inevitable; death has no calendar; death is a great teacher. Death teaches us that this world is just like an inn where we have come for a brief sojourn.

We must adopt optimistic attitude towards life. Man always thinks of the future and hopes to be blessed by God. The soul of man is always uneasy because its true home is heaven. But it hopes to find space and freedom in the life hereafter.

This poem conveys us a great moral lesson that in this transitory world, we must think only about the eternal blessings of God that will shower on us in the eternal world. We must believe that our ignorance back our own fate is in fact a blessing for us and it enables us to face the hard realities of life with undying courage, hope and determination. We can say,

John Keats is one of the finest English poets. In spite of living only for twenty-six years, he contributed a lot to English Poetry. His poems are spirited and lively. His personal life was a tale of sorrow and bereavement, but his keen observant eye made him an admirer of nature, which is fully reflected in his poems.

Endymion is poem of great beauty. In this poem John Keats has expressed his conception of beauty and has given a unique definition of beauty. According to Classical Mythology Endymion was a beautiful youth with whom moon Goddess fell in love and on whom she induced a perpetual sleep in order to kiss him without his knowledge.

Endymion is a poem of great beauty. In this poem John Keats has expressed his conception of beauty and has given a unique definition of beauty. According to Classical Mythology Endymion was a beautiful youth with whom the moon goddess fell in love and on whom she induced a perpetual sleep in order to kiss him without his knowledge.

In this poem the poet says that beauty is a constant source of joy. Its loveliness increases with the passage of time. Beauty is immortal. It appears in many shapes. The world is full of misery but the beautiful objects of nature such as the sun, the moon, old and new trees and flowers give us great pleasure and we forget our griefs.

We also see glimpses of beauty of the grand places, which we imagine for the mighty dead. Similarly we derive great pleasure from lovely tales which we have read or heard. There are masterpieces of literature and Art which serve as source of eternal joy. Heroic deeds and lives of great men of the past too, are among these objects of beauty. It is the heights of keat’s imagination All these visions of beauty are like a fountain, which gives an immortal drink to our thirsty souls.

John Keats is an ardent lover of beauty. This is his fundamental belief and it operates in all his poems. He is really in search of Truth. He wants to enjoy beauty to the best possible degree. Endymion is a magnificent poem, which reflects profound love of the poet for beauty as it is a constant source of spiritual joy. Therefore one must not forget: