The seven ages of a 21st century man

These are the seven stages of modern manhood. Photo / iStock

Shakespeare's famous "All the world's a stage" speech poetically and pithily captures the human journey from infancy to the "second childishness and mere oblivion" of senility and death, with stops along the way at school, in the lover's bed, as a soldier on the front line, as a justice in the lawcourts, and as a slipper-wearing old fool.

The seven ages portrayed still have great resonance. None of the ages is perfect, though the late middle section seems to be about the most enjoyable, with its "wise saws" and full belly. These days, we're more likely to hear about our "ages" in terms of dramas and tragedies: young men and suicide, middle-aged men and depression and loneliness, twenty-somethings as workless, thirty-somethings as directionless.

But in the life of a 21st century man, what is the best period, and is there a magical age when a harmony of mind and body, style and status, enthusiasm and knowledge all combine to make everything work at the optimum level?

0-10: Salad days

Often overlooked as merely a preamble to the real thing, infancy and the pre-adolescent years might be the very best time of all. With both sex and serious study firmly off the agenda, boys can be fully boys and these years can be devoted to forming friendships and fun-focused gangs, superheroes and sports, playing out and getting fit by default, eating lots in order to refuel, and seeing the world with wide eyes.

Social media and gaming might have removed some of the physicality of youth, and traffic has stolen the streets off all children, but today's young lads still have more in common with those of previous generations than any of the other "ages". As life progresses, we learn to evaluate these times and realise that there really is nothing more enjoyable than kites and toy cars, riding bikes wearing a smile (and not the grimaces of adult cyclists), and choosing a sporting team based on colour and recent success.

Key texts: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Grimms' Fairy Tales, Winnie The Pooh, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

11-20: Growing pains, lively brains

Puberty and secondary school and the discovery of the opposite sex make this the most heated, hectic period for many males. But it is also when formative friendships are most likely to be made. Teenagers can love all school subjects, and are prone to inventing imaginative worlds that are far more enveloping than the real one.

This is the time to write first pop songs, draft arty manifestos, experiment with hair colour, fashion and gender, and is when the mind is at its most alert. These are, however, the years of car crashes and first depressions - born out of insecurities as the world turns ever more competitive, combative and hormonal.

Starting university - where it presents an opportunity to put family, roots and familiar landscapes at some distance - can be an awesome rite of passage for young men, and the first major opportunity for reinvention.

Key texts: Cider With Rosie, Catcher In The Rye, Junk, Lord Of The Flies, The Cement Garden, Smith, Brideshead Revisited

21-30: Travel, passions, time

With formal education almost out of the way for the majority of people, this may well be the era of employment planning and settling into relationships. But the 20s are often experienced as a hangover from the previous decade. Only a handful of people really sort themselves out during these years, and the reasons for that are clear: the mind is that of a man rather than a boy now, as is the body, and these are the years when we perform best socially and sexually.

If there is a perfect age in life, it might well be 29 - at the cusp of the fourth decade, and with all the vigour of youth. Now is the time to not only see the world but to hike it, bike it, pitch tents, sleep in the streets, go to festivals, and eat, drink and sleep on the cheap. Gainful, dignified employment has become harder to come by for younger people, so who can blame them for escaping for a while.

Sexual relations dominate these years, however, and can work like a counterforce, an anchor to stay and settle - and perhaps marry and breed. Because such choices are fateful, these are the years when old friends may go astray as they define themselves through existential choices. This is also the time for political and social idealism - if you're not dreaming now, you certainly won't be any later on in life. But this is, above all, the time for time - there seems to be a lot of it left and nothing matters that much.

Key texts: On The Road, The Talented Mr Ripley, Metroland, Nausea, The Communist Manifesto, High Fidelity, The Beach

31-40: The men-from-the-boys

Key years, these. In their 30s many men arrange their affairs. The pressure really comes on now to figure out what you want and who you are. This is, actually, a luxury, as previous generations were well into adulthood by these years. Now's the time to think about a home, a place to live for more than a couple of years, a girlfriend who is more than a fling, career issues, money matters and family ties ... or not, if the tug of freedom and egotism is too strong.

Health still feels a given in this decade, but there will be the first signs of slower responses, a looser mid-riff, a slippage of balance, By the age of 39, there is nothing left of the boy - and boyishness becomes quite unattractive when hair is greying and pates a-balding.

Fashion-wise, this is a time to seize an opportunity: you can dress like a man but stylishly now - cool suits, great shirts, and - still - fitted T-shirts. Seeds are sown in the 30s, projects initiated, life-plans honed.

Key texts: Keep The Aspidistra Flying, A Confederacy Of Dunces, Money

41-50: Decisions, decisions ...

Practicalities really need to be sorted out in this decade. Men still have a chance to switch careers, launch a new business, apply for a foreign placement. The 40s are also a time to reinvent your romantic life, as the partner age range is pretty wide and, hopefully, you're still not too jaded to engage in the rituals of dating and mating.

But this is a high-pressure decade, when divorces and parental deaths are liable to upset the balance, and when psychological issues may well develop. We've come to define the 40s as "mid life", and that word is usually followed by "crisis". Physical changes are likely to work alongside social experiences to bring about a sense that it's now or never - and, at the same time, our culture feeds us all kinds of confusing messages about what manhood really means.

Key texts: Mr Phillips, The Honorary Consul, Lolita, The Corrections, The Information, Herzog, The Waste Land

51-65: Halcyon days

Booze, steak, white bread, cigarettes, spliff, sugar, butter. If these have been the staples of your life up to now, it might well be time to limit them to occasional treats. The body just won't take it any longer, as is (probably) illustrated by increased blood pressure, veiny nostrils, fatigue and insomnia.

No wonder so many men in this group have jumped on the road cycling bandwagon - powering up steep hills releases some of the hormones that all the above, and sex, used to release and gives the illusion that time can be kept at bay.

Many people hit their highest wages in these years as commitment and dedication pay off - but this is also the period when work can easily overtake life. Being boss can be anything but empowering.

Still, wedged between the maniacal self-examination of early mid life and the inevitable and unending autumn that is soon to come, these pre-retirement years can be a sort of calm season between storms.

Wisdom is available now, and a lucid mind means it can still be put to good use.

Key texts: Dover Beach, The Great Gatsby, As A Man Grows Older

66-100: Lawn trimming, silver surfing

This is another travelling age for many people. Cruise ships, ancient ruins, luxury trains and small group tour buses are full of "grey nomads" - people in good health, with disposable income and in possession of curiosity and the energy to explore. For those with superannuation, good health and a garden, retirement is also the age of lawn trimmers and weekend newspapers.

An ideal time to embark on personal projects - read Shakespeare's entire works, create a small business at home, take on a physical challenge, write, learn new things.

Key texts: Everyman, The Sense Of An Ending, Travels With Charley In Search Of America, The Old Man And The Sea, The Old Devils, Seize The Day

- Canvas, Telegraph