The Lover, from the Seven Ages of Man (Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 2, scene 7)

Art Historical Context

In the poignant speech from Shakespeare's *As You Like It (Act 2, Scene 7), the melancholic Jaques describes the "Seven Ages of Man," timeless meditation on life's stages. *The Lover*, one of this series etched and engraved between 1825 1840, captures the second age: the lovesick youth, "sighing like a furnace with a woeful ballad his mistress' eyebrow. This intimate interior scene shows a young man immersed in writing, evoking the pangs of romantic passion amid Shakespeare's enduring poetry. Rendered by engraver Charles Heath the elder after painter Robert Smirke's design, the print exemplifies early 19th-century Romantic fascination with Shakespearean drama. Smirke, a celebrated illustrator of the Bard's works, infused the composition with emotional depth, while Heath's meticulous etching and engraving techniques—using acid bites and burins for fine lines—produced exquisite detail on the tiny sheet (just 3 7/16 × 2 9/16 in.). These prints made high art accessible, bridging theater and visual culture during Britain's printmaking boom. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Harriet McDonald, 1941), *The Lover* reminds us how Shakespeare's words inspired generations of artists, turning universal human experiences into delicate, collectible treasures. A perfect gem for pondering love's fleeting fire!

About the Artist

William Shakespeare|Charles Heath, the elder|Robert Smirke (British|British|British|British) · 1840 |1831 |1564 |1564 –1877 |1912 |1616 |1616

British, active 1840–77|British, London 1831–1912 London|British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon|British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon