Twelve Ages of a Time Lord

This imitation of William Shakespeare’s “The Seven Ages of Man” instead depicts the twelve ages of a Time Lord.

All the universe is a stage,

And all the inhabitants merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one Time Lord in his eternity plays many parts,

His act, so far, being twelve ages. At first the fierce but fatherly figure,

Wandering space and time with his TARDIS and beloved granddaughter.

And then the whimsical successor, with his sharp mind,

And his playful recorder, taking expeditions

Deep into the history of the Earth. And then the audacious one,

Exiled, but with a brash impatience to brawl with his enemies,

Especially with his rival, the Master. Then an adventurer,

Full of morality and selflessness, meeting dangers with a smile,

 Always wearing that idiosyncratic scarf of such great length,

Prepared to die for the universe itself,

But not without first making an impression. And then the scientist,

In his austere suit with a matching hat,

Donned with trade-mark-question-marks, and an equally questioning stare,

Curious and kind, sacrificing his life for that of a dear friend;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into a colorful and vibrant regeneration,

Full of passion and emotion,

Zealous, although quick tempered,

No doubt always hiding his dark side.

And then a jester, still swathed in question marks,

Yet unable to escape his shadowy secrets,

Shot down, regeneration again becoming his fate.

Then an amnesiac, unpredictable and turbulent,

Still seeking the demise of the elusive Master,

Eventually faced with a choice,

One allowing him to counter the volatile regenerations,

By selecting his own destiny, he becomes a warrior.

And then the intense figure,

Scarred and emotionally damaged,

Hiding his trauma from those he loved,

By expending his fantastic wit and absurdity,

Later saving the life of his treasured companion,

By absorbing the raw power of the time vortex,

Blasting in another raging regeneration. Next the lover,

With his converse and captivating grin,

Charming the universe, despite his frequent encounters with evil,

Losing his Rose, then finding her,

Giving her a clone of himself, so she can live a life of happiness,

And not loneliness. He is destined to perish with the dreaded knock-knock-knock-knock,

And that plays out, with radiation poisoning bringing his beloved song to an end.

And then the mad man, energetic and flirtatious,

A remarkable combination of youth and age,

Young mind, old soul,

Forever changing the lives of Amy Pond and Rory Williams,

Solving mysteries and erasing tragedies, resetting time and marrying River Song,

Crossing paths with his own grave, his own shattered past,

Forever baffled with the anonymity who is The Impossible Girl,

Sacrificing his life for his kind yet again, believing this to be his last era,

But then granted regeneration by the Time Lords, his story continues. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful and perpetual history, at least for now,

An unforeseen and unknown man,

Yet to prove his worth,

Ready to take time and space by storm,

Furthering the revered work of his predecessor’s hands.

Author's Note

It goes down the list from number one to the introduction on number twelve, briefly touching on what each Doctor has accomplished and what makes each unique in the series. I do not own any of the characters.