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Rank: Advanced Member
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 It is a wise father that knows his own child. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
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Joined: 11/22/2009
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In your day gifted Shakespeare. Only in your day.
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And the wiser one in doubt will never say nay
To have the child tested for his DNA
"To see a world in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wild flower..."
~William Blake
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It would be nice to see the sources for all these quotes. For example, what play does this quote come from?
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Rank: Member
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I wonder if he means it requires letting go of ones own ego to see a child for who they are rather than who you want them to be. To understand that takes wisdom.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: Bangalore, India
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Joseph, this is from 'The Merchant of Venice'
Spanner, we sometimes over-interpret or may be over-revere the well reputed, like Willy Shakespeare. In the play, this line is a common remark from a frivolous almost 'no good' but witty son to a near blind Father who has failed to recognize the son he has set out to meet.
"To see a world in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wild flower..."
~William Blake
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Location: United States
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Articulate Dreamer, now we are dreamin'. Yes many read more into a single line of extracted quote than it can hold, and often blame it for not holding more, even disparaging it. Like expecting to see the whole world in a one pound bag.
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spannerinworks wrote:I wonder if he means it requires letting go of ones own ego to see a child for who they are rather than who you want them to be. To understand that takes wisdom. I think you are right.
Little drops of water~Little grains of sand~Make the mighty ocean~And the pleasant land~So the little moments~Humble though they be~Make the mighty ages ~Of Eternity/by Julia Fletcher Carney
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Remarkable quotes from gifted writers are seen by many to be valid or true. Sometimes these people come from opposing camps. The difference lies in interpretation. So in the end, remarkable quotes do not make sense simply in reading, but derive meaning from subjective interpretation. Therefore, we re-create them, we own them, we alter original meanings to suit our subjective needs or understandings.
The same applies to every text really. It is human nature, if you will.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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It's been ages since I read Merchant of Venice (and I can't bring myself to get up and take it down from my bookshelves--there's dust) but if I recall correctly, isn't this one of the conversations between Lancelot and his father? It doesn't sound like something Shylock would say.... If I'm right, those are clown characters in the play, which would make this quote something that Shakespeare intended to be ironic or just funny coming from the "fools" of the play.
It only takes a casual glance at Shakespeare's work to recognize the relationships between parent and child as a source of conflict, betrayel and duplicity. In Merchant there's a whole aspect of the daughter conspiring against Shylock. Consider also the conflict between King Lear and his daughters, the way Hamlet has to deal with his father's expections (from beyond the grave, no less) and the advice given to Laertes by Pollonius.
So even if Billy didn't put this in the dialogue of one of the fools, you need to be careful with this kind of quote. Someone who knows the context might recognize Shakespeare's irony and turn it around on you.
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Rank: Member
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Location: Philippines
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It is a wise father that knows his own child.
In order to understand the quote, we better understand of two characters pointed out. First is the father and second is the child.
Parenting is difficult. To be a good father is a pretty tough responsibility. To be a good father, it is better for the father to apprehend his child.
As a child, child wanted to explore his/her world and every child has own characteristic. Even though what is his/her characteristic. That child is his own... Thus, it is a wise for a father to know his child...
Yet, it is better to understand one another... no matter what the age, and position there is... cos every one has his/her own shortcomings..
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