There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
Ok. These lines are from the play Julius Caesar. Brutus says the lines before the war, as he goes on to talk about Opportunity and Chance. The explaination might just get repetitive and on your nerves.
The Tide in the first line refers to the Chance we receive in our lives, in our affairs of love, work, family and in all that we do. Like the ships at the port wait for the tide to be right so that they can continue their adventures of the boundless sea; similarly there await many tides in our lives which promise us much more than what we can imagine or dream of.
And if traveled during the right tide, we gain the immense fortune of learning so much; grabbing the right opportunity also gives us the possibility of earning the fortune of experience. We don't know what these many possibilities hold for us, but it is only after we try them that we know. Opportunity indeed only comes once.
The only difference between tide and opportunity probably is that, tide comes again and again but opportunity might never ever return. Thus, if omitted ever in life, one is bound to suffer. To miss a target is ok, but to never have explored the possibility of archery, especially if it was on your journey, is nothing but a fool's act. You might always wonder where that tide might have taken us.
Shaky goes on to say that our lives are full of such opportunities that can change us forever. Whether it's a chance to say sorry or a moment of realisation or anything else. Don't think too much. The weather is good, the tide is good, just start your voyage. Like the ships take the current when it's good for 'em, so must we use the varied paths in our lives.
What we plan and what we want is only a manifestation of our mind. That can only be brought to reality when we work towards it and we find the right chances on our way. I don't know about destiny or luck or if you really really want something everything else will fall in place; but if you have something in your way that you think you really want, then grab it for that can only truly fulfill thy venture. And if we lose it, then we lose it forever.
On a lighter note...
There is a tide in the affairs of men. Sometime back came my tide and I started to blog. Then the Internship with Viewspaper. Then a few followers, though I am often tempted to post on Facebook for more readership. And a lot more came....Today I am happy with my blog, with whatever it is. Thanks to the tide that came my way. To get your tide just don't call God but look around. Our website is www.help-my-brain-that-cant-find-opportunities.com. Order now! Grab now! Toll Free!
Thanks Shakespeare. Thanks Readers. Thanks.
23 comments:
Thanks a bunch for the explaination of the snippet. I have not read any of Shaky's works.I am waiting for some more tides to come my way, so that I can get started on something thats been in my mind for a long time now.
=> ss
hehehehe...
Shaky was slightly mad, wrote too much too complicatedly, but what i love about him was that he perfectly understood every aspect of human life.
May many tides come thine way. Thou shalt do good. :D
u've ritten it beautifully..did u interpret it on ur own or wot?
=> vasudha
I first got to know about the quote from One Tree Hill...I thenw ent on to read Julius Caesar ka full text, reading that only..
And how i got to know the meaning...Let's just say I like it under raps for my personal integrity....
And now I finally know what it means.
There's a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood leads on to fortune.
meaning - Now or never.
--> Nick
Maybe so.
Email Marketing
very useful, thanx a lot for this article ........ This is hwat I was looking for.
Took me time to read the whole article, the article is great but the comments bring more brainstorm ideas, thanks.
- Johnson
--> Anon (Johnson)
I'm glad you like it.
this is a very nice interpretation and because of it i will get a good grade on my english final
:).
I like your expression. Its very calm in nature... the flow of ideas and words linger into a series of steps rather than dropping off directly.
keep it up and, Hope we can be friends... tcrx
Thank you so much for this! Like you, I first discovered this quote from One Tree Hill. But, while doing my English homework (a dialectical journal) I discovered this quote in Julius Caesar. Of course I had to put it down because of OTH (I'm a bit obsessed) but I had no idea what it meant. This helped me out so much, so thank you again!
Sans comparison, Shakes.
Thanks for reproducing and interpreting.
Had originally read this in school, when it did not make an impact. Only as one experiences more does the relevance of Shakes strike you.
To each his won. I hope you did get a good grade :)
Hi Asif, thank you so much :)
Ofc we can be friends!
I am glad you like it. There was a time when I was obsessed with OTH too (till about season 4). It's beautiful quote indeed, don't think I'll ever forget it :)
Pleasure is all mine. This is the only connection Shakespeare and I have :P
Indeed. As we experience acts from his plays, do we realise the true meaning of his words.
>The only difference between tide and opportunity probably is that, tide comes again and again but opportunity might never ever return. <
The difference is the tide will return, but opportunity might not return soon enough.
It adds meaning if you interpret this from an English sailor's point of view, a sailor of the time when ships were wood and men were iron. The flood meant the outrushing current as the tide dropped (tides only rise and fall; tidal currents ebb and flow.) In the higher latitudes, as in England, tidal currents were a major consideration in getting out of and back into estuaries - though not so much on the Mediterranean. Taken on the flood, a ship could float out to sea without a favorable wind or rowing. Caught at anchor or tied up in a harbor at low tide, a ship was stuck until the tide rose and then began to fall again leaving you a day late and a dollar short. Shakespeare is all about layering meaning upon meaning.
To each his own :)
Wow. That is beautifully explained. Thank you for adding that to this piece. Must take the current when it serves or forever lose our ventures. Shakespeare leaves me stunned each and every time.
There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation. - W. C. Fields
Irrepressible, as ever!
I know my time has come for Google's asking me to prove I am not a bot.
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