[Jim Noble]

As bitter as the serpent's tooth/
To have a Thankless child

(King Lear)

[nopardons]

Thanks ! It was awfully late, and the exact quote escaped me. :-)

[mrustow]

As bitter as the serpent's tooth/
To have a Thankless child

(King Lear)

Thankless for what? Thanklessness presupposes that one has been given something. Poor Shakespeare! Little minds abuse him, so that they might feel like great spirits. Lots of Nazis used to be able to quote Goethe, too.